2026 International Choir
The Blue Lake International Choir is comprised of talented and inspired young vocalists and performs a full range of traditional and contemporary choral works.
In 2026, the Choir will perform selections to inlcude Consecrate the Place and Day, Lloyd Pfautsch Locus; Iste, Anton Bruckner; If You Can Walk You Can Dance, Elizabeth Alexander; Still I Rise, Rosephanye Powell; O Love, Elaine Hagenburg Peze; What Happens When a Woman, Alexandra Olsavasky; It Takes a Village, Joan Szymko; Sing Gently, Eric Whitacre; Does the World Say, Kyle Pederson; Light, Keith Hampton; Hope Lingers On, Andrea Ramsey
Each of the groups in the Blue Lake International Exchange Program will visit six host communities in 2–3 European countries with several group excursions throughout the trip. Tentative countries for the 2026 International Choir are France and Germany, but the tour may expand depending on invitations. Final tour schedules will not be available until the late spring.
Dates
Sunday, November 9, 2025 – Rehearsal Day (8:00am – 4:00pm)
Sunday, April 19, 2026 – Rehearsal Day (8:00am – 4:00pm)
Friday, May 15 – Sunday, May 17, 2026 – Intensive Rehearsal Weekend (arrive 7pm)
Friday, June 12 – Thursday, June 18, 2026 – Intensive Rehearsal Week (arrive 7pm)
Thursday, June 18, 2026 – Depart from Blue Lake for Europe!
(Ensemble departs from either Chicago or Detroit to Paris CDG)
Thursday, July 9, 2026 – Return flight to U.S.
(Ensemble returns to same port of departure. Parents meet students at airport)
Friday, July 10, 2026 – Homecoming Celebration Day at Blue Lake!
(12pm – 9pm) (Parents bring students to Blue Lake)
Tuition
Tuition includes supervision and instruction, room and board on camp prior to departure, airfare, coach travel in Europe, and several excursions en route. The cost of 2026 tuition is $6,890, with a minimum $750 deposit due at time of enrollment. Scholarships are available for tour alumni and those who have attended Blue Lake as a camper in the 2025 season. Financial need and instrumentation scholarships may also be available in some circumstances.
Director
Julia Jenkins Holt
Director
Julia Jenkins Holt serves as the Vocal Music Director at Eisenhower High School and Malow Junior High School in Shelby Township, MI. She earned her Bachelor of Music in Vocal Music Education from Michigan State University and holds a Master of Music in Choral Conducting from Oakland University. Julia received the honor of being named the MSVMA Teacher of the Year in 2025 and the Macomb County High School Teacher of the Year in 2014. Actively engaged in MSVMA, she currently holds the roles of Treasurer and State Scheduling Coordinator and has previously served as Co-Manager of District 16. Julia led the 2016 MSVMA 6-7-8 SA State Honors Choir and has been elected by MSVMA to conduct the 2027 High School SSAA State Honors Choir. From 2013 to 2023, Julia was the lead music teacher for the kindergarten through 5th grade students in Kensington Community Church’s Kaleo performing arts program. Committed to nurturing the next generation of vocal music teachers, she opens her classroom to student teachers and observers, paying forward the support she received from educators in her own past.
Under Julia’s direction, the choirs at Eisenhower and Malow consistently achieve top ratings at MSVMA festivals since her arrival in 2003. They have showcased their talent in many venues including the MSVMA All-State Festival, Michigan Youth Arts Festival, Lincoln Center, and Carnegie Hall. Many of Julia’s students have earned positions in the 6-7-8-9 State Honors Choirs, High School State and All-State Honors Choirs, as well as the All-State Jazz Honors Choir. Julia has been the conductor of the Session 2 SSA Choir at Blue
Lake Fine Arts Camp since 2014 and this is her first tour with the Blue Lake International Choir.
Julia’s teaching philosophy emphasizes achieving the highest technical performance level across multiple genres while creating a deep emotional connection to the music and fellow performers. Julia lives in Troy with her extremely supportive band director husband, Gregory, and their two budding musicians, Anna and David.
