This past summer, the Paly Choir took a trip across seas touring and performing at the famous sights and venues of Spain and France. This was the first time the Paly Choir had ever traveled outside of the United States.

"This is the first out of the country tour," said Michael Najar, the choir director at Paly. "The Madrigals have toured before, but this was the first Concert Choir tour as a whole."

The tour took place from June 14 to June 27. Thirty-six students from the Concert Choir, Madrigals, and Spectrum, attended. The chaperones, aside from Mr. Najar, were parents of the choir members. The choir toured Barcelona, Pamplona, San Sebastian, Bilbao, and Paris, and sang in famous cathedrals across Spain and France.

The students who went on the trip were required to put in a lot of extra hours for rehearsals. Preparation for the trip took a lot of student dedication, according to Najar. "We prepared with extra rehearsals, Saturday rehearsals, and a mini retreat," Najar said.

Among other well-known venues, the choir got to perform at the La Segrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain. "We sang at pretty famous places," said senior Brian Franklin, a member of the choir.

Choir-mate, senior Kim Thaker said, "We were invited to sing at [La Segrada Familia]. It is like the Notre Dame of Barcelona."

The choir sang in German, English, Spanish, and Latin in an attempt to learn and appreciate music from other cultures. "Music is appreciated for what it is," Najar said. "It does not matter the language." They hoped to connect with the people in the countries they were touring. "[In Spain] we sang songs in Spanish and it was really cool because everyone was dancing," Thaker said

The choir sang songs by Brahms, Britten, and Durufle. Most of the songs they sang were American folk songs, spirituals, and Latin songs like "Alma Llanera."

The Paly Choir was well received in every city they sang in, according to Najar. People danced and sang along. "We were welcomed," Najar said, "We had big crowds, it was an excellent trip." Another choir student, junior Sarah Nitzan said, "It was really nice because people who weren’t related to us came to watch."

Aside from performing, the students and parents were able to see many of the famous landmarks of Spain and France. They visited the beaches of San Sebastian, where they enjoyed the warmth of the water. The students climbed the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, and took tours of cathedrals and other famous buildings. According to Thaker and Franklin, they also got to experience the real Paris, the one that you cannot read about in the pamphlets. "The curfew was 11 so we saw a lot of the night life," Thaker said.

Franklin added, "Yeah, walking down Champs-Elyses, that was beautiful."

For Thaker and Franklin, Europe was a learning experience because the venues taught them to listen to their own acoustics. "It [the acoustics] helped us hear back what we were singing and it really enhanced our concert," Franklin said.

According to Thaker, the trip also taught them to organize themselves in a speedy fashion because "we had a lot of little impromptu concerts in outside places."

For Najar, the trip was a learning experience because the students had an opportunity to sing in a place more appropriate than a school theater. "It’s very nice to sing music in room PS2, but it’s more appropriate to sing music in the cathedrals of Europe," Najar said.

According to Najar, the most memorable moment he experienced was "conducting the choir in Paris at La Madeline, which is a famous church, during a piece in Thompson’s, ‘Alleluia,’" Najar said. "It was unforgettable."

The trip to Europe was a memorable, educational, uniting experience, according the students who attended. "It was so excellent.," junior Elissa Chandler said. "The best trip I’ve ever taken."