Invitation to Contribute!

As a final invitation, I would like to invite choir members, alums, parents, audience members, family, friends, and anybody else to post their own memories and comments about the choir to this post. I hope you enjoyed the blog! Thanks again!

Susan

Last Concert Recap.....

Hey everyone! So our last concert was at Christ Church Cathedral, the oldest medieval cathedral in Dublin, completed in 1038!It is the seat of the Church of Ireland's Archbishop of Dublin. As we noticed during rehearsal, it is a well-visited tourist attraction.

Above is an indoor view of the cathedral's high Gothic arches and ceiling. It was the perfect place for the British Isles choir to finish up our historic tour. I feel lucky as a senior to have sung my last concert in this centuries -old hall.

Somehow we all made it through the final concert despite many tears and singular moments that I will remember the rest of my life. The final concert was everything I thought it would be and more. It was memorable evening to end a memorable tour and a memorable year.

The tour could not have run as smoothly without a few people I must mention!

Our Tour Manager, Lauren VanScoy, from Gateway Tours, was an absolutely essential part of our trip. She kept us organized and on time to our destinations! Our bus drivers Liam, Fergus, John, and John were also an important part of the trip. They scooted us safely around the British Isles and were great story-tellers and friends over the course of the trip.


Pictured here is John and Ruth Ferguson. John, of course, was the principle organist on the tour. He managed to "tame" the many different instruments we encountered on the tour and created beautiful music with us throughout. His wife Ruth was an ever-present help on the trip as well, serving as another pair of ears as we assessed balance before each concert.



Sam Backman '10, assistant to John Ferguson and featured organist himself, was another great person to have on tour. He provided invaluable help to Dr. Ferguson and performed beautifully on Durefle's "Sanctus."

Another essential couple on the trip was, of course, B.J. and Sigrid Johnson. Long- time St. Olaf Choir manager B.J. (affectionately known as Beej to La-La's) as always was at the foundation of the success of this tour. He was always there with advice, instructions, a kind word, and a good joke! He is a life-saver.

Sigrid Johnson, conductor of Manitou Singers at St. Olaf as well as Associate Conductor of Vocal Essence in Minneapolis, served as the all-important "ears" of the operation, assisting Dr. Armstrong with assessment of all things musical on this trip. She was the go-to person for advice on any issues that arose during warm-ups and the concert.

Finally, of course, we cannot forget our beloved Dr. A, the man behind the whole operation.



Here he is, alongside Beej. The importance of Dr. A.'s work in creating this tour and fashioning the British Isles choir into the group that it became goes without saying. He is the teacher, friend, and artist behind (and in front) of it all. Thank you Dr. A for all that you've done for us this year and years past! It was unforgettable.

Thank you to the people mentioned above and to everyone else throughout the tour who helped make this all possible!!

I'd finally like to thank the 2008-09 British Isles St. Olaf Choir for making the end of my senior year so remarkable. It was an exceptional year in the history of the choir, and I am so proud to say that I sung with you all. From the dimly lit halls of Christiansen, to the bright stage of Emory University's Schwartz Center of Performing Arts, to the cavernous sanctuary of Dublin's Christ Church, we've done it all together in a spirit of fun-loving professionalism. I will always remember you!


To end this farewell blog, I've posted a few of my favorite photos from the tour. Thanks so much for reading!

Signing off,

Susan

Thank you British Isles Choir!!

Just Returned....

Hey everyone. We've just arrived back in the States after a wonderful last night in Dublin. I will post pictures on our memorable last concert when I've recovered a bit from the jet lag! All I have the energy to write now is that it was a night that I will always remember. I love you British Isles Choir! Final posts tomorrow....

Just Touched Down In DUBLIN Town...

Hey everyone! We have officially arrived in the fabulous city of Dublin at the cozy Wynn's Hotel!!
Let me tell you, it is a blast here. The city is both scenic and exciting. After a night of strolling around the Temple Bar district and visiting Dublin's oldest pub, we woke this morning to a characteristically rainy and windy Irish day, only the second of our two weeks in the UK! Needless to say, we've been quite lucky.

Here's the entrance to our historic hotel which was originally established in 1845


The Liffey River, which runs through the middle of Dublin, is just a block away! Some of us took a stroll next to the river to visit The Brazen Head, Ireland's oldest pub and hear some traditional Irish music.

Here's The Brazen Head below. It had a beautiful outdoor courtyard as well as cozy seating inside!



Later tonight we are performing our final concert (sniff sniff) of this amazing tour at Christ's Church Cathedral. I'm so excited that I get to perform my last concert with the choir in this stunning venue. This has been an amazing experience so far, and I think I speak for everyone when I say that tonight will be bittersweet. I'll try to keep it together for Beautiful Savior, but I don't know...

Thanks again for reading the blog. I'll make a few final posts tonight and tomorrow with news about how tonight goes! Wish us luck for one last great concert!

Susan Found Zero Leprechauns in Armagh...

