By Mary Owen
Stayton High choir students received their official invitation to participate in the London International Choral Festival in 2016.
“The London trip is centered around the London New Year’s Eve Parade and the festival,” said Diane Allen-Jackson, choir director for the Chanticlairs, Choristers and Concert Choir. “It takes place in the city of London every year from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5. High school bands, orchestras and choirs are chosen from all over the world to participate in the parade and festival. It’s a great honor to be chosen.”
Allen-Jackson said interested groups sent a video of a performance and were selected based on the quality of their work.
“Stayton High is the only group in the state of Oregon to participate in these events,” she said.
A five-person delegation from London visited SHS on Sept. 25 to issue to formal invitation. The delegation included Catherine Longworth, the former Lord Mayor of Westminster; John Longworth, her consort; Robert Bone, executive director of London’s New Year’s Eve Parade; Geraldine Bone, director of the parade; and Jonathan Whaley, director of the international participation of the parade.
Choir students from all three choirs have the opportunity to go, Allen-Jackson said.
“We fundraise for two years, and those that decide they are going to work hard and make it happen are the ones that end up making the trip,” she said. “I have taken groups that ranged from nine students and six adults to 28 students and eight adults. So far this year, we have 40 students working hard to be able to go.
“It is truly a trip of a lifetime for many students and one that my first group of students that went in 1998 are still talking about it,” she said.
Choir students have held several fundraisers, including garage, pizza, candy and popcorn sales.
“We also worked at the Harvest Festival and at Carl’s Jr in Salem one evening,” she said. “The students took food out to customers, cleaned tables and such.”
This month, the singers will be selling candles and popcorn from Popcorn Palace.
“These two companies also allow us to sell their products online through their websites,” she said. “This allows the students to sell all across the U.S. and the world. Orders for both products will be in for Christmas.”
Community members have also sent in donations toward the trip, and the students are doing their part to get ready.
According to Allen-Jackson, next summer Robert Bone will send a booklet of music chosen by Thomas Wilson, director of choirs at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney, Australia.
“We will begin working on the music in all of the choirs as soon as school begins next fall,” she said.
Thomas will visit in the fall for a few days to fine tune what the students have worked on, she added.
For Allen-Jackson, preparing her singers takes a lot of hard work, but it is “truly worth the ‘angst’ of making sure the students are doing all they can to help themselves get there,” she said.
“They get to meet, work and sing with students from all over the world and have a change to perform with a full orchestra. That in itself is chance in a lifetime event.”
While there, the group will experience private guided tours provided by the London Parade to such places as the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Windsor Castle, the White Cliffs of Dover, and Canterbury Cathedral.
“We have sung in small churches, large cathedrals, and choir lofts. We have seen so many wonderful historic places and experienced so many different foods, sights and sounds … I just wish all of my students could be a part of this,” Allen-Jackson said.
To donate to the choir, contact Allen-Jackson at 503-769-2171, ext. 117.
