A State of Constant Learning: Concert Choir Tours Internationally

If you ask McKenzie Hofer what her favorite song is in the SDSU Concert Choir’s repertoire, her immediate response is a tune with a very fitting title.

“How Can I Keep From Singing?” is a joyous crescendo of a hymn, and, in McKenzie and the choir’s case, the answer to that questioning title is simple – they don’t. The group is known for singing anywhere and everywhere: across the SDSU campus, performances around the Midwest, and even internationally. Most recently, the Concert Choir sang their way through Scandinavia, spending nearly two weeks in Norway and Sweden while they explored ancient castles and cathedrals, dabbled in local customs, and celebrated the new year of 2024 in style.

It was during an impromptu performance of McKenzie’s favorite song that brought about one of her favorite memories of the trip.

The choir’s instructor, Dr. Laura Diddle, is known to enrich the group’s sightseeing by encouraging them to sing at a moment’s notice. Picture this: during a guided tour of Oslo, nearly 70 students strolled up to the historic Karl Johan’s Gate, the entryway to Norway’s royal palace. Clustered together with the grand National Theater, the University of Oslo, and the palace itself, the gate was at a critical intersection of history and culture. Dr. Diddle ushered the troupe of Jackrabbits in front of the gate, the singers arranging themselves shoulder to shoulder in the frigid temps and bursting into song. As their voices carried clear as bells through the crisp winter air, snow flurries swirled around the group. Despite the freezing temps, Norwegian crowds were drawn to the music, compelled to listen. Pedestrians stopped in their tracks. Cars pulled over to listen. Tourists snapped photos on their phones. The power of McKenzie’s beloved hymn bridged the language barrier, connecting hundreds of people in the snares of a song.

It’s impossible to put a price or dollar sign on that memory, yet it’s an afternoon 68 Jackrabbits will never forget. It’s also a moment that would never have happened, if it weren’t for the generosity of private donors in the yellow and blue community. The Concert Choir is infinitely grateful for the opportunities they explored abroad, with McKenzie’s favorite performance being only one of many.

It’s also impossible for these students to adequately put into words just what the gifts behind the trip meant to them, amounting to far more than money. Still, we thought it best to share a firsthand account of the magic and memories made throughout Sweden and Norway, illustrating how music can truly be lifechanging.

In her own words, this is McKenzie’s account of her Scandinavian adventure:

My name is McKenzie Hofer. I’m 19 years old, and I dream of travelling the world while working to make a difference in my home state of South Dakota. Three things you should know about me: I adore studying music, I adore studying history, and I got to do both while touring Sweden and Norway with the SDSU Concert Choir!

How do I begin to thank the people who made this possible? To understand the magnitude of this gift, they must understand that music, history, and adventure are all intrinsic parts of who I am. Because someone, somewhere, decided to give, I was able to combine my passions into one indescribable experience. There is no greater feeling than the realization that your music has an impact, and we were only able to make an impact on an international stage thanks to the support from our SDSU family.

I find travel so freeing because it thrusts you into a state of constant learning. One must continually adapt to the culture shifts of being in a new place with different customs, figure out how to navigate the unfamiliar territory, and learn to communicate in a different way when language barriers prevent even simple conversations.

Learning the Swedish and Norwegian music for this tour was much harder than I’d anticipated. However, it actually became an opportunity to connect with the locals! As we rehearsed before each concert, Dr. Diddle would ask listeners to make sure our diction was correct. She is so great at connecting with people and forming positive relationships wherever we go. Music is a unifier, and my choir is a testament to that unity.

Our first stop was Stockholm! I would live there if I could – Sweden’s capital city had so much character.

During our free time, my friends and I strolled over countless beautiful bridges from one island to the next, took in stunning views of fishing boats docked next to rows of colorful waterfront buildings, and ate fresh seafood caught nearby—salmon was a staple for every meal.

After we visited a 1628 restored warship called the Vasa, we performed at the biggest church in Scandinavia. Then, it was on to Norway! It’s impossible to describe the sheer grandeur of our drive. We took buses westward across the entire country, beginning at the eastern coast with Oslo on the Skagerrak Strait and ending with Bergen, situated right on the North Sea.

Three days of bus rides and stops across the Scandinavian Mountains brought me some of the most phenomenal landscapes of my life. When we descended into a valley, fjords lay at our feet and frozen waterfalls cascaded towards us from the heights of rocky crags. When we wound our way upwards, we could gaze for miles on the peaks springing away into the horizon.

New Year’s Eve fell on the choir’s first day in Oslo. I had heard about an evening choral service in a nearby cathedral and convinced some of my friends to accompany me. We spent the final hours of 2023 in a magnificent cathedral, hundreds of years old. A world-class organist performed an insanely difficult concerto, and it reached its climactic finish just as the bells tolled midnight! My 2024 began with the thing I love most: music.

Next up, on our way to Lillehammer, the buses stopped for a tour of old fortress ruins at Hamar. Now, y’all should know that I pride myself on being a history nerd. These ruins were constructed in the twelfth century – almost NINE HUNDRED years old! We got to walk around the old walls and hear accounts of the castle’s history.

We even got to do an impromptu performance of some spiritual pieces in the church ruins! The very stones seemed to tell stories of those who had walked them before, and it was truly an honor to fill those halls with our songs.

I can safely say that philanthropy helped take our experience to the next level. I feel the kindness of our donors, alongside a sense of responsibility to make them proud. Their support has made all the difference in my life, and I will use their gifts to the best of my ability to serve people as generously and freely as they did for me.

During the group’s final performance on their last day in Norway, McKenzie found herself fighting back tears throughout the songs, reflecting on the stages of her life that had led her to that moment in time.

Her days as a little girl, looking up plane tickets to Europe on her mother’s iPad, wishing for a bolder tomorrow. Listening to her high school choir director implore students to stick with music, insisting that it could take them places someday. Dialing the phone to her mom from her college dorm, bursting with the news that she’d been selected for one of the most elite choral groups on campus. Adding on with awe and anticipation that she’d received a scholarship that would change her circumstances, along with the chance to take a trip she’d always dreamed of. Spending hours upon hours of study, rehearsal, and memorization, determined to give it all when she finally touched down in Scandinavia.

McKenzie’s voice is only one in a chorus of Jackrabbits whose lives were forever impacted by the chance to travel abroad and make a difference through music. For some, it was the first time they’d ever visited overseas. A few groups filled their free time with ice skating and skiing under the stars. Others took a frigid plunge in the ocean. Many dove into the local customs of “hygge” and “fika,” in which friends share a warm drink and make quality conversation, often around a bonfire. The common thread between each of those voices is what McKenzie reflected on as she swiped away tears on the steps of a cathedral, singing a song she’d never forget.

This moment, and this trip, was the culmination of everything they’d worked toward and everything they’d dreamed.