1988 Tour Thoughts
The following comes from a book that was passed around at the end of the 1988 tour to Canada (some of these are quite lengthy!). They are in the original order (except for Jen Pfeiffers, which goes from page 5 to page 16 and onto page 17). I have not attempted to correct any spelling or other errors (I don't think any of us spelled the name of that festival correct - it is Kathaumixw, by the way).
Ethelyn M. Sparfeld - Beautiful, breath taking water, mountains and trees. SLCC feeling more as a unit - helping one another - being more outgoing with new friends in other choirs. Bother Concert Choir and Chamber Singers really used their skill, concentration and love of singing to give excellent performances! Although we heard superb choirs with precision, good intonation, great blend - all to be admired & sought after, I would not trade the SLCC for any of them.
Lana Turner Richard (Accompanist) - Music & children - what a great combination. I'm sure when I'm old and grey this will be one of my favorite stories that will bore everyone to tears at Happy Valley! P.S. - Is my Best Accompanist Award in the mail?
Michael Herron - Most productive tour yet. Very educational listening to other choirs and judges comments. Both Concert Choir and Chamber Singers performed their best.
Christy Jarvis (now Schaeffer) - I enjoyed the closeness of the choir. While we were in Seattle I missed everyone because they all made me feel so much at home. I really enjoyed the ferry rides. It was so unlike anything I've every done and the scenery was gorgeous. Most of all I enjoyed our concerts. It was really something to share what we can do. It's almost like a gift!
Brad Rouse - My handwriting is going to be awful. This is quite a bumpy ride. I'm just going to brainstorm what I remember about tour '88. The adult choir. Jan Szgrocki. How good I felt about the Chamber Singers. How good I felt about our performance at the competition. Posing with Michael Gormly for pictures. Joe's spoon-on-the-nose (see the pictures area of the website). Eliot's women (ha ha). How loud the bus was. How positive all of the chaperones were this year. My mother. My brother. Ann-Lou's last tour :(. Laughing with Lana. Mr. Sparfeld's jokes. The vast amount of great music I heard. Mrs. Kragenbrings toilet paper. Missing Jill (his girlfriend). Holding music in the typhoon at the folk fest. All the food I ate. The awesome pool at Powell River. The actor at the Seattle Center. Composing with Darin. The closeness of the group this year really warmed my heart.
Jennifer Pfeiffer - Since I really have problems writing things that don't take forever and so I don't ramble (like I normally do) I will just do as Brad did and brainstorm about the most memorable things on this tour. Killer airplane toilets. Everybody packing so very little ( ha ha) (I think my shoulders are lower!). Pickle pizza in Seattle. Having a very important concert even though everyone had jet lag & was about to fall over & doing our best. My gorgeous home stay house in Seattle & rich, rude little girls. Cold, damp weather -> UGH! (High's in the 70's? WHAT?). Moomoo poopoo playing. Sharing one shower with 20 other people ("We're staying where?"). Playing on the playground -> KIDS AGAIN-AHH!! The beautiful Butchart Gardens & the "spectacular" fireworks display. Double decker buses. Mind games with Ann-Lou, Kristen, Brad & Joe. Embarrassing comment about my facial expression. Singing with a really sore throat and with practically no voice whatsoever (YIPPEE). Numerous ferry rides. "I GO SCHOOL" with Christine K. Staying in another school. Walking everywhere - good exercise but hard on the feet! Cold showers with no privacy - YEE-HAH. One outlet-HA! HA! I don't have to use a curling iron!! Green eggs and raw bacon - YUM! Sharing a singing bed? with Ann-Lou & having no covers. Ann-Lou carrying the flag. Kathaumixw in general-what and experience! Watching the Concert Choir compete and crying as they went on. Wish I could have done it with them. THEY WERE GREAT! Competing with Chamber Singers and giving it my all along with everyone else. 4th PLACE! WOW! Meeting new friends from all over the world & listening to all the wonderful choirs and music. Sharing our music with others wherever we went. The awesome pool in Powell River-what a blast. Brad in the girl's locker room. My wonderful mommy & Daddy & all my relatives. I'll miss you mom, Dad & Aunt Gina! Crammed school bus rides. Missing the ferry. Glen Ellyn imitations. Packed lunches - YUCK! Sand dollar collecting. My dad, the spoon-face and much, much more! I'm closing (yes, I think I'm almost finished!). I'd like to say that this has to be about the best tour yet. Everything went pretty smoothly and the closeness of the choir was incredible. I think that we all should be so proud of what we have accomplished (just being a part of Kathalomixw '88 is an experience and an honor!) and be proud of how well we sang. Most of all we should be proud that we're part of SLCC...I know I am. I wouldn't trade you guys for the world! You're all #1 in my book! I love you all! Bye for now. See ya next year. Jen Pfeiffer, Class of '90.
