Western North Carolina’s Voices in the Laurel has gone international.

Voices in the Laurel Tour Choir, directed by Martha Youngwood, has just returned from its “Tale of Two Cities Tour” to London and Paris. The nine-day tour included performances in several venues and sightseeing at some of the world’s most famous attractions. Seventy-two people, including 30 singers, from Haywood, Jackson and Swain counties, participated in the tour. Dot Wells and Michael Youngwood provided musical accompaniment for the concerts.

The first part of the tour was headquartered in London, where Voices members toured the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square and St. Paul’s Cathedral. Some members shopped on Oxford Street while others visited Abbey Road, recording studio for the Beatles. Highlights in London included seeing a performance of “The Phantom of the Opera;” attending a Medieval Banquet at the Beefeater; and being present at “The Trouping of the Color,” a parade celebrating the Queen’s birthday in which the group came within a few feet of the Queen Mother, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles.
Voices in the Laurel participated in a service at St. Michael’s at Northgate, the oldest church in Oxford, after which they toured the famous university. In addition, the choir performed a full concert at Rochester Cathedral and sang in the Chapter House of Canterbury Cathedral.

The second part of the tour took Voices in the Laurel to Paris on the Chunnel, a train that travels under the English Channel. While in Paris, the group shopped on the Champs Elysees, took a river cruise on the Seine, toured the Louvre, visited Notre Dame, saw the artists at work at Sacre Coeur and ascended the Eiffel Tower. A side trip took Voices to the Palace at Versailles.

Performances in France included a morning recital at Chartres Cathedral, a concert at the Town Hall of Jouy-en-Josas, with a final performance at a primary school in Jouy.

Voices in the Laurel is now preparing for next season with auditions for new choristers taking place. Singers in grades three through 12 who pass a musical audition are eligible for placement in Children’s Choir, Youth Choir, Ensemble or Accord. Auditions will take place on Aug. 7 and 14 from 4-6 p.m. For an audition appointment or more information, call 926.0568.

 

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The Smoky Mountain News