Thanks to the generosity of Hollywood celebrities Will and Jada Smith as well as that of another couple of Hawaii vacationers, the Hawaii Sacred Choir is taking its dream trip to England to fill a cathedral with song.
Choir members had been preparing for more than two years to sing for a week at the majestic medieval Ely Cathedral in England, starting July 7, when promised funding from a businessman fell through four weeks ago.
"Our first reaction was to cancel, which we did for a few days," said the Rev. Dan Werning, founder/choirmaster of Hawaii’s only choir made up of children and adults.
But then the choir decided that those who could afford it would pay their own way, which covered $52,000 of the $100,000 needed for the trip to Cambridgeshire County.
That left choir members scrambling to raise the rest by way of bake sales, church donations and other solicitation. After the choir’s appeal aired on KITV television, actors Will and Jada Smith responded with $10,000 from their California family foundation, and Dick and Jan Yamagami of San Francisco pitched in the same amount, bringing the total to $93,000, Werning said.
"When the choir heard this, what began as disbelief quickly turned to unmitigated joy," Werning said in a news release.
While the choir is now prepping for the trip, it’s still soliciting $5,000 to pay off a loan, he added. Information on donations is available at www.hawaiisacredchoir.org.
The choir consists of 38 members, ranging in age from 9 to 64. Twenty-six choir members will be heading to England, including eight children and six teens.
Werning, music director of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, and his wife, Terry, a music teacher, formed the group in late 2010.
"We are the first choir from Hawaii ever to have been invited to sing in a great English cathedral. We will be the choir-in-residence for Ely Cathedral for an entire week while their own world-renowned choir takes a summer vacation," Werning said.
"When we heard that Ely Cathedral needed a choir (for one week), we sent an audition tape of our singing. Not many people get accepted for this, and we feel proud to represent Hawaii."
In addition, he said, the choir will be the first in about 1,400 years to sing a Sunday service in a language other than Latin or English: Hawaiian.
The choir is slated to sing at seven services and perform one concert at Ely Cathedral.
This weekend, the Hawaii Sacred Choir will sing at a 5:30 p.m. choral evensong service Sunday at the Cathedral of St. Andrew on Queen Emma Square. Free. Call 388-3121.
