Current students and alumni perform pieces of music on stages across Europe, from Vienna, Austria to the small village of Chlumec in the Czech Republic. Students and alumni felt they made deep connections to the international audiences through musical bonds despite cultural and language barriers. Courtesy of Amy Prats

University students and alumni came together to bring unity through music by traveling across the world.

Leaving May 24 and returning on June 2, Southeastern Louisiana University Concert Choir and Alumni toured parts of Europe, performing in four different countries while traveling abroad.

“I believe the trip had multiple purposes,” said Brennan Simmons, a senior music major with a concentration in vocal performance. “The main one being to share our gift of singing with the world and communicate through the universal language of music. Another purpose was to give the opportunity for most of the choir to travel outside of the United States and see some of the most beautiful places in the world.”

The group started in Vienna, Austria, then visited Budapest, Hungary, and Prague, Czech Republic. While some returned home, others stayed for an extension to Paris, France.

“When you travel outside of the United States, you learn that you are much smaller and less important than you thought you were and that people in different countries are just like you,” said alumna Amy Prats. “This choir was very special due to the fact that we were made up of current SLU students and alumni, and in some cases, there was a great age difference between the two groups. We learned that no matter how far apart our ages, we all speak the universal language of music. It was humbling to witness the group bond and come together to perform in foreign lands. We became a very unique family. In fact, members have already begun organizing social events because they miss each other.”

For Prats, being able to connect with young students in the small village of Chlumec, Czech Republic was one of her favorite experiences.

“One of our most memorable performances was in the small town of Chlumec in the Czech Republic,” said Prats. “We shared a cultural exchange experience with school children there. They sang first on the concert program, and then we performed. They even learned the 1985 pop hit ‘We are the World’ and sang it in English. After our joint concert, they hosted us for dinner in their school cafeteria. It was the best meal we had in Europe. The children were so inquisitive and communicated quite well in spite of our language difference. They didn’t want us to leave, and several of the girls ran by our bus as we pulled out of town.”

Simmons expressed that being able to perform in Europe gave him the opportunity to get some insight into his future career.

“I loved visiting the opera house in Budapest,” said Simmons. “It really gave me some perspective on my dream of being an opera singer.”

Simmons also proposed to his girlfriend while on the trip.

“One of my favorite parts was proposing to my girlfriend on our tour bus on our way back to Prague after a concert in Chlumec in front of the entire choir,” said Simmons. “I’m not normally a very romantic person, but when I saw the opportunity, I just could not pass it up. When coming up with the original proposal plans, I was going to try and propose in Paris, it being the ‘City of Love’ and all that. However, things turned out differently. When we were on our way back from our second to last concert, and everyone was sharing their fondest memories of the trip and their favorite experiences, I just knew that I had to go up there and profess my love to Sydney in front of our entire choir. Actually, right before I proposed, I walked towards the front of the bus, told Dr. Rowe my idea and asked her if I was stupid for wanting to propose then, and she gave me the last bit of confidence I needed to go through with it. Immediately after, we had a celebration at the bar downstairs at the Hotel Expo in Prague. The next day, we performed an amazing last concert, also in Prague. Lastly, we got to experience Paris as an engaged couple, and take our engagement pictures in the Luxembourg Garden.”

Overall, Simmons believed the choir was able to create a bridge of music to connect with audiences despite cultural and language barriers.

“Being able to touch people’s lives, who you have never met before, in a language they don’t speak, is truly an amazing experience,” said Simmons.