A Magical, Musical Tour Close to Home

By Jeffrey Blackwell
Memorial Church Communications

For members of the Harvard University Choir, plans for a week-long performance tour of Denmark in May were set – plane tickets reserved, accommodations booked, and the performance schedule arranged.

However, the musical trip was halted due to concerns for the choir’s international students and their ability to re-enter the United States, following the Trump Administration’s targeting of Harvard and foreign students nationwide. 

“One of the great joys of Uchoir—like the wider university—is its international make-up, usually comprising at least one quarter foreign students,” said Edward Jones, Gund University Organist and Choirmaster. “But it did not seem prudent to tour internationally, and so in late May, our talented singers embarked upon a local itinerary.” 

With a revised schedule of venues within driving distance of Harvard Yard, the UChoir regrouped and began a three-day tour, starting at historic King’s Chapel in Boston. On day two, choir members caught a commuter train to Beverly for a concert at St. Mary Star of the Sea, a Romanesque-style church with a cavernous sanctuary, providing a beautiful acoustic for choir voices, Jones said.

The final concert of the tour was at the Unitarian Universalist Meeting House in Provincetown on Cape Cod, which, for the choir and music staff, was an unexpected and memorable moment. 

“The venue was packed a full half hour before the scheduled start time, and the choir walked on to a standing ovation,” said Jones. “It soon became clear that the Senior Minister, the Rev. Kate Wilkinson, who welcomed us so warmly, had advertised the concert as a chance to stand in solidarity with Harvard. The choir ended by singing ‘Fair Harvard,’ and alumni and faculty in the audience joined in, and rarely have the lyrics of our school song, ‘calm rising through change and through storm,’ seemed so prescient.” (See story in the Provincetown Independent)

The trip was also an opportunity for the choir members to decompress after the school year, get to know new students, and spend time with the seniors who graduated days before. For their stay on the cape, they booked three rental homes. They cooked communal meals, took walks on the beach, and sang around a campfire at night while making s’mores. 

“On tour, we could also spend unhurried, quality time together — having long conversations, singing around the campfire, making sandcastles, cooking meals,” said  UChoir Secretary Ari Cheriyan ’25. “This often feels impossible during the school year, so tour was really restorative. I know I’ll always treasure the memories of our days on the Cape.”

Lara Tan Rui Qi ’27 said her first tour with the choir will be a cherished memory.

“It felt wonderful exploring Boston and New England with some of my closest friends, and spreading the joy of music to different communities and our neighbors alike,” she said. “Especially in these turbulent times, I cannot say how grateful I am that a community like UChoir exists in Harvard.”

The Harvard University Choir is a long-cherished tradition at the Memorial Church and a vital artistic outlet for the community of students who dedicate much of their spare time to the church and choir.

“While I have never taken for granted the incredible work that is done by this choir and this church, I am certain that its offerings have never been more needed than in these past months of uncertainty and unpredictability,” said Jones. “The music of the Harvard University Choir continues to be a balm for congregation, choir, and director alike.”