Susan decided to give the reins over to me once again to fill you in on the latest news of our tour. We left Cork, Ireland, and headed back to the United Kingdom for our destination in Armagh, Northern Ireland. On our way there, we stopped for a few hours to visit the Rock of Cashel. Pictured below is Susan and Sam Willodson, '11, at the Rock. Don't they look cute together?

We arrived in Armagh and enjoyed a free evening in and around the city. Thursday morning we all piled into the buses and headed to Belfast for a bus tour. Our tour guide filled us in on the city's history relating to the conflict and violence it's seen over the past 40 years. Thankfully, peace prevails today, but tensions linger nonetheless.

Pictured above is our concert venue in Armagh: St. Patrick's Cathedral. Located on a hill, I spent the intermission of the concert taking in the beautiful view of Armagh and the countryside. Our audience included the Deputy Mayor to the city who said a few kind words of welcome at the end of the performance.

This morning we headed to Dublin and spent some time sightseeing, but those details will wait for the next post...

We <3 Ireland...Continued: Cork Concert

Hello everyone! This is Susan, writing to you from the green shores of Ireland!! The St. Olaf Choir's love affair with Ireland continued on Tuesday with a concert at St. Mary's Church in the heart of Cork. The proceeds of the concert benefited the Friends of St. Patrick's Hospital and Marymount Hospice.


The church was very reverberant! It served as a great setting for many of our pieces, particularly the Manuel Alleluia and Purcell's Hear My Prayer. Here we are performing below.

The outside of the church was a prime example of Neo-Classical architecture, as you can see below.


Below is a picture of us practicing Sorida, our processional piece. To the left are the basses and the right are the tenors.



Earlier that afternoon, we visited Blarney Castle and many of us kissed the Blarney Stone! I was surprised to discover the extensive and beautiful grounds that surrounded the castle. The huge trees, herds of cattle, and meandering pathways were even better than the dramatic figure of the castle, pictured below.


We had to climb a long, winding staircase to get to the top of the castle, where the Blarney Stone was located. Here is Sarah Van Houten '09 and Heidi Hartwig '09, making there way.



You had to lie down on your back and scoot yourself over a small gap in the castle floor to kiss the stone which is situated on the wall of the castle. This task was quite a challenge for many of the La-La's afraid of heights, but the two workers, pictured below, helped out. Any fear was well worth the gift of eloquence which the stone has since bestowed on me... eh? eh?


We left Cork and the Republic of Ireland behind this morning, for Northern Ireland and Armagh, the site of our next concert. Til' tomorrow...

Tour Photo Albums

Hey everyone.
Be sure to check out Official Tour Photo Albums by Erik Ekstrom '11. The links are down on the right column. Thanks!
Susan

We <3 Ireland Part 1: Cork

We're in Cork, Ireland! Yay!

Hey everyone! Susan here. We've been in Cork for two days now, and I just got back from my first ceili, a celebration of traditional Irish music and dancing that was held in our hotel this evening! I think speak for many choir members when I say that this was one of the best nights of tour yet! The St. Olaf Choir loves Ireland!!!

For our first morning in Ireland, we took a tour of the West Coast , stopping at the towns of Bantry, Glengarriff, and Kenmare along the way. Below is a picture of street in Glengarriff.



'
We stopped along the slopes of the nearby mountains and were amazed at the view, complete with rolling hills, water, rocks, and , of course, SHEEP!

If you look close, you can see them! They are quite agile on the rocks according to our bus driver.

Wow...that's all I can say.


Daniel Greco '09, Elizabeth Kerstein '11, Sam Willodson '11, and Miranda Lubarsky '09 are take a break from snapping pictures.


Narrowly avoiding vehicles along the side of the road...

We saw Celtic crosses like this one, near in a church in Kenmare, all over the countryside.

After a long day of traveling and dinner at the hotel, we returned for the Ceili! Here's a picture of some of the band members and dancers! This absolutely amazing groupsomehow turned a bunch of Oles into a half decent mob of dancers.

Here we are trying out a couples dance. Derek Trayling '09 and Meg Granum '11 are in the front. Note the intense concentration...

In a wonderfully spontaneous moment, Dr. A led us in a performance of "Danny Boy" and "Loch Lomond" for the band.
Above is Jeff Krusack '10 belting out the opening solo of the Scottish folksong. This was one of my favorite moments of the entire year.
In between dances, Lauren Vick '09 gives Dr. A a little love.



Sweaty and exhausted, we headed to our hotel rooms tonight, ready for our first concert in Ireland tomorrow! More later...

Swansea, Wales, and Off to Ireland...

More news from your other correspondent, David. I'm writing this post from the Imperial Hotel in Cork, Ireland, but being as we will be here for a few days, Susan and I will wait to fill you in on this interesting city. Anyway, our time in Swansea, Wales, was short but fun. After arriving at our hotel we made our way over to St. Mary's Church, which was in the midst of a jubilee celebration.


Pictured above is Ben Baker, Meg Granum, Paul Henderson and Miranda Lubarsky carrying our robe box alternatives. As the four boxes were too heavy to fly over here, the Choir invested thirteen robe bags, which makes for more work for first year members, which I, fortunately, am not...

