ESCC choir sings at the National Cathedral

The Enterprise State Community College Fine Arts Division students made the long trip to Washington D.C. to sing at the National Cathedral.

The ESCC Concert Choir combined with the Episcopal Church of the Nativity in Dothan to sing eight selections: “None Other Lamb,” “For God so Loved the World,” “Set me as a Seal,” “Amazing Grace,” “O Jesu Christe,” “Give me Jesus,” “The Eyes of All Wait Upon Thee” and “Hear my Prayer.”

ESCC Fine Arts Division Chair Ken Thomas said that the students did a great job performing at the service.

“I think that was the best performance I heard from them all year,” Thomas said. “I couldn’t be more proud of them. I get really emotional thinking about what they have done and how far they have come this year. To start off at the beginning of the year, working through the tone quality and blend and then to be there at the National Cathedral to be singing a near perfect performance—I’m very proud of them.”

He said that one specific piece really stood out to him during the performance.

“The performance itself, hearing them sing “Give me Jesus,”—it was very moving to hear them sing that,” Thomas said.

Enterprise Mayor William E. Cooper, Enterprise District 1 City Councilwoman Sonya Rich, Enterprise District 2 Councilman Eugene Goolsby, Enterprise Communications Director Jason Wright and Enterprise Consulting Engineer Glenn Morgan attended the concert as well.

“It was really an honor for us to have them there,” Thomas said. “The fact that they took the time out of their schedule—they were there on city business—to come to the performance meant a lot to me. It tells me that they are invested in this college and the impact this college has on the community.”

The trip was not solely for the concert choir though, the ESCC Visual Arts students got chances to draw scenes of the city that they can include in their Spring art show. These students also had the chance to visit different art museums and galleries in the city as well.

The ESCC Fine Arts Division students, who were joined by ESCC President Matt Rodgers, ESCC Dean of Instruction Danny Long and ESCC Marketing Director Stephen Schmidt, also took time to enjoy the sites and scenes of Washington D.C.

The group took trips to the Lincoln Memorial, The White House, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, Washington Monument, The Capitol Building and a photo op with Representative Martha Roby who also spoke to the students. Students also had time to free-roam around D.C. and explore the city at their leisure.

Thomas said that overall the trip was success.

“It was a huge success,” Thomas said. “I couldn’t have asked for a better trip where the execution, the performance—it was better than I expected it to be. Other than a few students being late—but not very late—it was a perfect trip.”

He said he hopes the students learn the value of hard work from the trip.

“I hope the students learn that with hard work, you can go anywhere,” Thomas said. “For several students it was their first time to go to our nation’s capital—through the arts. The arts can show you the world. So if they work hard and they’re committed, the sky’s the limit.”

Thomas said he’s already looking outside of the United States for the next big Fine Arts Division trip.

“I’m looking at some cathedrals in Europe,” Thomas said. “And the arts centers in Europe for our visual arts students—maybe Italy, Austria, Germany or the UK—we’ll see. Like I said, ‘The sky’s the limit,’ and if they work hard the arts can take them around the world.”