The Missouri State University Women’s Chorus recently launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise funds for its first international concert tour.

The tour launches in May 2025 and covers five cities throughout Germany and the Czech Republic.

“This concert tour offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for students to travel and share their music with international audiences and to engage with international choirs and conductors,” said Dr. Erin Plisco, associate director of choral studies and associate professor in the Department of Music.

The fundraising campaign runs through Nov. 30 and has set an initial goal of $25,000. Funds will be used to defray travel costs, Plisco said.

Currently, over 80 students participate in the chorus.

Hard work brings increased national recognition

Founded in 2014, MSU’s Women’s Chorus has achieved national prominence and has steadily increased its number of invited performances at state, regional and national conferences, Plisco noted.

Plisco assumed direction of the chorus in 2018.

“Our students are dedicated and hardworking,” she continued. “The group rehearses for 50 minutes, three times per week, and gives several performances on and off campus throughout the year.”

As one example of the group’s dedication and growing prestige, Plisco cited their blind invitation to the 2023 American Choral Directors Association.

“Receiving an invitation to perform at the national ACDA conference is considered by many in the choral field as the height of achievement in choral ensemble performance in the United States,” Plisco explained. “It is a highly competitive and coveted honor that not many conductors and choirs experience in their lifetime.”

Audiences can view several of the ensemble’s performances through the MSU Choral Studies Youtube platform. The group plans to record and release six more videos this year, Plisco said.

Musical and cultural exchange promises “profound impact”

For Plisco, an international tour adds to the chorus’s prestige and rewards their hard work. It also promises to change lives.

“This musical and cultural exchange will have a profound impact not only on these students, but all those they come in contact with abroad and in the future as they carry with them the lasting effects of this experience,” Plisco said.

“For me, it’s always so rewarding after conference performances when the audience comments on how the MSU Women’s Chorus performance has made them re-think their perceptions of treble choirs,” Plisco said.

“We are excited to bring this energy to audiences overseas, and to have the opportunity to make music with and learn from similar choirs across Germany and the Czech Republic.”

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Photos provided by Erin Plisco.