During the month of December, Grant High School’s top chamber choir, the Royal Blues, performed live 26 times in order to raise money for their tour of the Baltics this summer. The responsibilities of being in an audition-based, award-winning choir came to light as the students learned to balance multiple gigs each day with schoolwork, extracurriculars and school performances. Led by choir teacher John Eisemann, the Blues came together to embrace the joy and intensity of performance season, forming close bonds and establishing a strong community that lasts all year long.

The Blues have built a recognizable presence across Portland, and are routinely hired to perform at holiday luncheons, golf clubs and parties. These paid gigs go towards funding their summer tour, which the Blues take every year to locations around the world. “My sophomore year, I think it was 21 (gigs) and then last year it was 23 and this year it’s 25,” says senior bass Sam Evans. “It’s just getting exponentially bigger.”

The choir also sang at community events, including a performance at the Center for Positive Aging; caroled at businesses along Fremont Street; and held fundraisers, including a silent auction and two performances at Steeplejack Brewing Company. “(The gigs are) all at different places at different times, and different dress codes,” says Choir Vice President Henry Merrill. He and Choir President Olive Raak help manage and coordinate the season by communicating event details and ensuring that every member is informed and accounted for.

December’s “gig season” is known to most Blues members as their official debut. “It’s kind of the first moment where Blues is really separated in terms of its expectations from A Cappella,” Merrill says. “It requires a lot more mindfulness when it comes to balancing the quality and the quantity of how much you’re singing, your vocal health … (and) being able to present the best side of yourself even when maybe you’re not feeling the best.”

As expectations grew, members had to rise to the challenge: performing up to three times a day, missing classes for gigs and managing transportation. “It’s the time where new Blues, and especially, we have two sophomore Blues this year, where they understand, ‘Oh, this is
real,’” says Raak. “‘It’s not just a class that I have.’”

Incorporating underclassmen and new members into the group is a central part of the season — members agree that it always ends with a strong sense of community. “When I joined … I was really scared, it was just a really big uptick in music. But then the community and those people that are all so dedicated to music really helped me get better at it myself,” says Evans. Singing side-by-side morning, afternoon and night, the Royal Blues spent nearly 60 hours together over the course of December. “Eisemann always says that this month is always when Blues gels,” says Raak.

They begin working together at the start of the school year, but gig season lets them see each other every day, travel together and talk more than they had previously. “By the end of the season, there’s also a big sense of group accomplishment that I think really bonds people,” says Merrill. “Being able to get through it with everyone, especially because you need everyone’s help — supporting your voice, and the help of people like us who are able to communicate, or the people who drive you around when you’re a sophomore and you don’t have your license … You need everyone a lot more. You learn to trust people a lot more.”

The Royal Blues embrace the holiday season through song, taking on unique versions of holiday classics and introducing lesser-known pieces from around the world. “Jingle Bells” is arranged with shifting tempos, theatrical choreography and “horseplay” as they ride in a one-horse open sleigh. A more alternative carol composed by Toby Young titled “The Owl” tells the story of an owl soaring across the sky on a crisp winter night. The ensemble practices their foreign languages with a Finnish piece titled “Kaikki Maat, te Riemuitkaatte,” preparing for their upcoming trip to the Baltics.

In June, the Royal Blues will travel to Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania for a twelve day tour. “I think it’s one of the best learning experiences anyone can have,” Eisemann says. “Travel in general is all about learning.” On the trip, the students will work with composers, sing alongside a professional choir and attend choral workshops. “What I love about choir tour is … you get to share something that can be shared with the population there, rather than just traveling to another country. And you’re like, ‘I’m gonna sit on your beach and eat your food, right?’” Eisemann says. “This is more. ‘I’m going to bring cultural touchstones of my place, American choral music … And then also learn pieces of your cultural touchstones, your music,’ and the beautiful thing about musicians is that they can share an art form without speaking the same language.”

The Royal Blues have a “no person left behind” policy when it comes to traveling. Eisemann sees the group of musicians as a family, with each person contributing something unique and essential to the whole sound. Fundraising chairs Kate McFarland and Luna Rengert organize campaigns throughout the year to make the trip possible. The December gig season was a crucial part of meeting their goal, bringing in around $20,000 total.

Spreading joy to their community through song is a special experience for the Blues. They’re not only seeking support from their audience,

but truly embracing the opportunity to put a smile on peoples’ faces. “(The Blues holiday season) means spreading joy. It means being exhausted,” says junior tenor Elan Grisanti.

Senior bass Blaire Wolfe-Rocca feels similarly. “It’s a lot of time, but it’s worth it, and it’s mostly making people happy.” Experiencing the holiday season as a performer gives many members of the Blues a new appreciation of what it means to give and bring joy. “In Blues, it just kind of means being someone who gives rather than receives. The community can only do so much for you before you have to give back,” says senior tenor Liam Paulson. “I think that’s kind of the magic of Blues.”

Being a member of the Royal Blues is an honor that comes with significant responsibility. Having to learn to navigate the expectations and joys of performance, the members of this year’s Royal Blues enthusiastically rose to the challenge. “I feel like we are one of the best Royal Blues that we’ve ever had,” says Evans.