All boys. All boarding. Grades 9-12.
The Dozen Goes to NYC
This past Thursday the Woodberry Forest Dozen embarked on a journey to perform off campus for the first time in many years. We performed at a Woodberry alumni event held in New York City. It was attended by more than 100 Woodberry alumni and friends, including the familiar faces of some recent graduates.
The Dozen left campus before lunch and headed to Union Station in Washington, D.C. In Union Station we performed in the cavernous lobby, and we sang once again at the request of some passengers while waiting for the train. Then on the train we sang twice, once at the request of our conductor, and again for the staff in the café car.
We arrived in New York in the late afternoon, and we walked several blocks to our hotel in Times Square. New York was very busy, as usual, and many of us were awed to be in the Big Apple; for some members of the group it was their first visit.
At the event we listened to a brief speech given by Dr. Hulsey, and then we performed. We sang several pieces, beginning with the Woodberry Fight Song, and followed it up with Only One. Our next set included Desperado and Thinking Out Loud, the latter an arrangement by our very own Richard Yang ’19 and Edward Sackey ’18. We finished off with Shenandoah and Amici; Mr. Hornady invited up five former members of the Dozen who were in the audience. It was great to sing with some of our Dozen alums, and overall the performance was very well-received by our audience. We mingled with them after and got to meet some interesting people in the Woodberry community.
Afterward we left to go eat at a great restaurant called the Hourglass Tavern. They had great pasta, steaks, and sliders of all varieties. We had a good time watching the Duke vs. Carolina basketball game, and we finished by singing for the waiting staff before we went to explore the city. Most of us chose to go back to Times Square. After a great evening we returned to the hotel and watched some exhilarating Olympic curling before going to bed. The next morning some of us chose to go see various New York sights such as Radio City Music Hall. The trip was very exciting, and it gave us a unique change to our normal Woodberry scenery and routine. We are glad to have gone on this excursion, and we all hope that it starts a new tradition of performing off campus more often as a group.
Afterward we left to go eat at a great restaurant called the Hourglass Tavern. They had great pasta, steaks, and sliders of all varieties. We had a good time watching the Duke vs. Carolina basketball game, and we finished by singing for the waiting staff before we went to explore the city. Most of us chose to go back to Times Square. After a great evening we returned to the hotel and watched some exhilarating Olympic curling before going to bed. The next morning some of us chose to go see various New York sights such as Radio City Music Hall. The trip was very exciting, and it gave us a unique change to our normal Woodberry scenery and routine. We are glad to have gone on this excursion, and we all hope that it starts a new tradition of performing off campus more often as a group.
By Elias Jarvinen ’19
A version of this story first appeared in The Oracle.
Woodberry Forest School is an exceptional private school community for high school boys in grades nine through twelve. It is one of the top boarding schools in the United States and one of the only all-boys, all-boarding schools in the country.
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