St. Thomas’ Episcopal Choir Trip to Washington, D.C.

The St. Thomas’ Episcopal Choir recently had the opportunity to join with choirs from across the nation and sing at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. during its Sacred Choral Festival. The choirs performed at three services with a variety of songs from the African American spiritual, “Ezekiel Saw de Wheel” to the hymn, “Phos Hilaron.” The choir trip was a success with many memories packed into four short days. All of the choristers are hopeful that it will be repeated for years to come.

St. Thomas’ Episcopal Senior, Emma Bennet, has sung with the choir for six years and is enjoying her last year in choir. Her favorite part of the trip was getting to meet new people. Many of STE’s students enjoyed this aspect of the trip as well. “Ezekiel Saw de Wheel was my favorite song because it was so joyful and different,” Emma said.  

David McKelvey, sophomore at St. Thomas’ Episcopal, has been singing for eight years, but this is his first year in STE’s choir. The song he most enjoyed singing was also “Ezekiel Saw de Wheel” because of the energy that spirituals have. He also appreciated hearing a big choir sing this song. The National Cathedral was nothing like the choir had seen before with its vastness, soaring architecture and beautiful stained-glass windows. “I loved singing at the National Cathedral because the space is unlike any I have ever sung in before,” David said.

The trip began with a tour of the Capitol building and ended with a fun game night with pizza followed by an uneventful flight back to the much warmer Houston.