Subject: UofU Singers International Competition Victory

I am happy to report that our UofU Singers have been selected as the winner of the European Grand Prix of choral singing in Tolosa, Spain. The selection comes after a competition today with other choirs selected as winners of 5 regional European competitions held last year. This is a fantastic accomplishment for our students and for their director Brady Allred. Their victory is a testament to their hard work, and is a wonderful reflection of the University and all in the School of Music. The choir will be returning to SLC later next week, at which time I hope that you will extend congratulations to Brady and the students of the choir.

Bravissimo!!!

What wonderful news and Congratulations To You All!

It is a great confirmation of what you are doing there and I'm very excited for you and the students. After your concert I couldn't even imagine any ensemble being in the same class. I'm pleased to hear that the confidence all of us felt on that evening was confirmed. The fear of some anti-American sentiments is always present in these things. It is good to know that, at least in this case, merit held sway over any real or imagined political sentiments.

Hard work and sacrifice ultimately pays off and it is a delight to see all of you reap the rewards of such a work ethic and discipline. My best wishes to you for a safe journey home and, if priorities were what they ought to be, you should get the same type of parade through downtown that the basketball team got just for going to the "Final Four " (and they didn't even win!). In my mind at least your accomplishments have eclipsed their's by light years!

It is quite remarkable that you did this in your third year at the school. Stunning, in fact.

Please communicate my highest congratulations to your choir.

Your accomplishment makes it only the second time a choir from the United States has won the highest honor. I was present when the other choir, the University of Mississippi Concert Singers, won the award. I wish I could have been there to hear you and your choir! Since then, other great U.S. choirs and conductors have competed for the grand prize but yours is the first to win since then.

I hope your administration knows what a huge international accomplishment this is. My best wishes to you and your program.

Of course, I knew all along that you would win. After I received and listened to the Singers latest CD, I told Mike that there was absolutely no way that you could lose the competition. When I heard _The Water is Wide_ for the first time, I was actually moved to tears. Those talented young people reached out from that plastic disc and touched that spot deep within my heart. With that kind of ability, I just did not believe that there was any choral group that could even come close to what the Singers are capable of doing. I guess I was right (and you know how I like to be right!)

I am so proud of you and so full of happiness for you for your wonderful accomplishment that I think I am going to bust!

You are awesome!!!

In behalf of all the members and our conductor - Prof. Fidel Calalang Jr. (who is in Europe now, judging in the International Competition of University Choirs - IFAS - in Pardubice, Czech Rep.) I would like to congratulate you all for winning the Grand Prix at the EGP-Tolosa. We are very much confident that you would win from the day we all met each other when we sang in your send off concert for Tours, in May last year.

My special congratulations to Dr. Brady Allred, the ever genius conductor - indeed, the most popular choral conductor in US and Europe and in the Philippines now. :) I still keep the Programme you signed for me and the cd you gave me!

To the men and women of the U of Utah Singers, we will always treasure those brief moment we shared when we were in the libby hall last year! and that, at one point in our lives, we all met and sang together!