Thirty-five students, seven alumnae, and eight chaperones will leave for Rome at 8:30 a.m. on Christmas Day. The group will be in Rome from December 26-31. Their once-in-a-lifetime trip moves to Florence, Italy from January 1-5.

"On behalf of every choir member, we thank everyone for all their support during this exciting time," sophomore Tess Hayes said.

The choir performs at the Mass of the Holy Innocents at the Vatican on December 28. They also perform at the Basilica di Sant'Andrea della Valle in Rome and the Church of Ognissanti in Italy.

We caught up with two other choir members this week. Here's what they had to say:

The trip is getting closer. What are you most excited about?

Lauren Goree, Freshman: "I'm most excited about seeing Italy for the first time and to sing in one of the most beautiful places in the world."

Tess Hayes, Sophomore: "I'm excited about the private tour of the Sistine Chapel with my entire family. Other than being a music lover, I'm fascinated with art especially in the Renaissance era."

Cecilia O'Brien, Junior: "I am excited to see Italy and all of its beautiful art, architecture, and history. I can't wait to finally perform the pieces we have all worked so hard on."

How are rehearsals going?

LG: "Since I am in Jazz and Freshman Choir, it has been harder to memorize the pieces. I'm thrilled to see the whole choir together for after-school practices next week."

TH: "We have been working really hard to get to the sound we have now. Lessons in Carols, which we performed Sunday, was one of the first times all three choirs sung together as one. The song we crushed was Carol of The Bells. I know we have that on the list for singing somewhere in Italy."

CO: "Rehearsals have been going very well. Everybody is giving 100 percent effort and is dedicated to making the performance at the Vatican as beautiful as it can be. Lessons and Carols was a very impressive performance. Everyone really pulled together to make the performance shine."

Who is your biggest motivator during rehearsals?

LG: "(Choir director Jane) Ms. Chambers reminds us every practice how many days are left until our great departure."

TH: "When we say that this is trip of a lifetime for us, it is also a trip of a lifetime for her. Ms. Chambers and her enthusiasm for choir and music is the reason I spend three hours a week in choir. Without her, we would be completely lost."

CO: "Ms. Chambers is remarkable at working on details of the pieces while enhancing the ensemble's musicality as a whole. None of this would be possible without her."

What songs do you like best?

LG: "I'm really excited to do Mary Sat A-Rockin' in Rome since it shows our American culture. I'm also excited to perform Dormi, Dormi, Bel Bambin since it's an Italian lullaby to Jesus."

CO: "I am personally most excited about performing Dormi, Dormi, Bel Bambin. I think it shows off the choir in a particularly beautiful and peaceful way."

Some of your songs will be performed with accompaniment (guitar, violin, and harp). What is that like?

CO: "Playing violin with the choir is such an honor for me. I love hearing them sing and complementing their performance."