The South choir will be traveling to France in February 2027. The trip will be Feb. 10-18, where students will visit Normandy and Paris as they perform both by themselves and with local choirs in France.
The choir will pair singing and history as they go through France. With plans to visit the Eiffel Tower all the way to having a cheese tasting, the choir will have a wide range of activities to keep them busy while they’re abroad. Throughout the trip, they will perform three times, along with quite a few recitals. Carolyn Gross, South’s choir teacher, looks forward to sharing South’s talent with the locals in France.
“We wanted to go somewhere in Europe because the people in Europe value the arts more than it seems the people in the United States, so when we go to different cities, the local people come to support the visiting choir, which is what we wanted,” Gross said. “We also wanted to go somewhere we study, and with doing Les Mis right now, which is the French Revolution, it’s another extension.”
Although the trip costs money for each participant, the choir’s boosters and their own fundraisers, like car washes, will cut the costs of the trip. Ben Copus ’28 is ready to make new memories with his peers and try to raise as much money as he can.
“I’m excited to spend time with my friends and be with the choir singing in a new country,” Copus said. “I’ve never traveled out of the country before. I’ve already started selling ads, and have sold a couple of ads to some businesses to raise money for the trip.”
On the trip, the choir will be provided meals filled with local cuisine, and have some flexible time to take in the culture of France. The trip is also an opportunity to possibly experience once-in-a-lifetime things.
“If we get to sing at the [Notre Dame] Cathedral, that would be cool,” Gross said. “The Notre Dame had a big fire in it, so it was closed for many years for renovations, and they’re just starting to let people back in.”
During their time in France, the choir will be visiting many historical sites like the beaches in Normandy where D-Day occurred, the Memorial of Caen and even the Louvre. Tatum Gustafson ’28 is excited to not only perform in another country, but to see the artistic and historical landmarks of each city they visit.
“I’m a huge art nerd, and I literally love the Louvre, so I’m ecstatic to go. I want to minor in history, hopefully art history, so I can’t wait to see the works at the museum,” Gustafson said. “This goes with the Palace of Versailles, so any historic place in France, you will catch me at.”
