Cappella Nova and Orchestra Quintet Tour Hawai’i

Every year Cappella Nova, Lewis and Clark’s chamber choir, goes on tour to share vocal music with the world.  Most recently, Cappella Nova traveled to Canada, San Francisco, and Egypt, and this Spring Break they continued their tradition and traveled to the tropical state of Hawai’i. The Spring Break tour was special because they traveled with a group of string players from the Lewis and Clark Orchestra.

The group spent five days in Honolulu, on the island of Oahu. On their first day on the island, Cappella Nova got the opportunity to work with Hawai’i Youth Opera Chorus, who graciously taught the group how to sing in Hawai’ian and also how to dance hula. The next day the students met up with Lewis & Clark President Barry Glassner at the Waialae Country Club and got to sing for alumni and prospective students. The students also went on a hike in the lush valley of Manoa where they hiked through bamboo forests and were met by a beautiful waterfall at the end of the hike. One of the most powerful experiences was the visit to Iolani Palace where everyone learned about the rich and tragic history of the Hawai’ian Monarchy.

After a few days of singing, workshopping, recruiting, and beach-going the Cappella Nova choir and the string quartet hopped over to the Big Island of Hawai’i. The choir and string quartet performed for prospective students at local high schools, visited Kilauea, one of the amazing volcanoes that Hawaii has to offer, and soaked up all of the Hawai’ian culture that they could. Lewis and Clark wrapped up the tour with an intimate performance at Hawai’i Preparatory Academy where they sang in a lovely wooden chapel that had a rainbow shining above it.

Getting to experience and learn about new cultures, and the music of those cultures, is a once in a lifetime opportunity.  We hope that Cappella Nova and other Lewis and Clark ensembles will be able to travel and learn for years to come.

-Adriana Hernandez, LC Class of 2015 and Cappella Nova choir member