I missed the bus to go to Pike Place Market. I was a little bummed, but I resolved to have fun on my own. After a few minutes of Googling for “how to have fun in Seattle” I decided to just go out and see if I could find a coffee shop or something.
As I followed my nose for a few blocks looking for an interesting place for breakfast, a couple of things became rapidly apparent. The first of these was that you can barely go three blocks in a row without finding a Thai restaurant and the second was that there are more bicycles in Seattle than shaved legs.
I eventually found a place to settle down and have something to eat. I ordered oatmeal and green tea. Apparently “green tea” isn’t specific enough for Seattle, because the barista said “what type of green tea?” and showed me the longest list of teas I’ve ever seen. I pointed to one and grunted. The oatmeal was delicious, but the tea wasn’t super. I’ll have to come up with a different strategy for finding good tea on the rest of tour.
Monday, March 5, 2012
In-n-Out!
We had a blast stopping for lunch in sunny Redding, Ca, where I was able to share the magic of In-n-Out Burger with the uninitiated. Onward to Sacramento!
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!
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!
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Our first concert
We had a great first concert last night in Seattle! The acoustics in the church were superb, the audience was friendly and supportive, and we blew the roof off with a collaborative performance of the Biebl Ave Maria with more than 80 men from the combined UVa and SPU choirs. Thanks to Ken Pendergrass and the SPU Men's Choir for being such great hosts! And thanks to the Glee Club alumni who joined us for 10K and the Good Old Song at the end of the concert. Their participation was a real highlight!
Here we are rehearsing the Biebl.
And here we are getting ready to perform it. (I was pretty tired and was, as they say, fading fast.)
And here we are, mid-concert. We clean up pretty well!
Here we are rehearsing the Biebl.
And here we are getting ready to perform it. (I was pretty tired and was, as they say, fading fast.)
And here we are, mid-concert. We clean up pretty well!
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Nice day in Seattle
The weather gods were smiling on us today in Seattle. It stopped raining, the sun came out and the Olympic Mountains were beautiful in all their snow-covered glory. After a morning at the Public Market, most of us headed north to the Boeing factory. We toured the manufacturing facilities for the 747, 767, 777, and the new 787 Dreamliner. Though you can't tell it from the picture, we're standing in front of the Visitor Center, with a number of half-built 787s right behind us. Really...they were right there...
Friday, March 2, 2012
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