The 2006 Keystone State Boychoir concert tour to Southeast Asia this year was nothing short of breathtaking.

Angkor Wat, Cambodia, 2006

However, the 49 of us in the tour choir, directed by Joseph Fitzmartin and Steven Fisher, did our share of work too. In Vietnam we performed at a Vietnamese Orphanage a few hours before singing in the Hanoi Opera House with the Vietnamese Children’s Choir, which was the first time American and Vietnamese children have sung together since the war. In Bangkok Thailand we sang to benefit the Karen people who represent refugees along the Burmese-Thai border, before visiting Payap University to sing for the people of Chiang Mai. In Phuket, we visited a children’s school to perform, and in turn watch the kids from the school perform a mix of modern and traditional singing and dancing. Soon after that, we were receiving thunderous applause and a huge reception from students at Prince of Songkla University before heading to KL. We ended our tour by opening a prestigious concert at the International Society of Music Educators conference in the Dewan Filharmonik Hall, located in the massive Petronas Towers in the capital city of Malaysia. And of course there were dozens of impromptu events located in hotel lobbies and airport terminals; such is the trademark of all of KSB’s tour choirs.

Vietnamese Girl weaving, July 2006

The best part of our trip, however, was getting to actually live with families in Hanoi and Chiang Mai. Getting the chance to see these places from the perspective of a typical home, allowed us to not only to experience everyday life. We were able to connect with these people on level that we would have never been able to reach otherwise. For example, in Hanoi, the mother and father of the family I stayed with no doubt could remember the days of the Vietnam War, and the involvement of the United States, bombs and all. Despite this, I was not judged, or evaluated prematurely based on stereotypes or misconceptions of Americans today. As a result I now have two pen pals that live in Hanoi. Experiences like this are what made our trip not only exceptional but also memorable. I, just like every other young man I traveled with, am proud to have represented the US in these countries, made friends, pleased audiences, and created memories which I will never forget. S. L.

Sam Leonard is 17 and a 12th grade student at Abington Friends School, in Pennsylvania. He has been a member of KSB for 1-1/2 season, having joined in Dec, 2004.

Sam Leonard and fellow chorister Jack Schmieg after a school performance in Phuket, Thailand