Every other year the Saint Anselm Choir embarks on a European Concert Tour where they visit and perform at cathedrals and churches. In 2014, the group traveled to Budapest, Hungary; Bratislava, Slovakia; Prague, Czech Republic; and Berlin, Germany. In 2016, they toured Ireland. Coming up in 2018 the choir will make their way to England over spring break to continue the tradition.

Although the full itinerary has yet to be finalized, the group will be visiting many cities, including London, Cambridge, and Oxford. They will also be performing at St. Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, King’s College, and many more locations yet to be determined.

However, the trip is open to more than just the choir members. Family members, choir alumni, and Saint Anselm College faculty and staff are all invited to come along and experience this unique spring break vacation. It is expected that around 80 people will be flying to England next March.

Choir Director Eric Bermani just started directing the choir last fall, so this will be his first Eurochoir trip. However, he is not nervous to lead the trip. This is partly because he recently went to Rome with a choir group, as he is also choral director at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Manchester. “Everyone here has been so nice and kind and willing to work hard,” he says.

Many who have heard the Saint Anselm Choir perform recognize that they are a very talented group of students here on campus. However, it may not be known how much of a time commitment the choir actually is for its members. It is such a commitment that it is a 2-credit course that meets every Monday and Wednesday from 6 to 7 p.m. They also have a call time of 6 p.m. every Sunday for the 7 o’clock mass. And then there are the extra rehearsals that occur when preparing for trips like this one to England, the DecemberSong concert that is held near Christmastime, and the spring concert held near Easter.

In the past four years, our choir has had four directors, which may be hard for any group because, as Bermani puts it, “Conductors are like cooks. If you ask five cooks to make pasta, you’re going to get five different types of pasta.” Every conductor has an entirely different stylistic approach, but Bermani says that the members of the Saint Anselm choir are an amazing group of talented students who are willing to work hard and have a high level of dedication not only to the choir but also to the church.

But the best part? The Saint Anselm College Choir has an open audition policy throughout the year which means anyone at any point of the semester can audition to join. So, if you think that your carpool karaoke deserves to be heard by others, you should consider joining the choir. Although it’s too late in the semester for the class to count for credit, there’s always next semester, and you are still eligible to go on the trip to England.

Bermani urges you to email him at [email protected] to get more information about how to join.