Washington D.C.

Have you missed us? We've been so busy with our activities that we've barely had a moment to reflect. Hopefully, you've caught some of our journey through our Tweets. As we get ready for our second day in Washington D.C., here's what we've been up to.

Sunday the choir participated in the worship services of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in downtown Richmond. It was a large church with a very warm and welcoming congregation. They were thrilled to have the boys participating in the services and were very appreciative. The boys enjoyed pizza, salad, and brownies provided by St. Paul's Youth Choir.

The afternoon found the boys exploring maps, electricity, physics, biology, and space at the Virginia Museum of Science. The day wrapped up with dinner at Red Robin (YUM!!) and a sundae bar back at the hotel.

Monday morning the group traveled about an hour to Colonial Williamsburg, the location of our second performance at Bruton Parish. We started the morning off with guided tours of the colonial era, getting a hands on idea of how life was different - getting water from a well, making your own bricks. We learned about skilled trades such as coopers, printers, and blacksmiths. We had a brief time for exploring and shopping on our own before gathering in Merchants Square for an informal performance. Lots of passersby inquired about our performance as they saw us gathering, and a large crowd formed to watch them sing.

If that wasn't a busy enough day, following a pizza buffet for lunch, the choir traveled a few hours north to Herndon, Virginia, just outside of Washington D.C. for another concert. After warming up and adjusting to the space, the group was provided a delicious meal of fried chicken, potato salad, coleslaw, dinner rolls, watermelon, and chocolate cake. A little rest and a full belly gave everyone the needed energy for a terrific concert. Needless to say, the boys fell asleep quickly in anticipation of an early, and busy day in Washington D.C.

Day 2 - Lots of Traveling

Today was another long day of traveling. We left our hotel at 8:30 this morning and made our way to our hotel in Richmond with a leisurely lunch stop and rest stop. We had a little bit of time to freshen up and change before boarding the bus to our performance location at historic Bruton Parish Church in Colonial Williamsburg. Check out this link to learn more about the history of this church.

We arrived in Colonial Williamsburg and had a quick dinner of sandwiches at the famed "Cheese Shop" yummy! While there wasn't much time to walk around and enjoy the sights of Merchant Square tonight, we are certainly looking forward to our tour and performance there on Monday morning.

The performance tonight was part of a series of Candlelight Concerts that are held at Bruton Parish in the summer for members as well as for Colonial Williamsburg visitors. The boys did a fantastic job and received LOTS of praise from attendees.

Tomorrow we begin our day bright and early, participating in the church services at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Richmond. In the afternoon we'll head to the Virginia Science Museum and end our day with dinner at Red Robin...and there's a rumor going around that we might be getting ice cream after dinner...Bruster's, Friendly's, Cold Stone are all nearby!

We'll be putting up some pictures shortly, so check back. Don't forget...we Tweet too! The link can be found on the left side of our home page at www.chattanoogaboyschoir.org.

We're on Our Way!

Day 1 of Summer Tour 2010 got the Chattanooga Boys Choir off to a great start. We had one of our longest traveling days, driving for about 6 hours to Charlotte, North Carolina. We arrived ahead of schedule and checked into our hotel before heading out for our first performances. Upon arriving at historic St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Charlotte, the boys warmed up and enjoyed a delicious lasagna dinner. The performance followed at 7pm and Mr. Oakes said that it was "easily one of our BEST first concerts!" The performance was very well attended and appreciated, and was in such a beautiful space. Following a snack of ice cream sandwiches, the boys got a good night's rest to prepare for another day of traveling.

Next we'll be heading to Bruton Parish Episcopal Church in Williamsburg, Virginia

Fun Depot

Wow! What a cool place! We pulled into the Fun Depot in Ashville close to noon today where we were met by Roy who hopped onto the bus and told us about all the fun that was ahead. Upon entering the Fun Depot we were ushered to the food area where we were served pizza and sodas. After enjoying a delicious lunch we were given Fun Cards that allowed 3 hours of fun on bumper cars, laser tag, indoor go-carts, indoor mini-golf, mini bowling, rock climbing and arcade games! Everyone had a GREAT time!

We're making our way east from Ashville to Morganton, North Carolina for our performance tonight. The drive through the beautiful, snow covered mountains of North Carolina has been smooth, with a brief stop for a few wild turkeys in the road!

Knoxville - Day 1

Whew! What a busy day we have had! We left Second Presbyterian Church right on time at 7:30am and made our way to the UT-Knoxville campus, where Dr. Sousa met us for a brief walking tour. The tour ended at the music building where Mr. Oakes and the CBC choir presented a workshop to music education students, teaching them about working with the adolescent voice.

Following the workshop the group walked to the University Center and experienced the wide variety of choices while dining at college - pizza, subs, Chick-Fil-A, and just about any other food a middle school boy could want! The afternoon found the group on a walking tour of the campus, ending at the McClung Museum, where the boys explored collections in anthropology, archeology, decorative arts, local and natural history. Before heading onto the bus we paused for a picture in front of Neyland Stadium.

The late afternoon was spent resting at the hotel before the evening performance. The evening performance was at Graystone Presbyterian Church, as part of the John Ribble Concert Series, named for the gentleman who served as the choir director at Graystone for over 40 years. It was the first full concert of the tour, and the boys did a fantastic job, and were very warmly received by the audience.

After an evening snack and a good night's sleep, we're looking forward to a very full day tomorrow!

2010 Mini-Tour Approaching!

On February 12-14 the Chattanooga Boys Choir will be traveling through Tennessee and North Carolina on a mini-tour. The first stop will be Knoxville, where the boys are presenting a workshop for music education students at UT-Knoxville. Following some sight-seeing on the campus, we'll be presenting a concert at Graystone Presbyterian Church in Knoxville. On Saturday, February 13 the CBC will be performing at Salem United Methodist Church in Morganton, North Carolina. On Sunday, February 14, the boys will make their way back to Knoxville to participate in the worship services at Faragut Presbyterian Church before heading back to Chattanooga to join the Chattanooga Choral Society for the Preservation of African American Song for their annual Simmons-O'Neal Memorial Concert.

Join us along the way! We'll be posting updates and pictures as we travel.