The longest day...

Yesterday we began our voyage with a drive from Seattle to Vancouver, Washington, where we met up with the Portland State University Man Choir and the two men's choirs from Union High School in Vancouver. Mike Iverson, the conductor at Union, hosted the two collegiate groups for an afternoon of men singing. It was great fun! The conductor at PSU is Ethan Sperry, an old friend of this blogger and the arranger of Zikr, that piece that garnered Club so much attention last season. The Man Choir is conducted by Erick Lichte, another old friend and former music director of Cantus, a professional TTBB ensemble based in Minneapolis/St. Paul.

After everyone arrived, we rehearsed the Biebl Ave Maria under Ethan's direction. There were more than 150 men singing, so you can imagine what the sound was like!




The concert began with the Union High School Select Men's Choir, followed by the UHS Select Men's Ensemble. The two groups then combined (78 singers!) to perform a final number on their set.



Then the PSU Man Choir took the stage. This chorus was started this school year and they already have more than 40 members. Can you guess what piece they might be singing with piano and mezzo-soprano soloist?



The Glee Club then closed out the concert before the other choirs joined us on stage to end with a rousing and heartfelt rendition of the Ave Maria.

One of the highlights of the trip so far has been meeting former Club members. When we invite them on stage to sing some college songs with us, it's a great cross-generational event! At this concert, there was only one alumnus, Mark Jander '54. Mark sang in Club under the direction of Stephen Tuttle, as did his brother Owen. Owen went on to become a music professor at Wellesley College (with whom we frequently collaborate). 'Tis a small world indeed!



After the concert, we headed into Portland for some dinner and some legendary Voodoo Donuts. Then we drove for 5 hours to reach Medford, Oregon, the halfway point on our journey to Sacramento, California, where we'll be singing tonight. I hope everyone got a good night's sleep and is ready to head out again soon!