School choir from Japan visits United States

July 21, 2014 — Fifteen girls of the award-winning choir from Notre Dame Elementary School in Kyoto, Japan are touring and performing in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Missouri. The choir received 1st place at the 2013 NHK Music Competition which is sponsored by Nihon Housou Kyoku, the main broadcasting system in Japan. The students and their chaperones will be visiting with the School Sisters of Notre Dame, the congregation which founded and continues to sponsor their school.

In the Mankato area, the girls and their chaperones will arrive Tuesday, July 22, about 10 a.m. at the Ward family hobby farm, 22082 State Hwy. 60 in Madison Lake, MN 56063, next is some swimming at North Shore Park on the southwest side of Madison Lake and then on to Our Lady of Good Counsel where the choir will give a 2:30 p.m. concert for the sisters, followed by tours of the buildings and the campus grounds.

While in the Milwaukee area, on Wednesday, July 23, the girls and their chaperones will visit the Notre Dame of Elm Grove campus, 13105 Watertown Plank Road, Elm Grove, WI 53122, where they will tour the campus and be guests for a supper with the sisters prior to giving a concert at 6:15 p.m. in the Holy Family Chapel. They will visit Notre Dame Middle School, 1420 West Scott Street, Milwaukee, WI 53204, on Thursday, July 24 at 10 a.m. where they will meet students and faculty, tour the school and give a concert in the school chapel at 10:30 a.m.

During their stay in the St. Louis area, the girls will give a concert on Saturday, July 26 at 3 p.m. for the sisters of The Sarah Community, 12284 De Paul Drive, Bridgeton, MO 63044. On Sunday, July 27, the choir will visit the Sancta Maria in Ripa campus, 320 East Ripa Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63125, of the School Sisters of Notre Dame where they will attend morning Mass, tour and present a concert at 1 p.m. in the convent auditorium.