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Down with the Sickness

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Yesterday the awards for the festival were revealed. Shrine will be taking home 1st prize in our Universal Repertoire performance and 2nd prize for our Popular Repertoire performance. The joy and pride that we shared in the moment of the reveal were unforgettable. But even more powerful was what we shared beyond competition and prizes.


In some grand poetry, I found myself tremendously ill with food poisoning on this last day of the festival, where we were to perform with all of the other participating choirs in a collective four-hundred voice ensemble. I wasn’t able to perform, but I still made it to the rehearsal, contributing and experiencing the process.


Choral music is never just about performance. It’s about sharing. And even if I wasn't able to share our final product with an audience, I was able to share an incredible two week journey with many of my closest friends, share a passion with new friends, and I even shared a bit of illness with those unlucky enough to also have ordered the dashi ramen.


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