Students from Dordt University’s music department experienced centuries of sacred music history firsthand this spring through international tours that combined performance, worship, cultural exploration and hands-on learning.
Dordt’s Concert Choir spent 10 days performing across France, while students on the university’s Organ Study Tour traveled through the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and France. Although the groups followed different itineraries, both tours placed students inside the churches, cathedrals and communities that helped shape Christian music and worship.
“With all of our tours we seek first to spread the good news of the gospel of Christ to the places we travel and the people we meet,” said Dr. Ryan Smit, chair of Dordt’s music department and director of choral activities. “We are also always eager to share the vision of Dordt University with its mission for Christ-centered renewal in all areas of life.”
Concert Choir Performs Across France
The Concert Choir presented four public performances at historic churches and cathedrals: Abbaye aux Hommes in Caen, Chartres Cathedral, La Madeleine in Paris and Notre-Dame Cathedral of Paris. Dordt said each concert drew between 200 and 400 people.
The opening performance at Abbaye aux Hommes marked the students’ first opportunity to sing inside a European cathedral during the tour.
“To see their faces light up as we sang our first chords was a delight,” Smit said.
The choir concluded its performance schedule at Notre-Dame, singing for seated concertgoers as well as hundreds of visitors passing through the cathedral.
According to Smit, the buildings themselves helped transform the students’ understanding of choral music. Some of the cathedrals are more than 500 years old and produce reverberations lasting five seconds or longer.
“Singing in those historic cathedrals is an unparalleled experience, connecting students to the church universal and the countless Christians who have gone before and worshipped the same God in those same spaces,” Smit said.
Outside their performances, choir members visited the medieval Château de Pierrefonds, the Normandy beaches and American Cemetery, the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe and other landmarks. The group concluded its time together with a cruise on the River Seine.
Organ Students Learn from Historic Instruments
Students participating in the Organ Study Tour performed on historically significant instruments while studying the traditions that influenced their construction, sound and use in worship.
“Our hope is that students gain a perspective of the long and rich history of organ-playing and repertoire and understand their particular place within that tradition,” said Carrie Groenewold, professor of music and holder of Dordt’s Joan Ringerwole Chair of Church Music and Organ. “Ultimately, we hope they receive confirmation of their God-given calling as church musicians.”
Highlights included playing a Renaissance organ in Oosthuizen, described by Dordt as one of the oldest playable organs in the Netherlands, and the St. Bavo Church organ in Haarlem, which was once played by George Frideric Handel and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Students also performed on several celebrated Cavaillé-Coll organs in Paris.
The students matched musical selections with instruments from the same historical eras, providing insight into how particular works may originally have sounded. They also adapted to features uncommon on modern organs, including flat pedalboards, shorter keys, different tuning systems, and unique keyboard layouts.
“These differences affect articulation, timing, touch, and musical interpretation,” Groenewold said. “Learning to adapt develops flexibility and a keener musical ear—essential skills for every organist.”
The organ students also explored Amsterdam’s canals, visited the windmills at Kinderdijk, climbed the Eiffel Tower and attended services and performances at Notre-Dame. Several students visited their ancestral hometowns, including one who met relatives abroad for the first time.
Dordt said the tours served as culminating experiences that encouraged musical growth, collaboration and a deeper understanding of the relationship between sacred music, history and Christian worship.
“We are grateful for the generosity that made this experience possible,” Groenewold said. “We especially thank everyone who contributed to our tour fundraiser, Dordt Music Patron members, and the late Beth Te Grotenhuis. Their support provided our students with a musical experience of a lifetime.”
