Jonathan Souza was a graduate student at San Jose State University when he went on a trip that changed his life. Souza was a member of the San Jose State Choraliers and toured Europe with the group, drinking in the different cultures and experiences the continent has to offer.
Now as the band and choir director at Gilroy High, Souza is hoping to provide his Chamber Choir singers with the same experience.
The Chamber Choir is currently fundraising for its upcoming trip to Ireland. The Gilroy High students will spend eight days on the Emerald Isle, performing every other day with their grand finale performance being held at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in historic Dublin city.
But the students need a lot of help to make their trip a reality. The trip costs $3,300 for each student and they are looking to the community to help fund their trip across the pond.
“I think there’s a couple things about travelling internationally that’s valuable,” Souza said while noting his trip with SJSU inspired him to live in Mexico with his family for two years. “I feel like providing our small town Gilroy community and these kids—who some of them haven’t been out of the state of California—with an opportunity to travel internationally and experience a different culture. A different perspective on living and life is tremendously valuable.”
The GHS Chamber Choir is gearing up for its next fundraising performance, the Luck O’ the Irish Treats and Tunes Gala being held 7 to 9 p.m. Nov. 15 at the South Valley Community Church at 8095 Kelton Drive, Gilroy.
The students, who practice four times a week, will perform an variety of songs from different genres including American folk, American spirituals and gospel and of course, Irish folk music.
“We’ve talked a lot about the traditions they have there (in Ireland),” junior Chamber singer Nicole Holder said. “We had a party and he (Souza) introduced us to Ireland. He showed us all the beautiful places over there, so we’re all really looking forward to seeing it and to be able to go there and sing in those places.”
Tickets for the gala are $20 a piece or $100 for six with all proceeds benefiting the Chamber Choir’s trip to Ireland. The event will feature a dessert and coffee bar as well as door prizes and silent auction items which features a weekend getaway to London or Paris.
The trip is part of a long tradition started by Souza’s predecessor Phillip Robb. Robb had taken groups to places like Japan, Korea, Germany, the Czech Republic and Austria—just to name a few—every three years and Souza said he feels it’s important to uphold the tradition of travel.
“Providing them a real touring performance experience where they’re in front of people they don’t know in a new space and having to present themselves in a professional manner, execute all the work they’ve done over the course of the year in a polished performance setting I think is very valuable,” he said. “Experiencing how to travel and how to be a traveler will hopefully spark an interest in them and have that be a positive experience that they can carry on through their life.”
The GHS students still have a long way to go before they reach their fundraising goals, but that hasn’t stopped them from getting excited about their trip. The group will leave for Ireland on June 15th, 2015—just a few days after graduation—and are hoping for as little out of pocket expenses as possible.
Junior singer Jacob Una’Dia already has ideas for how to spend his time there and said he’s looking forward to taking the trip with his choir mates.
“I’ll take it as a bonding trip and it’ll be nice to get closer to them (his class),” he said. “I want to try new things there. We’ll be going to a lot of historical places like the Blarney Stone and we’ll get to kiss the Blarney Stone. I’ll do that, so that’s cool.”
The gala is new to GHS’s fundraising this year, but the group will also continue its traditional methods as well. Every year, the group becomes Christmas carolers for hire and also raises money through its concert performances. The Chamber choir will host its winter concert at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 15 and 16th at Gilroy Presbyterian Church, 6000 Miller Ave., Gilroy. It will perform its spring concert April 15th and 16th at a time and place to be named later.
Those wishing to donate to the choir’s fundraising efforts can visit gilroychoirs.org or contact Souza at [email protected].
