For many, the shared traditions of Glee Club domestic tours are second nature, but for those who have never before traveled domestically with the Club, there are many new experiences to be had! Here we hear from freshmen Alex Yalch and Jacob Wilde on their 2024 spring tour!
Hi! My name is Alex Yalch and I am a freshman from Jacksonville, Florida living in Baumer Hall and studying environmental sciences. I spent my spring break touring with the glee club in Colorado and New Mexico. Touring with the club was unlike anything I had ever experienced. Having never before seen the Rocky Mountains, I was thrilled by the opportunity to take in the majesty of the area’s natural landscape. We spent our time exploring the area: hiking Garden of the Gods and skiing down Copper Mountains. I will be forever grateful for the opportunity to see and experience such breathtaking places with the friends I have made in the glee club.
Touring allowed me to truly step into what it means to be a member of the glee club. Before joining, I knew very little about the glee club; thus, I have been delighted to learn of its distinct culture and tradition. Between the hours of bus travel and long hotel nights, I was able to speak with and grow much closer to the people that I have been singing with since the school year began. I am continually fascinated to learn more about the lives and backgrounds of those in the club. Furthermore, coming together in song with those I have grown to know and respect is all the more impactful. I cannot wait for the next opportunity to travel in fellowship with the glee club!
Hello, my name is Jacob Wilde. I am a freshman and a Science Pre-Professional Major. I recently went on my first “real” tour about a week ago. I did go on the Winter Tour, but that was not a traditional tour with just the club. I was especially excited to go on Spring Tour this year because we traveled to Colorado, my home state, and New Mexico. My expectations for the tour were met and exceeded.
Although we have a lot of traditions that we do here on campus, there are lots of traditions that we do solely on tour, specifically on the bus. Whether it was special songs, competitions, and other entertainment on the bus I enjoyed all of it. A personal highlight for me was being voted “Ms. Bus” for this tour.
We also did lots of activities all around Colorado and New Mexico. We went to Manitou Springs, Garden of the Gods, and lots of delicious restaurants. We even got in a good half day of skiing at Copper Mountain!
Overall, the tour is about the concerts. We performed in an eclectic assortment of places ranging from high schools to Methodist Churches to the Basilica in Santa Fe. For these concerts we had a very large set of songs to choose from and I honestly can say I enjoyed singing every song, whether a lenten carol or a jazzy swing tune.
This tour as a whole was a great experience. I got the songs for our Spring Concert much more ingrained in my head and I got to know a lot of my fellow clubbers a lot better. If tours are this much fun just here in the US, I can’t imagine how much fun international tour will be next summer.