Blog

Sunday morning found most of us at Truth and Grace Mennonite Church in Elnora for the morning service. A few of the ensemble members were feeling a bit “under the weather,” and having a morning to rest was just what was needed! Truth and Grace served us a delicious lunch, and we enjoyed the fellowship… Continue reading Tour 2025 | Day 10

Yawn! Saturday morning arrived plenty early. Restoring the bus back to human use until Very Late the night before made for some groggy ensemble members as we gathered for Recording Day. We have been blessed over the past several years by First Baptist Church as a recording venue, and Kendrick Layman (a former Tehillah member)… Continue reading Tour 2025 | Day 9

After an enjoyable evening with our hosts in Fairland, Oklahoma, the Friday morning call time came early at 7:45. We had a long drive back to Indiana ahead of us!  By mid-morning, the laughter from stories, games, and children’s songs filled the bus. There were also eruptions of “No way!” and moans of despair when… Continue reading Tour 2025 | Day 8

Thanks to our hosts in Kansas who provided lodging and meals for TWO days! Thursday morning, we plodded back into the bus for a day of travel to Grand Lake Mennonite Church in Oklahoma. Norrell Lee stopped us for lunch at a small diner in southern Kansas, The Kitchen Table. The day blurred by amid… Continue reading Tour 2025 | Day 7

Wednesday morning found us on the bus heading to Hesston College. We were graciously welcomed by Greg Bontrager, who led our workshop for an hour. The Bel Canto Singers joined us for the rest of the morning, and we enjoyed hearing some of their pieces, singing some of ours, and working on a new piece… Continue reading Tour 2025 | Day 6

Waking up in the state of Iowa on Tuesday morning, we had an early start. We met at Fairview Mennonite Church (where we had sung the previous night) at 7:45 in the morning. With a long drive to Hutchinson, Kansas, ahead of us, we groggily got into the bus with coffee in hand. We began… Continue reading Tour 2025 | Day 5

We left the flat farmland of Arthur, Illinois, after a leisurely late call time of 9:15 and headed southwest. The bus filled with laughter and chatter as lively games and conversations ensued.  We arrived at Fairview Mennonite Church in the rolling hills of Kalona, Iowa, shortly after 4:00 and scoped out the acoustics of the… Continue reading Tour 2025 | Day 4

Sunday morning dawned bright and warm. Some members found their way to various local churches for the morning. Our “call time” of 12:15 came amidst last-minute packing of tour supplies, and the general scurry was necessitated by 26 people enfolding their lives into 383 square feet of bus for a week! After an eventful detour… Continue reading Tour 2025 | Day 3

Our second day of rehearsal started off with warm-ups. The morning flew by, and we soon headed to Juanita’s for lunch. After lunch, we finished setting up the shell that Julian (a former long-time member) and Dan designed and built. The ensemble extends our sincere gratitude for the hours of planning and labor that went… Continue reading Tour 2025 | Day 2

For anyone crazy enough to read our blog, welcome back to another touring season of the Tehillah Ensemble! We anticipate the 10 days ahead to be a sensory experience: seeing old friends and making new ones, eating copious snacks and great meals along the road, possibly violent rounds of Spot-it and Boggle on the bus,… Continue reading Tour 2025 | Day 1