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MAY 25, 2004 - DEPARTURE

By Shauna Peyton, senior alto

Another chapter has ended in the life of this year's edition of the Drake Choir. As I reflect on this tour, I find myself filled with a plethora of emotions. It's funny to think that nearly two weeks ago the Drake Choir boarded the plane in Des Moines, eagerly anticipating the adventures that lay before us. I don't think any of us truly understood the opportunities we would have to touch the lives of others, and let our own lives be touched in turn. Each day brought us new joys and new challenges to overcome.

As we said goodbye to Manfred and Ray at the airport, they wished us well for our journey home and for the rest of our lives. It's wonderful to think that they had come to care for us that much, when we were merely strangers a few weeks ago. We certainly will miss them both very much.

The nine hour plane ride home was a time of processing and reflection of the tour. Little photographs flashed in my mind. Cafes in Salzburg, the clocktower in Prague where we met to walk to our concerts, the Votivekirche spires, and "Ah moments" in concert; all found their way into my thoughts. But, the foremost thought was this: When we first learned "Shenendoah," Dr. ABC asked us to think of a place we longed for. The first time I sang it in Hallstad, I remember longing for a familiar place. Now the strains of the song echo only in my heart and I no longer long for a specific place, but rather remember the feeling of singing in wonderful places with and for some of the most extraordinary people I've ever met. That is what Drake Choir is all about.

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