(no subject)
So the rest of choir tour was fun, if kind of exhausting. We saw Chicago Lyric's production of Die Fledermaus, which a hilarious and impressive romp -- all singers concerned win major points for being willing to throw themselves all over the stage for a laugh. Also 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, which was extremely cute. (Mum, was it the lisping, multiple pigtailed, conscience-stricken, permanently worried speller you and Jem were thinking of as being like me when I was little?) I was also fed waffles by the lovely off_coloratura in her gorgeous sunny apartment, which was a beautiful way to spend a morning. Thank you again.
The actual concerts were really not much to talk about. Two casual school exchanges and two church services, a very light schedule. The church services were interesting by dint of being completely opposite experiences. The first one we sang in was a Catholic church, large and all white marble (the world's most enormous, luxurious converted bathroom, really) and fake offertory candles with electric lights programmed to flicker like real candles, and enormous ugly stainless carvings, and a sermon unsubtly portraying George Bush as a Christ figure, and weird, weird hymns with updated lyrics self-consciously emphasizing racial and intercultural tolerance... it was a creepy service. So much so that Corey was sad/angry and actually had tears in her eyes afterward, which is not something I've seen very often from her.
(ETA: There was about half an hour between our brief rehearsal period and the prelude, so to get away from the creepy fakeness I went for a quick walk in the lovely dusky cold. Went three blocks, stopped and bought a cup of coffee... and couldn't find my way back. Took me TWENTY MINUTES and ASKING FOR DIRECTIONS before I finally retraced my steps. Why on earth do you people ever let me off a leash? It's really very irresponsible of you, you know.)
The next morning we sang a service at the gorgeous church of the University of Chicago. Exactly the kind of church that makes me wish I had some kind of real religious belief -- huge, vaulted ceilings, full of gray stone and dark carved wood and interesting dim nooks and crannies, beautiful old stained glass, 3-second acoustic delay, ancient hymn books, and a thoughtful, passionate, well-worded sermon about the pursuit of the authentic self by a young female minister. Amazing contrast, really.
So yeah. I feel like there was something else very burningly important to me that I was going to record for posterity about tour, but I can't remember what it was now. Anyway, I spent most of my time with the same five people, whom I know and love even better now, so it was definitely time well spent.
This semester's going to be crazy. I'm auditing Japanese if it kills me, and taking German, Human Physiology (I suspect this will be my favorite class), Conducting, and Intro to 20th Century LGBTQ Literature (less excited about this one, since I really do think I'm mildly allergic to English classes, but the reading list's got some favorite names and titles, the class size is small, it fits in my schedule, I have to do something to fulfill my domestic diversity requirement, and I really ought to do something that will give me a toehold in formal gender studies stuff before I tackle an honors thesis with gender as a central facet of my topic... yeah). Plus choir, voice lessons, my junior recital with Daniel, the scene from Figaro on Nick's recital, plus one flamenco class per week, plus salsa club if I can fit it in. And I'm determined to spend more time with my senior friends who are graduating after this semester, since god knows when I'll see them again after that.
... Yay! Exhaustion! Stress! Unbelievable pressure! Intellectual and emotional growth! *pirouette*
The actual concerts were really not much to talk about. Two casual school exchanges and two church services, a very light schedule. The church services were interesting by dint of being completely opposite experiences. The first one we sang in was a Catholic church, large and all white marble (the world's most enormous, luxurious converted bathroom, really) and fake offertory candles with electric lights programmed to flicker like real candles, and enormous ugly stainless carvings, and a sermon unsubtly portraying George Bush as a Christ figure, and weird, weird hymns with updated lyrics self-consciously emphasizing racial and intercultural tolerance... it was a creepy service. So much so that Corey was sad/angry and actually had tears in her eyes afterward, which is not something I've seen very often from her.
(ETA: There was about half an hour between our brief rehearsal period and the prelude, so to get away from the creepy fakeness I went for a quick walk in the lovely dusky cold. Went three blocks, stopped and bought a cup of coffee... and couldn't find my way back. Took me TWENTY MINUTES and ASKING FOR DIRECTIONS before I finally retraced my steps. Why on earth do you people ever let me off a leash? It's really very irresponsible of you, you know.)
The next morning we sang a service at the gorgeous church of the University of Chicago. Exactly the kind of church that makes me wish I had some kind of real religious belief -- huge, vaulted ceilings, full of gray stone and dark carved wood and interesting dim nooks and crannies, beautiful old stained glass, 3-second acoustic delay, ancient hymn books, and a thoughtful, passionate, well-worded sermon about the pursuit of the authentic self by a young female minister. Amazing contrast, really.
So yeah. I feel like there was something else very burningly important to me that I was going to record for posterity about tour, but I can't remember what it was now. Anyway, I spent most of my time with the same five people, whom I know and love even better now, so it was definitely time well spent.
This semester's going to be crazy. I'm auditing Japanese if it kills me, and taking German, Human Physiology (I suspect this will be my favorite class), Conducting, and Intro to 20th Century LGBTQ Literature (less excited about this one, since I really do think I'm mildly allergic to English classes, but the reading list's got some favorite names and titles, the class size is small, it fits in my schedule, I have to do something to fulfill my domestic diversity requirement, and I really ought to do something that will give me a toehold in formal gender studies stuff before I tackle an honors thesis with gender as a central facet of my topic... yeah). Plus choir, voice lessons, my junior recital with Daniel, the scene from Figaro on Nick's recital, plus one flamenco class per week, plus salsa club if I can fit it in. And I'm determined to spend more time with my senior friends who are graduating after this semester, since god knows when I'll see them again after that.
... Yay! Exhaustion! Stress! Unbelievable pressure! Intellectual and emotional growth! *pirouette*