At 4 a.m. this morning when most people were sleeping, the 69 members of the UW-Eau Claire Women’s Concert Chorale were not only awake but they were packed and ready to leave for the airport. The women, along with conductor Alan Rieck and 11 guests, will be spending spring break in South Africa.

Rieck, an associate professor of music, said the trip is an important way to allow the students to see the connections between music and culture.

“Since music is so grounded in cultural contexts,” he said, “we want to give our students the opportunity to see those contexts and see where music is made.”

The chorale will be performing alongside South African choirs in five shared performances – both formal and informal – and will allow the students to experience music in new ways.

“It’s really exciting because the students will get a chance to see
the people in their setting, with their music,” Rieck said. “We’ll learn far more from the trip than we’ll bring to anybody.”

He added the members would see things they had never seen before, and they would learn from that. Senior WOCO vice president Marissa Shook also thinks culture is a very important part of this experience.

“We sing for them, they sing for us – we learn from each other,” she said. “On the whole, we just love to make music, and sharing it with the other groups is what I most look forward to.”

Shook is especially excited because it will be her first trip abroad.

“It’s kind of a trip of a lifetime for me,” she said.

She said other girls are excited about the bonding experience this trip offers.

“We’re a close-knit group,” she said, “so that’s something that we’re looking forward to.”

Sophomore WOCO member Marta Schmuki said she has been looking forward to this trip for days.

“We’ve been doing a countdown,” she said, “and ever since it hit nine days, you know – only one-digit days – I’ve been excited. I wake up every single morning; I’m like, ‘Oh – eight days till Africa, seven days till Africa!'”

In addition to the shared performances, the chorale will have other chances to experience South African culture. Among other things, they will be going on a safari tour, visiting a cultural village and will tour Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela was held for 18 years.

“Me, personally, I’m really excited for the animals on the safari,” Schmuki said. “I really want to see a giraffe.”

Overall, Rieck has high expectations for the WOCO trip.

“Hopefully, it’s more than just a music trip,” he said, “but it’s a life experience trip that we can really grow from all aspects.”

Those interested can follow the WOCO blog at http://wocosouthafrica.blogspot.com/.