By By JOHN EBY / Dowagiac Daily News
It's shaping up as a summer beyond compare for Nora Hipshear.
In between graduating with Dowagiac's Class of 2003 and starting classes across town at Southwestern Michigan College, the music major will be singing for her supper -- and breakfast and lunch, too -- as she barnstorms across Europe.
That same excitement which led Nora to share with Keera Morton the Chieftain Spirit Award for best representing what the band program is about, is building toward her departure Friday on a journey which will eventually carry her to Germany, Italy, Denmark and Belgium.
Nora will be part of an 89-voice choir directed by Dr. Earle Louder, professor emeritus of Morehead, Ky., State University and a professional euphonium performer, clinician and adjudicator.
Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp will send six musical groups to Europe this summer to tour nine countries from the Mediterranean Sea to the North Sea.
Nora, whose passion for the arts shined through at the DUHS instrumental music awards in April when she described herself as "made of band," will be one of almost 300 talented student and adult musicians participating in the Muskegon area arts school's 34th annual European tour.
Blue Lake's international exchange program began in 1970.
The nine countries where one or more Blue Lake groups will visit and present concerts during June and July include Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Spain and Sweden.
Each group will visit three or more countries while in Europe and will tour separately.
Nora, an alto who has been a camper at BLFAC the past three summers, was so determined to go overseas that she tried out for choir and for band on her French horn.
Nora, daughter of Fred and Janie Hipshear, will be the leader of her section. She said Tuesday she is most looking forward to meeting her host families on her first trip abroad.
Blue Lake and nearly 50 Michigan communities will host nine European groups visiting Michigan in June, July and August.
Also touring Europe from Blue Lake will be:
Porter and Flickinger also are members of Blue Lake's Board of Trustees.
This is the sixth year an adult community band, made up of Blue Lake alumni and parents of former students, will participate in the program.
Members of the other five groups are junior and senior high school students from throughout Michigan, 18 other states and Germany.
Prior to departing, the six groups conduct one week of intensive rehearsals at Blue Lake. Nora will be heading for the airport June 13.
The string orchestra, northern wind ensemble and southern wind ensemble also present concerts in Michigan and Illinois before leaving for Europe.
In each European community they visit, Blue Lake's "ambassadors" stay in local homes, as will members of the European groups that tour Michigan.
On their return from Europe, each Blue Lake student group will present concerts in several Michigan cities and a homecoming concert at Blue Lake in Twin Lake.
The 296 student and adult musicians include 221 from Michigan and 75 from 18 other states, including 34 from Illinois, 15 from Ohio, eight from Indiana and two from Germany.
Blue Lake is one of America's largest summer arts schools.
Since it opened in 1966, nearly 75,000 children and youth have attended Blue Lake.
In addition to music, Blue Lake offers programs in dance, art and theater. It is located on a 1,200-acre campus in the Manistee National Forest 12 miles north of Muskegon.
Nearly 26,000 American, European and Asian musicians, singers and dancers have participated in the international exchange program since it began in 1970, according to Gretchen Stansell, founder and director of the program.
Nearly 350 musical groups from a dozen European and Asian countries have visited Michigan during the same period.
More than 100,000 families in Michigan and Europe also have participated in the program by welcoming visiting students into their homes.
Mrs. Stansell said the goal of Blue Lake's international exchange program is to promote peace and understanding through the universal language of the arts.