Vocal Point tenor Christian Affleck solos during a performance in Delta, Utah.
The year 2023 promises to be an exciting one for BYU Vocal Point. Almost immediately after returning to BYU from winter break, the group departed for the warmer temperatures and clearer skies of Cuba. From January 7 to 12, Vocal Point put on two performances and participated in an exchange with the internationally acclaimed choir Entrevoces. Additional highlights for the group included a visit to the Guillermo Tomas Music Conservatory, which is one of the most prestigious music schools in Cuba, and to the famed Christ of Havana statue, which overlooks the bay.
In February, BYU Vocal Point again left snowy Utah, this time for California and Nevada for their second mid-semester tour of the year. Over 10 days, the group visited Sacramento, Oakland, Chico, Modesto, Fresno, and Reno. Vocal Point scheduled seven performances, including one that involved a workshop with high school students and afterward included those students in Vocal Point’s evening show. The group loved interacting with and serving the people of California and Nevada through firesides, devotionals, and workshops.
After BYU’s winter semester, Vocal Point will embark on their first extended tour of 2023 as they make the more-than-7,000-mile journey to the Philippines. For a little over a week, the group will take their talents to 10 cities, including Manila, Cebu City, and Oslob. In between their six performances, Vocal Point will spend time enjoying Filipino culture, tasting delicious food, sightseeing, and hosting devotionals for local Latter-day Saints. Two of the group’s performances will be held in the newly constructed Samsung Performing Arts Theater at Circuit Makati in Metro Manila. It will truly be an honor for the group to hold both a matinee and a gala performance in the theater, which features a 1,500-person capacity auditorium. After the group’s hard work with new director Carson Trautman and former director McKay Crockett, the tour in the Philippines will be a fitting conclusion to a busy and rewarding school year.
