Jeralyn Wessel – Staff Writer 

After classes wrapped up on Friday, Mar. 1, the concert choir members loaded onto a charter bus and headed to South Dakota to begin their tour of the Pacific Northwest. With luggage and equipment filling every available compartment and no seat left unused, the choir members were given ample time to get to know each other in the small space. 

The first concerts were held in Manhattan, Mont., and Boise, Idaho. Families along the route offered up rooms in their homes to the choir members, provided entertaining conversations and home-cooked meals. From Idaho, the group continued to Washington, visiting the cities of Mt. Vernon and Lynden. Final stops included Vancouver and Abbotsford in British Columbia, Canada; and the city of Seattle during their time in the Pacific Northwest. 

The concert choir, directed by Dr. Ryan Smit, sang at variety of venues during the tour including churches, schools, and even St. Mark’s Cathedral in Seattle.  

“St. Mark’s Cathedral was my favorite place to sing during the tour,” said junior Rachel Roggenburg. “The building and organ were so beautiful, and the acoustics of the sanctuary were amazing.” 

The choir also explored Vancouver and Seattle during their time off from performing.  

In Seattle, they enjoyed visiting the Space Needle, Chihuly Garden and Glass, the Museum of Popular Culture, and Pike Place Market. Traveling through the mountains also displayed beautiful scenery and snowcapped peaks. Freshly fallen show at a rest stop offered the perfect opportunity for a snowball fight. The unique experiences and breathtaking landscape were a highlight for many of the students. 

“My favorite part of tour was being able to travel to places I had never been before and being able to do something I love with a special group of people,” said junior Tanner Dubbelde . “I loved being able to show off what Dordt music is about and hearing from our host families how much they enjoyed our songs.” 

“On tour, it was so cool to see God’s creation and beauty displayed in different ways,” said senior Allie Bandstra . “It was also so fun to bond with students I really never had before.”  

The choir members were able to find ways to entertain themselves during the many hours spent on the bus by talking, playing games, learning fun facts—or state statements—about each state they entered, and shaming those who had forgotten items at previous stops. 

The return to campus included a couple more worship services and concerts in Montana and South Dakota. Everyone made it safely back on Tuesday afternoon before classes. The concert choir’s final tour concert was held in the B.J. Haan Auditorium on Friday, Mar. 15.