Over Spring Break, students in the Academy Chorus and the Academy Chamber Orchestra traveled to London as a part of the Performing in the World program. Led by ensemble directors Abbey Siegfried, Chair of the Music Department, and Derek Jacoby, Conductor of the Phillips Academy Symphony Orchestra and Instructor in Music, around 60 students embarked on a music tour comprising three performances. These concerts were the culmination of long rehearsals and careful refining of repertoire throughout the year.
Aside from performances, the ensembles collaborated with a group called Music Masters, which operates under a mission to bring music education to underserved communities in London. Jacoby explained the joint rehearsal process.
“We made the arrangement of the piece right there at the rehearsal. We just went back and forth until we finalized the arrangement that we were going to perform. Music Masters students improvised, and our students improvised, and we had the seating together. The two groups were enmeshed. Being part of that interaction and seeing our students take part of that interaction was another memory that I’ll keep,” said Jacoby.
In addition to conducting the Academy Chorus, Siegfried organized portions of the trip outside of performance. For Siegfried, the highlight of the tour was the receptive and powerful response from the audience to the choir’s repertoire.
“After every single concert, people in the UK wanted to talk to me about America and about the complicated relationship the US currently has with Europe. They told me, again and again, that seeing [and] hearing the choir sing music that carried messages of inclusivity, justice, and bravery in difficult times gave them hope for the future. One person told me that it made them believe in parts of the United States again. It reminded me of what we need to be doing right now, presenting and singing music that has meaning and offering that to the world,” said Siegfried.
For the orchestra, the repertoire featured various American composers, including a commissioned piece. Bruce Ru ’28, a violinist, discussed the process of choosing a repertoire that would best represent the ensemble overseas.
“It took time to figure out exactly what we were going to play and what the theme would be. We decided to take an all-American repertoire on tour and really thought about what we wanted to communicate to audiences across the Atlantic and how we could achieve that as an ensemble. That included the music department’s effort to commission ‘American Reflection’ by Quinn Mason, which was an unbelievable opportunity. We were so grateful to have a world premiere. We also included iconic American pieces like those by [Aaron] Copland,” said Ru.
A highlight during the Orchestra’s performance was the modern composition “Entr’acte” by Caroline Shaw. Jacoby reflected on the audience’s enthusiastic response and curiosity.
“At every concert we did, that was the most engaging piece for the audience. People always wanted to talk to me about that piece. A number of people said they hoped they could hear it again. A number of people said, ‘Well, where do I hear Caroline Shaw’s music? Where do I find more of this?’ I found it really rewarding that people consistently engaged with the most difficult piece that we played,” said Jacoby.
The trip marked the first international music tour for many students, including violist Lily Liu ’26.
“This was my first time going on tour with an orchestra and it definitely did not disappoint. Even just carrying all the music and my instrument around, it was so heavy, but it was really rewarding to play. The experience increased our awareness as global musicians and also as global citizens being aware of the spaces we were in, respecting the culture, and remembering that every audience is different and deserves our respect,” said Liu.
Papa Paintsil ’26, a singer in the chorus, reflected on how the London performances left him with a profound sense of achievement.
“I remember [during] rehearsals [I was] like ‘Oh, I don’t I really don’t want to go to this, [I have] so many classes, I have so much work to do.’ But I [saw] how spending those long hours at rehearsal was really worth it when I saw the smiles and the happy tears coming from people’s faces when we would finish our performances. It just seemed like the culmination of all of our hard work paid off so greatly on our trip,” said Paintsil.
