Detroit/Toronto Tour - Day 2 (Thursday, April 14, 2016)

Today was a busy day!

After breakfast at our hotel in Monroe, MI, we set out for The Rivers at Grosse Pointe. This beautiful retirement community was a perfect place to begin our day. We performed a concert for residents in the middle of a beautiful atrium area. Many residents came out from their rooms to watch from the balconies that lined the atrium. After that performance, the students spent some time mingling with the Grosse Pointe residents. We were treated to a delicious buffet lunch before moving on to our next stop.

Wayne State University is located in the heart of downtown Detroit. We made our way into "Old Main," a large, beautiful building that houses the school of music. We had the opportunity to observe a portion of a Choral Union rehearsal, and they the students worked hard in a clinic with Noah Horn, director of the choral program at Wayne State. Mr. Horn was a fantastic clinician. Thanks to the fantastic preparation of our kids, Mr. Horn was able to work on many details to really help the kids polish their work. He was complimentary of their singing and let them know how truly privileged they were to sing in a choral program like the one at AACS where they get to work on truly great choral repertoire as high school students.

Next, we traveled to Ward Church in the suburb of Northville, MI. We had a catered Qdoba dinner before making final preparations for our evening concert in the sanctuary of this ENORMOUS church. John Beresford, director of traditional worship for Ward Church and an old friend of Mr. King, was an awesome host. We had a good turn-out for the performance. As usual, the students sang beautifully. After the concert, the kids connected with their host families and the chaperones headed to a nearby hotel.

Tomorrow, we will begin our day serving at the Gleaner's Food Bank and continue on to the Heidelberg Project, an outdoor street art project in Detroit. After a Q&A with the artist at the Heidelberg Project, we'll head into Canada and spend some time in fellowship over a banquet dinner (and on a water slide) at the Best Western Lamplighter Inn in London, Ontario.

Warming up before the performance at The Rivers at Grosse Pointe

Students greeting the residents at The Rivers at Grosse Pointe following the morning performance

We make serious music!

Warming up before the clinic at Wayne State University

The students with their clinician, Noah Horn

Senior Erica Ridge sings a solo with Nota Dolce during the concert at Ward Church

The combined choirs singing in the beautiful sanctuary at Ward Church

Sophomore Mark Wiley, junior Carlos Richardson, and sophomore Nigel Park with the leftover Qdoba food on their way to their host family's house