The UT Chamber Singers traveled to England in July 2015 for a twelve-day tour, during which they performed in some of the country’s most historic and best-known cathedrals. The forty-six chorus members performed at Canterbury Cathedral, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and Westminster Abbey. One of the performers was Ruth Hagler, a sophomore studying social work.
Hagler is a second soprano in the UT Chamber Singers, and after learning about the trip to England last fall, she decided she had to pursue this amazing, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“The most interesting and challenging part of this trip was singing in a new space,” she says. “Canterbury Cathedral, St. Paul’s Cathedral, and Westminster Abbey were grandiose places of worship. It was an amazing challenge to be able to sing in those spaces.”
Hagler also says the trip brought to life the musicology courses she took last year, where she learned about the composers who once performed their music in these cathedrals.
“I have been forever changed by this trip,” she says. “I will probably begin looking into study abroad programs in the UK. Learning about the culture there only made me fall in love with it more.”
Watch a video diary of the trip at tiny.utk.edu/chamber.