Kevin McKeever - Wonderful tour!! So much better than last year, much more free time and not so much running around. All places visited had just wonderful views. I'm glad there were no problems involved with peoples actions. It seems that everyone pretty well enjoyed themselves. The competitions in Powell River were the best! It was so neat to hear the other choirs. I personally loved the Russian choir and thought that there was an overall 1st place that they should get. Gotta go!! Bye Ann-Lou!!:(
Stew (Stewart Lynch) - What a trip! In the last twelve days I have had some of the best times of my life; and I've gotten to know a fun bunch of kids (and adults). I've met lots of wonderful and exotic people outside the choir; I've seen some gorgeous scenery and most important, I've had the greatest musical experience of my life to date. Hearing the choirs, competing, touring, singing with hundreds of other voices and working with two very fine conductors - Mrs. Sparfeld and Mr. Szyrocki. I have learned tons, enjoyed even more and I do not want to return to St. Louis. I could do this for years!
Michelle Harding - This has been the best tour for me so far! I've met a lot of new people from other choirs and its' been a lot of fun. My favorite part of the tour was definitely Kathawmixw/ I've gotten 5 peoples addresses so far! I'll especially remember how good Glen Ellyn was & how nice most of the people were. Also this will always be a sad tour cause its' Ann-Lou's last. I love you Ann Lou! Good Luck. P.S. - I'm also going to miss my fave dad "Joe" Ann-Lou's imitations & Josh, the guy from Glen Ellyn and all the other fun stuff we did.
Susan Church - Wow. What and experience:) This year's tour will be locked in my memory for quite a while. Just seeing different ways music is interpreted & shared has really expanded my love for music & travel as a whole & my desires to do something like this again are quite strong! It's amazing. And besides, Kathaumixw, the scenery was an unforgettable part of tour too :) As for staying at the school, I personally loved it! It's exciting to "change" . I think it's important to try things "lower" or "higher" quality & class than what one lives at, you know? Oh well. I would strongly support another tour like this!! I love it!!
Matt Alber - Well, here we are at the last day of '88 tour and it seems as though we just left St. Louis MO airport. I don't feel it was as fun as fun as Toronto, or Japan but I did get a lot of nice souvenirs that I would have never brought at home. Can't wait to get home to family and friends outside choir. I loved the superlatives. I've seen a lot of scenery that's been beautiful.
Chester Pidduck - We've all had some great fun '88 tour. Were on our way home now. We're getting off the bus in Seattle.
Ely Wilson - Had a great time! Hope to go next year! I really had fun in Seattle and at Kathalamixw. However, I can't wait 'till I get home!
Cory Steen ("Sweetness") - Tour has been great! Sounds original doesn't it! Our choir is more unique that other choirs. We aren't just people here to sing because our parents forced us to; we all like to sing and we act as a family not as a "group" like other choirs. Everyone really looked out for everyone and helped them if they were feeling down. The closeness of the group makes it possible for us to sing as a whole and not as "parts against parts."
Joy Rouse (chaperone) - Tour '88 with SLCC has been an incredible experience for me. The performances of our choirs have been wonderful - reflecting so well the wonderful abilities, attitudes, efforts, and personalities of our singers, director, and accompanist. The music of Kathaumixw was overwhelming for me. I could not count the number of times I have fought back tears on this trip because what I was hearing was so moving for me. But that's OK for a mom, right? Of course I'll always remember our accommodations - those which were comfortable and those that were challenging. What experiences we shared! I loved being with the SLCC kids, and especially sharing this adventure with my sons. I am so proud to be a part of this highly successful tour. Thanks for asking me!
Gina Scognamiglio - Fun fun fun!! This trip was great! I had a lot of good times. Going to a different country for my first time was the best! It was great to sing with all these different choirs. I had met a girl in Glen Ellyn's choirs and now we're really good friends. I've learned and have experienced a lot. This is my last tour and I will always remember all the fun I had, the people I met, the competition and everything we came here for. I wish this weren't my last year. I would have looked forward to next year. The experience was great. I'm glad I came!
Joe Tolod - Hi, my name is Joe and I'm here to write about tour this year. The other day they said "Hey Joe are you busy?" and I said "No!" So here I am on my first and only tour. I wish I got into the choir earlier because I love it and everyone in it. My memories start with Ann-Louises' shorts with SLCC on the back (see the picture on the pictures page of this website). Our concert in Seattle made me feel so special because of the people we were singing with. Then I was in for an adventure, a day with Elliot. WE had such a good time with the Hagans. To keep this short I'll give the highlights. The Volkswagen Warehouse, Broadway, MaryAnn, Andrea & Amy, the space needle and science center. Then we were transported by the Luxury (haha) liner, the Princess Marguerite. Victoria - Chickenpox - haha. I got a homestay. Watching stupid movies all night with Darin, laughing all night. Buchart gardens, what a beautiful city. Qualicom Beach, Nanny and the Laundry, Barkley, Colin the hard rocker. Powell River awesome what a thrill, we were part of something so special. It was a once in a lifetime experience. We met so many people. I'll never forget it. Rope swinging, the high dive, the school witch, Brooks Prison Quiet! My children, all my children the whole family and Nanny. There is just so much to remember. I have gotten along so well with everyone. I hope I can participate in another tour some time in the future.
