Interviews/auditions are being held for singers and dancers interested in touring Greece with Spiritsong, an international choir conducted by Vicki Blake Thompson. The tour runs June 14-22, 2015, visiting Peloponnesia, Athens and several Greek islands. Spiritsong has been invited to perform together with other choirs for a large festival in Athens.
This will be Spiritsong’s fifth international tour. The ensemble has performed in China for a choir festival in Beijing, on the west coast of Ireland, in southern Tanzania where they raised funds for a school, and throughout Costa Rica.
Rehearsals will begin in late February for singers and dancers who come from northern Idaho and southern B.C. There will be weekly Monday evening rehearsals for singers who live within commuting distance. Others learn their music from a parts CD and come a few days early to Bonners Ferry, Idaho, for final rehearsals.
Dancers must be willing to commute to Bonners Ferry. Rehearsals will be organized at a separate time for dancers. The program for this tour features dance music from around the globe. One can participate as a singer only, dancer only or singer/dancer.
Accompanist for the tour is Barb Nelson. “Spiritsong to Greece” will consist of 25-35 singers, dancers, and instrumentalists.
Spiritsong accepts members of all ages. Youth under 18 must travel with a parent or designated responsible party. All performers are volunteers and provide funds for their own journey. Limited numbers of non-performing travellers are accepted.
Blake Thompson has conducted regional choirs in northern Idaho since 1996. Her choirs have won numerous superior ratings at choral festivals and have been chosen to perform for state and regional music educators, and international festivals. She has travelled with choirs, singing, dancing or conducting, on every continent except Antarctica.
“I believe one of the best means to the building of peace and tolerance is through face-to-face, person-to-person contact with peoples of different cultures and perspectives,” said Blake Thompson. “Music is most definitely one of the many bridges which connect us even through language and cultural barriers. The connections we make as a choir may be but drops in the bucket, yet every drop contributes to the whole.”
For more information or to set up an audition/interview, contact Vicki Blake Thompson at 208-267-0854 or vickiblake1@me.com. Auditions will be held by appointment in Sandpoint and Bonners Ferry, Idaho, as well as Creston.
—SPIRITSONG