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...
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...
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