As you can imagine, the men have been enjoying their trip to the fullest, leading to occasional unintended trips to slumberland. Here's Ziploc, catching a few winks before a pre-concert rehearsal.
We had a great time in Washington, DC, seeing family and friends and singing a terrific concert with the Washington Men's Camerata. Here we are with both groups rehearsing a combined number at New York Avenue Presbyterian Church, and then in performance, singing Franz Biebl's Ave Maria.
The morning after the performance, we went to the Capitol for a tour. The new Visitor Center is pretty cool and its entry hall has a number of statues of prominent Americans on display. Here we see Neutrophil and Diesel recreating a scene from the life of Helen Keller in front of a statue depicting Keller learning her first word at the water pump. Inappropriate? Offensive? Mildly amusing? Probably yes to all three.
We stayed in a hotel in New York City, and since we didn't have to leave until noon the next day, the guys hit the town after our performance. Most of them actually made it to the bus in time to leave the next day.
Keebler and Chutney pose outside the Ed Sullivan Theater after learning that the Letterman show tapes at 5:30, rather than broadcasting live at 11:30. They had so hoped to get in and sing the Good Old Song for Dave.
After touring the Capitol in Washington, Dunkaroo got on the phone with Congressman Tom Perriello's office to see if Charlottesville's representative was available to meet with Club. After waiting awhile, we were met by one of the congressman's staffers and taken back inside the Capitol to the original House chamber (with the famous whispering gallery acoustics). Congressman Perriello came dashing out of the House chamber to meet the guys. He thanked members of Club for participating in his father's memorial service last year (Perriello Père was a former member of the Glee Club) and he took a few pictures with us. He then asked us to come with him and he led us past signs that said "Members Only" and out onto the Speaker's Balcony, just above the "presidential inauguration" level of the Capitol's western facade. The view was incredible and more pictures were taken. We had wanted to sing in the Capitol, but our tour guide had told us it was illegal (!). Since we were now on the balcony and technically outside, we burst into a rousing chorus of 10K. A guard from the Speaker's office came running out to quiet us, so we finished the song sotto voce, hoping to not get arrested.After our exciting morning at the Capitol, we hit the road for Williamsburg. We arrived late in the afternoon at Williamsburg Presbyterian Church and were greeted our host, baritone Jim Weaver, music director at the church. The venue was fantastic for a choral performance (the old church was razed and a new one was constructed in its place several years ago) and our warm-up sounded great. We were delighted at the size of the audience and happy to see so many family and friends in attendance. We were surprised to find our adopted grandmother, Bonnie Ford (from Alumni Hall) sitting in the front row. We learned this week that Bonnie is retiring at the end of the month, so we were really grateful that she came over from Charlottesville for the performance. We brought her up on "stage" for a special serenade during the concert, and we're looking forward to singing at her retirement party at the end of the month. We'll really miss her in Alumni Hall, but we're sure we'll see her at every Glee Club concert long into the future. A real highlight of the concert was a performance of And the band played Waltzing Matilda, which Club learned just for the concert. The soloist was our host, Jim Weaver, and when the song ended, there wasn't a dry eye in the sanctuary.
Yesterday we journeyed across Virginia to Roanoke, where we were met by John Wood '72, our host at historic St. John's Episcopal Church. The beautiful sanctuary has been recently renovated, and it was another ideal location for a Glee Club performance. We rested for a few hours and then warmed up in the sanctuary, basking in the warm acoustics and beautiful setting. At 5, our guest collaborators, the Oriana Singers from Roanoke College arrived and we rehearsed a joint number with their conductor, Jeffrey Sandborg. We then feasted on a wonderful supper prepared by the church's Parish Life Committee. It was our first official church supper of the tour! After changing into our concert attire, we entered the church to find a full house of enthusiastic alumni, parishioners, family and friends. The concert was great, and our closing combined number, Worthy to be Praised, brought the house down. After greeting the throngs of adoring fans (slight hyperbole), we hopped on the bus and headed for Hunting Hills Country Club, where John Wood thoughtfully arranged a post-concert party for the two choirs. Everyone was carded at the door, and while the youngsters enjoyed soft drinks, those of legal age were astonished to find an entire frosty keg completely at their disposal. After a couple of hours of getting to know the Oriana Singers better, the guys reluctantly hopped back on the bus and I bid them farewell. They were setting of for Ann Arbor, Michigan for tonight's performance. Because I'm old and wouldn't survive an overnight trip on the bus with them, I'm flying up this afternoon. With any luck, they'll have rested and recovered enough today to participate in our joint concert with the Michigan Men's Glee Club and the Harvard Glee Club this evening. We're very excited about the pre-concert reception arranged by UVa's Office of Engagement for local Ann Arbor alumni. We're also excited that Teresa Sullivan, UVa's new president, will attend the reception and the concert. We'll do our best to make a good first impression!
And finally, on Sunday, the guys will head back to Charlottesville and, with any luck, a good night's sleep before classes resume on Monday. Watch this space for more photos after we get home!
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