Eliot Frick - Well, to be absolutely truthful, I'm just glad I got to come home with the rest of the choir. But in all seriousness, I enjoyed tour very much. Kathaunixw was the neatest experience of the whole trip. I've never seen so much talent in one place (or good looking girls). Christine, if you read this, you were the best-looking! I don't think I can write a novel about tour (like Jen did) but there was a lot of fun things that happened. Until next year... ("Europe '89 - Is it possible?). PS You know who, I love you.
Harlene Cicchese (chaperone) - "Nanny" - I really enjoyed the tour this year. The kids were great to be with. I was so pleased to see the kids all pull together and sing as a unit. The homestays were great, the sack lunches were not great. The kids gave me a lot of joy and I enjoyed learning from them. I truly believe that SLCC offers kids a great opportunity for learning.
Paul Sparfeld (chaperone) - I really enjoyed the trip and know others did as well. We all encountered group and individual challenges. The group challenges included changes in transportation schedules, movement of baggage, living conditions and transportation. The individual ones were coordination of our individual times with those of others, self organization and blending in musical performances with varies experience and new groups. Being our first competition, we did not know what to expect. The most memorable events for me include the beautiful performances, warm, kind people and beautiful sights.
Lynda Christian - This was a good tour for me because I was not as homesick as last year. I will always remember staying in the gym in Powell-River! I think that this trip was planned better this year. I wish we could do it again. Things to remember: Ann-Lou leaving, ordering pizza to "Hobs School", missing the ferry, eating at Denny's. I will always remember Powell River and competing.
Brian Tiemeier - I enjoyed this trip alot. Although in Seattle my home stay was nice, they didn't take me anywhere. I enjoyed the hotel stay the most, and my Qualicum beach family was second best. I like Buchart Gardens a lot and the ride on the Princess Margarite. I had fun meeting new people and I'm looking forward to the next tour.
Alex Huff - This trip was the farthest, geographically, I've been away from home, the farthest north and west, the first time I've ever been out of the USA. I was pleased that I could read the french labels and especially pleased when one of my home stay moms asked me if we got serviettes yet and I know what she was talking about. This trip gave me a break from the usual routine I had. It gave me a break from McDonalds. It was interesting to see all the different choirs. I especially liked the Uganda dancers and the Estonian girls choir. I hate Domine Deus and I will be very upset if I have to sing or hear it one more time in the near future. I love flying in planes, sleeping in buses, sleeping in gyms, sitting 3 in a seat on school buses with all our luggage in our laps and under our feet and being awakened at 5:00 in the morning to take a shower when I just took one at 12:00
Christine Cicchese - This year was my first tour and I learned a lot from it. I learned how to cooperate better with others and I learned a lot about other people in choir who I never knew before. I had a lot of fun in Canada even though I stayed in a gym with fifty other people. I also met a lot of people from other choirs and now I have a lot of pen pals. I enjoyed listening to other groups of children around my age perform. Even though the home stays were very generous and nice I would have enjoyed it more if we spent more time in the first week with the choir. This tour was a very learning and fun experience for me.
Tracy Tiemeier - While this was my third choir tour, this one was my favorite. Meeting people from different countries was really fun! This experience has brought me many new friends and five new pen pals. I have also become friends with people in our choir that I didn't know very well before. This choir tour was a very good learning experience for me also. Responsibility is one thing I learned. Being away from my parents made me be responsible for myself. My parents can't watch over me forever. Learning about other cultures was very interesting. All in all, I had a very good time and Powell River is something I will never forget!
T.C.S. (Tobin?) - The home stays were great. There was no one I didn't like. It was surprising at the competition how much music was familiar to us. In Victoria the folk fest was a good idea. At least I thought so.
Erin Brown - To me tour was so great. I knew some people in choir but now I feel like I know more people. I guess we really all became like family. I think that's what I liked most. Everyone just became so close and best friends. Other choirs even noticed how close we were. I know this is weird but I even liked feeling tired everyday. That gross food at the Inn became what we knew as life for a week. I can not wait until next year's tour. Thanks for the best time of my life everyone.
Kristin Crowell - I loved tour this year despite a few minor problems. The home stays were well organized and I felt that I got to know them a lot better than my home stays last year. Our choir this year had more spirit than any other choir. I felt that our choir became a tight inner circle and we all got to know each other like one big family. I loved all of the chaperones and I hope they come back again next year.
Kara Mullins - 1st home stay - Mintz Family - I've spent 3 night and 2 days here. It's the absolute worst! I hope my next home stay is better. 2nd home stay - Pouliot Family - Now this is much more like it. They did almost everything with us that was possible! (left purse). 3rd home stay - Chet Family - This is the absolute best! They live 1 block from the ocean and have a gorgeous 12 year old son!! Susan thinks he likes me, but I seriously doubt it! KATHAUMIXW=DORM This dorm (high school) is 60 years old! The floors creak, and we are staying with 2 other choirs! The showers are warm for 30 seconds, arctic for 10. It's ridiculous! On the next to last night I got my.! HOTEL!! (finally) We stayed at the Quality Inn. My roomies were Cory Steen and Mrs. Cicchese.
