Meanwhile, the choir and groupies enjoyed a beautiful day sightseeing in Bath. [www.cityofbath.co.uk/] Fine examples of Georgian architecture in the Roman spa town made popular in the late 18th and early 19th centuries include Jane Austen and (who knew?) St. Paul's bass Derek Walker in his day job!
The choir arrived in time to vest for a rehearsal before the service. The cathedral staff were most welcoming and supportive of our first service in England as the St. Paul's Choir. The service began with Bach's joyful "9/8" Prelude and Fugue in C Major, BWV 547, played by David. The piece that I composed for the choir two summer's ago for the choir while in Maine, Be Still (and know that I am God) served as the Introit. The choir sang a service setting by Andrew Carter as well as ever in the inspiring acoustic that expanded our cohesive sound. The Canticles were plainsong settings predating Christianity that were appropriate to the history of the site, dating back more than 1000 years as they likely were used throughout the history of Bristol Cathedral. Viadana's Exultate Justi (text inspired by Psalm 33:1-3) danced in the space and was the anthem for the day. The service concluded with the hymn Angel Voices Ever Singing set to the hymn tune Angel Voices (Monk). It is a gorgeous text sung to a most beautiful English tune. I played the John Cook Fanfare utilizing the organ's Tromba stop as the closing Voluntary, a piece that was inspired by instruments such as the Walker and Sons. One fun surprise of the day for me was meeting one of my former voice professors, Bonnie Bradley, who resides here and also taught and remains in contact with two St. Paul's Choir members Jeanne Crowley and Erin Crowley. Bonnie and her husband reside in England and were present for the service.
Today (Sunday) was a leisurely day as we wound our way from Limpley Stokes through the Cotswalds to Witney in Oxfordshire.
Here we will remain for the next two nights. "Picturesque" best describes the day. We stopped in a number of villages along the way to get a glance at local life. Best remembered was a stop in Tetbury. Prince Charles' residence and farm, Highland, is next to Tetbury. He and the Duchess of Cornwall are frequently seen in the village as he owns a shop there by the same name as his home.
Tomorrow our day will include a visit to Oxford , land of C.S. Lewis [http://www.cslewis.com/about.aspx] [http://www.oxfordcityguide.com/index.html] and a tour of aspects of the university and environs. In the evening we will sing our full length concert at the University Church of St. Mary the Virgin. For folks back home, this will be the nearly identical concert to our Bon Voyage concert last Sunday at St. Paul's.
Following up on our visit to Stonehenge, the BBC is reporting that 35,000 visitors were present there at sunrise this morning to take part in summer's solstice events.
Ars Choralis member Charlene Nemetz who is traveling with us will be seen in the UK on BBC 1 this evening in her role as an extra in the Spielberg film, Minority Report. Filming was in Washington. It was released in 2002.
JAG and DT, know you are in our thoughts and prayers for many good days and continual healing.
To our singers that could not travel with us, we send you greetings and much love.
Hi to Mom, Dad and Kevin as you gather for Julie's graduation this weekend. I am thinking about you.
1 comments:
Amazing! Thank you so much for blogging your activities, it is fantastic to follow along with your experiences!
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