Erin Konrad
Staff Writer

For many years now the music department has been offering a January interterm choir course. The course provides students with a chance to tour Hawaii and perform concerts on the exotic islands.

The course will include several weeks of rehearsal on the ULV campus, followed by a week touring Hawaii. The trip will consist of concert performances, sightseeing ventures and free time to explore for all students.

Students who wish to participate in the Hawaii tour will need to enroll in choir for the fall semester.

“We’re encouraging those who want to be involved to take choir during the fall as well,” Associate Professor of Music and Choir Conductor Stephen Gothold said. “Otherwise it would be pretty tough to put together a viable choir in just a few weeks.”

The ULV chorale consists of students who are music, as well as non-music majors. During the fall and spring semesters, the class meets Monday through Thursday from noon to 12:50 p.m.

During the first few weeks of January, students will be expected to rehearse several times a day in order to prepare for the tour.

The goal of adding the new course is the hope that it will serve as an encouragement to students with various interests to take advantage of the opportunities of being in a school choir.

“We’re hoping to have our choir tour during January of 2008,” Matt White, a sophomore public administration and music major, said. “We’ll rehearse like crazy in the fall to prepare for it.”

White, who is also the Choir Secretary, admits his excitement over the opportunity to travel to Hawaii next year.

Gothold notes that the cost, though difficult to determine at this time, would probably reach up to $500 per person.

But the interterm course would serve as a “yearlong extension of the choir experience.”

“We’re hoping to have a good size group,” Gothold said.

Freshman Tona Chacon echoes her excitement about next year’s trip.
“I’m super excited to go,” Chacon said. “Hawaii is incredibly beautiful and the trip would bestow a new experience upon all of us who want to attend.”

It seems that many students would love to spend part of their winter break relaxing and having fun in the sun.

Erin Konrad can be reached at ekonrad@ulv.edu.