75% of students in Concert Choir have yet to be on the annual spring tour that was canceled the last two years because of Covid-19

In spring of 2020 and 2021, NDSU’s Concert Choir was unable to attend their annual choir tour because of the Covid-19 pandemic, but after two long awaited years, they’re able to return to the series of concerts for the spring of 2022. 

“Last year, Covid really impacted us because we had to sing in a huge space, always masked and very distanced. We simply couldn’t hear each other,” said Dr. Jo Ann Miller, a University Distinguished Professor and Director of Choral Activities. “To make music at the same level that we’ve been used to doing wasn’t possible. We were still together and we were still singing and making music, but it was so different.”

Two years of missing tour, means two classes of students that missed out on what could have been their final years on tour while in Concert Choir. According to Dr Miller, roughly 75% of the current choir memebers haven’t been on tour before. 

But this year, the choir is able to start the transition back into a normal practice setting and better prepare for the tour. Although the situation is still not ideal, there has been great improvement from last year.

“We were really thrilled to be back in the choir room. Even though we’re masked, at least we’re in the same room and we can hear each other much better,” Miller said. 

The tour allows each member of the choir to advance in both their music and their relationships with other choir members. Dr. Miller believes that this is where a lot of growth takes place.

“I’ve always believed that going on tour is the time that the choir really gels musically and also personally. And so, without that experience of traveling together and singing the same concert over and over again, we missed out on some of the musical growth that the choir has when they have those experiences together,” said Miller. “So, mostly I felt sad for the kids that didn’t get the experience. Without it, they don’t really know what they’re missing, so I’m very excited that we are going to do it this year.”

For music majors and non music majors, the consecutive days of singing and bonding create memories that will stick with them for a lifetime. About two-thirds of the choir members are music majors, the rest are pursuing a variety of different majors at NDSU. 

“My brother, who wasn’t a music major, was in the concert choir for two years and he was talking about tour and he said, ‘You know those kids, if they haven’t been on it, they have no idea,’ and I said ‘No, they really don’t.’ Even as a speech pathology major, he just loved every minute of it, so we can talk about how cool it is, but until you’ve experienced it, it’s not quite the same.”

There are traditions that the choir carries forward every tour that the new members are going to have to learn from the few choir members that have been on tour before. Dr. Miller says it is also important that the rookies gain an understanding of how much they have to take of themselves to prepare for the demanding effort it takes to perform successfully. 

“Not really knowing what to expect is one of the aspects that I think is just different this year because usually we have so many students who have done it before and they sort of pass the culture on to the rest of the choir, but there are so few that have done it,” Miller said.

Another difference from this year’s tour compared to previous tours is the wearing of masks during travel on the bus and most performances. Although singing in masks will be new for tour concerts, choir members have sung in their masks since the Fall of 2020, some aren’t even familiar with what it feels like to sing in choir without a mask yet. 

“We still are hoping that mask mandates will be off at NDSU by the time we leave, which is still two weeks away, but we anticipate that at least a couple of the concerts we’ll still have to sing masked,” Miller said. “Since we’re singing in much bigger spaces than our performance room, it could increase the possibility of unmasking. We’re hoping that we’ll be able to sing unmasked soon…  it’s been so long.”

Many of the hosts have been unmasked for quite some time, but there are still a couple of them that have barely opened. Saint Mark’s Cathedral in Minneapolis just started their services again and are still carefully watching Covid and requiring masks. 

“We will probably sing most of our concerts masked,” said Miller. “If we are able to sing some of them unmasked, it will still be an option for those singers who feel like they need to stay masked for a little longer.”

Last year, the choir didn’t see very many COVID cases. However, this year with omicron, they had many more absences and positive cases among their members. Because of the harsh winter weather these past couple of weeks, they also missed three rehearsals from NDSU shutting down its campus.

“The concert choir does a lot of repertoire, so those factors have affected our progress on some of the pieces. We are trying to play catch up by doing extra sectionals, by having rehearsal tracks for the members to use and expecting more from them than they probably expected from themselves,” Miller said.

The recent absence of choir members and fewer rehearsals puts the quality of the group’s work behind more than they would like. But, like most performances, the working pieces usually fit together just in time for the big show.

“I think we’ll get there for sure because we always do, so I’m not worried about getting to the performance level that we expect, it’s just that we are coming up to it a little bit closer than I would prefer,” said Miller. “So, it’s just a matter of making adjustments as you go, both on the part of me as a conductor, but also on the part of individuals having to step up.” 

The choir will be traveling to cities in South Dakota, North Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin to perform their concerts. Their home performance is a 4 p.m. on Sunday, March 20 at Peace Lutheran Church, Fargo.

For those who have questions or concerns, contact Dr. Jo Ann Miller at jo.miller@ndsu.edu.