Student Reflections from the Spring 2025 Duke Chorale Tour
During the spring semester, the Duke Chorale embarked on its Spring Break Tour to Charleston, SC, and Davidson, NC. The tour was filled with meaningful experiences, including three concerts that raised thousands of dollars for local charities. The Chorale also had the opportunity to learn from leaders at Mother Emanuel AMEC in Charleston, including teachings from their music director and a history lesson from the church historian. The Chorale would like to thank Duke Arts for their generous funding of this tour.
Read reflections from some of the students below.
Natasha Harris – First-year Undergraduate Student
Going on tour with Chorale has been a formative experience musically, interpersonally, and emotionally. As this was my first time ever going on a music tour with a choir, I had a lot of fun being able to perform for communities outside of Durham. While on tour it hit me just how much music has the power to move people; I didn't expect people to cry during our performance, feel so impacted by our message, or have members of the audience come up to me personally to talk about how our singing made them feel. Learning about the history of Charleston was also impactful, especially being able to sing in one of the oldest African Methodist Episcopal churches in the south. I also grew a lot closer to my friends in Chorale and am overall super grateful for this experience.
Aruna Menon – PhD Candidate in Microbiology
One of the events that the Chorale experienced on Tour was a musical exchange with the leadership at Mother Emanuel Church in Charleston, SC. Before this event, I had listened to a podcast shared with the choir about the church’s rich and resilient history. They are clearly a group of people who care not only about their people, but supporting others around them.
The love and care with which the community treats their history was obvious from the start of the exchange. The Reverend Lee Bennett of Mother Emanuel told us moving stories of how the church was founded, interspersed with feedback from Music Director Dr. Wayne Singleton on pieces we sang about freedom and steadfastness such as “Stand Up” from the movie Harriet. Music was clearly an important part of this church, and I think that both myself and the choir as a whole sang with more feeling and awareness as the afternoon went on. This experience helped me to better understand the power of music in community resilience and I hope to continue to be able to participate in more opportunities like this in the future.
Victoria Ko – Junior Undergraduate Student
Duke Chorale had the inspirational opportunity to sing at Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston (AMEC) on March 8. We learned about the church’s deep history and its role in the broader context of the Civil War, Jim Crow South, and the ongoing fight for racial justice. As part of Chorale’s exploration of American music and its themes of freedom, Lee Bennett Jr. delivered a historical lecture to our group, interspersed with musical interludes featuring songs of liberation. Our musical intermissions included works like “Stand up” from Harriet, “Gloria in excelsis Deo BWV 191” by Bach, “Eye for Eye” by Shawn Kirchner, and “Where E’er You Go, I Will Go” by Allan Friedman.
Aside from singing, one of our Chorale members Anna Brusoe, a sophomore and student organist, had the incredible opportunity to play the organ at Mother Emanuel, which was recently restored in 2023. The organ, over 115 years old, is beautifully highlighted by a window in the shape of a cross behind its pipes. I think it’s fantastic that Chorale not only allows us to perform but also supports music students by offering opportunities for accompaniment and practicing various musical outlets, enriching their studies and expanding their musical experience.
My favorite piece to sing at Mother Emanuel was “Eye for Eye,” a dedication to victims of gun violence in the United States. The piece is inspired by Gandhi’s quote, “An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind,” and Matthew 6:22-24: ‘The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is sound, so will your whole body be full of light; but if your eye is not sound, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!’ On June 17, 2015, Mother Emanuel was the target of an act of white supremacist terrorism, when a gunman opened fire during a Bible study, killing nine black individuals. This attack was not an isolated act of violence but part of a long history of racial terrorism against black worship in Charleston. Performing this piece at Mother Emanuel was a profoundly transformational experience for Chorale. Singing in Mother Emanuel marked by the history of the tragedy and resilience, we were able to connect with Eye for Eye on a much deeper level. Our experience allowed us to fully grasp the piece’s call for reconciliation. The piece speaks to the cycle of violence and urges us to seek justice through peace rather than revenge.
One of our major goals in Chorale is to contextualize our music in historical lessons. By learning the history at Mother Emanuel, the music gained more meaning: it was a tribute, reflection, and a call for unity in the face of injustice. Mother Emanuel represents the strength of a community that refuses to be silenced by hate. To using our voices to spread a message of peace and remembrance through music was the highlight of our tour to Charleston. It reminded me that music is not just pitches, rhythms, and lyrics; it is a way to spread peace & love and bridge differences. Our visit to Mother Emanuel underscored the important bond of music to history, storytelling, healing, and hope. We are incredibly grateful to Duke Arts for supporting our tour and providing Chorale with the opportunity to connect more deeply with our music. This experience allows us to grow into well-rounded singers, broadening our understanding and appreciation of music as a tool for unity.