A group of Fleetwood students sang their way around the Lone Star State as part of a pre-Christmas choir tour of Texas.
Members of Rossall School’s Chapel Choir performed in Dallas and its neighbouring cities of Arlington and Fort Worth during their 7 day visit to the US, which was arranged by former Rossall student Revd. Allan Hawkings, who now lives in Arlington.
The twenty-strong choir, made up of youngsters aged from 11 to 18, was granted the honour of singing at the Sunday morning Eucharist at St Matthew’s Cathedral in Dallas, where they performed the Candlelight Carol, O Thou the Central Orb and the Basque folk carol Gabriel’s Message.
The students also gave a public performance in Fort Worth, singing carols around the Christmas tree in Sundance Square.
The tour also gave the students the chance to visit a number of state’s historic sites including the Planetarium at the University of Texas and Dealey Plaza, where they learned about the assassination of President Kennedy.
The choir was later invited to City Hall to meet the Mayor of Fort Worth and took in tourist attractions including the Ripley’s Believe It Or Not museum.
Margaret Young, Director of Music at Rossall School, who accompanied the students on the tour said: “Visiting Dallas really was a wonderful experience for the choir, with the opportunity to perform in some fantastic venues in and around Dallas.
“We’ve sung in many overseas locations, but this was the first time we’ve visited Texas. The students spent a lot of time rehearsing in the run up to the tour and all their hard work and dedication paid off. They gave some fantastic performances and we’re exceptionally proud of them.”