Katelyn Larsen is seen here carrying Dr. Armstrong's podium in the main sanctuary. The church was rebuilt after the war, like many other venues in which we've sung, and it provided a great place to sing. Our receptive audience included a few local dignitaries, whom the choir was able to meet in a reception after the concert.

Today we left Swansea bright and early to board the ferry that took us to Ireland. Before leaving we said goodbye to our two faithful British bus drivers, John and John, and met our new Irish bus drivers, Liam and Fergus. Their names combined with their accents, well, they certainly fit the profile... We checked into the hotel, spent a free evening in Cork and plan on spending tomorrow sightseeing as a group.

Last Day In London: Concert at St. Clement Danes Church

Our stay in London came to an exciting close on Friday with a final concert in St. Clement Danes Church located across from the Royal Courts of Justice, in the heart of London.



The first structure on the site is believed to have been found by Danes in the 9th century, but it has been rebuilt several times, most notably by famous architect Christopher Wren in 1682 and again in 1958 by the Royal Air Force after it was destroyed by German bombs in World War II. It is now the Central Church of the Royal Air Force and serves as the site for many war memorials and dedications. The war-torn history of this church made our performance, particularly of Penderecki's powerful Agnus Dei, that much more meaningful.

We got dressed in the crypt, the second one to serve as our changing room during the trip! I'm hoping for a few more opportunities in Ireland.


Choro, an excellent local choral group, opened the concert for us with an excellent performance of some great choral works. I especially enjoyed their rendition of our buddy Eric Whitacre's "With a Lily In Your Hand."
After the concert, the church hosted a small reception for us, and then we headed out for night on the town to kick off our great stay in London!

Newly-minted alumni Kate Huebner, Heidi Hartwig, and Sarah Strasen are looking cute at the reception!

Here we are in the tube station, ready for our last night in England!
Next stop...Wales!

-Susan

Day Three: St. Paul's Cathedral and Henley-on-Thames

Hello, Readers, David here. Day three was long, exhausting, and very satisfying. After a hearty breakfast care of our hotel in South Kensington, London, we headed over to the venerable St. Paul's Cathedral. Though St. Paul's has been around for centuries, its current form was built in the 17th century following the great fire of 1666.

As you can see from these photos, the building is epic in scope. The dome towers above visitors, and Susan and I realized that the venue from the previous evening could easily fit inside the main dome alone! After arriving, we warmed up in "the crypt," although it was much less dank and dark than I imagined.

While wandering through the crypt, fellow St. Olaf Choir member and baritone Chris Davis pointed Susan and I to memorial of particular interest to English literature lovers as ourselves. Although not buried in St. Paul's, famous British poet William Blake is seen above. Susan snapped this quick and very illegal photo.

The choir sang a shortened set in the cathedral as part of the Dome Dais concert series. By far the most memorable feature of this venue is its incredible reverb. Following one particularly intense chord in Penderecki's "Agnus Dei," Dr. Armstrong took an extended pause to allow the chord to wash through the entire space, which took advantage of the six-second reverb. This created a powerful effect on the music.

Following the St. Paul's performance, we headed to Henley-on-Thames, a town not far from central London. It was much different than the big city feel of Britain's capital and had more of an English town atmosphere. Above are shots Susan took of a typical street and the choir warming up in Christ Church, our venue for the evening.

Though much smaller than St. Paul's, our evening concert was special for other reasons. The intimate setting allowed for a stronger connection to our audience, which was extremely enthusiastic and receptive. We even had Madam Mayor of Henley-on-Thames Elizabeth Hodskin and member of Parliament John Howell in attendence, both of whom seemed to enjoy the music thoroughly. Tomorrow the choir will enjoy a free morning in London. I plan on taking in a little culture at the famous Tate Modern. More to come...

First Concert: Oxford!

We arrived in Oxford Wednesday afternoon after a quick hour long bus ride from London. The city was filled with idyllic scenery. High Street, one of the main drags (pictured above), was bustling with locals. Our concert venue, the University Church of St. Mary the Virgin, was located on this street.

The vaulted ceilings and marble archways enhanced the amazing acoustic of this church, which was originally built in 1328 and has been renovated many times since.




The views outside the church were...impressive to say the least.




Our fearless student manager, David Sandness, helped Crew One squeeze our risers into the front of the church.


Meanwhile returning members Sarah Tengblad, Jason Smith, Eric Little, and Logan Sawtelle hung out in the pews. They're pretty cute here.

Outiside, I stumbled upon some posters promoting our concert!

Our changing room was tucked at the of a winding staircase. This was definitely the nicest changing room we've had in my two years. Arched windows, secret doors, spectacular views of Oxford... a great place to get ready.

I'm glad to say that we had a wonderful first concert and got a standing ovation! My favorite moment was the impromptu encore of the gospel spiritual Praise His Holy Name, complete with tamborine, hand clapping, and Ben Baker rockin on the keys. We definately brought some soul to Oxford tonight! On to St. Paul's tomorrow. Can't wait!