Today was our last actual day of the program. We had the morning to ourselves, and then class in the afternoon.
We sang a few songs together, for which I accompanied. Then we filmed ourselves singing one of the songs in the chapel, waiving the flag of Great Britain. This video will be used as a report of our study abroad program at the beginning of the semester for freshman orientation. Then we had a little rehearsal with Bob Chilcott, a former King's Singer. He worked with us on a piece that he wrote, The Real of Heart. It was cool to see how he would rehearse a choir, what his priorities were, and how he conducts. Then he talked to us about things he'd experienced in his life while growing up in the choral world of boy choirs. We got to ask him some questions. I took notes inside my copy of the sheet music that we sang.
Then, we all met together at the restaurant underneath St. John's Smith Square to enjoy one last meal all together. Honestly, the food wasn't that great... but it was paid for by the program, so it was free. AND, we got to all be together.
Then we went upstairs to enjoy a concert of Marian motets. The concert was put on by the Gabrieli Consort. The concert had a mix of old and new music, and even a world premiere! And it was a lovely end to a wonderful study abroad. You can find the program here.
After the concert, we all went home to pack. It was bittersweet. I was so ready to go home, but I had enjoyed my time in London so much. I'll admit, it was quite difficult for me to live for five weeks with a group of girls 10+ years younger than I am. But I enjoyed getting to know some of them a bit better, and look forward to continuing friendships with them in the coming semesters.
Thursday, June 8, 2017
Wednesday, June 7, 2017
London Post #35 - Wednesday, June 7th - Wicked, Walk, Shopping
Today was the last free day we had. So I decided to enjoy some more alone time.
I had a nice, lazy morning again. Then I took the tube to Leicester Square to buy another ticket to see Wicked. Again. I was able to get a ticket for £47 to see the matinee... on the fifth row, right in the center!!! But I had a little time before the show would start. So I decided to walk from their to the theatre. I got lost, so it took me almost an hour. Here are some pictures I took along my way:
I had a nice, lazy morning again. Then I took the tube to Leicester Square to buy another ticket to see Wicked. Again. I was able to get a ticket for £47 to see the matinee... on the fifth row, right in the center!!! But I had a little time before the show would start. So I decided to walk from their to the theatre. I got lost, so it took me almost an hour. Here are some pictures I took along my way:
By the time I got to the theatre, I was starving! But there wasn't time to find food. So... I ordered some snacks through the app that the theatre uses. I had some kettle corn, Cadbury chocolate, and a Sprite hand-delivered to my seat during intermission. It was awesome!!! I also decided to bite the bullet and spend the £8 for the program. It was so worth it!
Then I ventured out on my own again to do a little bit more last-minute shopping. I went to a little corner souvenir shop down the street from Primark. I found some great London t-shirts for my family. It started to rain, so I headed home. I enjoyed some dinner and began packing so I wouldn't have to get it all done the night before.
Today was a great day!
Tuesday, June 6, 2017
London Post #34 - Tuesday, June 6th - Class, Elixir of Love
This morning, we had class after not having class for several days!
We discussed everything from the Opera Choruses concert to the Duruflé and Fauré Requiems concert to our day at Windsor. We all had varying opinions on the performances, the choral sound, the orchestras, and the conductors.
We had a free afternoon, so I went to spend some time in the Victoria and Albert Museum. It's right around the corner from the Hyde Park Chapel, and Dr. Crane highly recommended it. So I decided to go! It was a little boring at first... nothing too interesting for me. Until I got lost and found a room with HUGE casts! Here are some photos from the museum:
After that, I wandered off by myself to find the Royal Opera House. I went to a little restaurant right on the corner. The food was not good... but it was nice to enjoy some alone time.
Then I waited outside in the wind and rain for Sister Hall to arrive with our tickets. We saw Donizetti's "L'elisir d'amore" or The Elixir of Love. It's one of THE most famous operas, and Darrell says it's a great first opera to see for people who aren't necessarily fans of the genre... because it's a comic opera. Well, he was right, it probably would have been the best opera for me to see for the first time. I enjoyed it for the most part, but I still don't really care for opera. The best part of the show was when the main character sang "Una furtiva lagrima," probably the most famous aria in all of opera. It's a beautiful piece, but to me, it doesn't seem to fit the comedy of the show. The performance of the man we heard sing it was INCREDIBLE!!! But again, it didn't make sense to me that that aria belong to such a silly storyline. Oh well...
We discussed everything from the Opera Choruses concert to the Duruflé and Fauré Requiems concert to our day at Windsor. We all had varying opinions on the performances, the choral sound, the orchestras, and the conductors.
We had a free afternoon, so I went to spend some time in the Victoria and Albert Museum. It's right around the corner from the Hyde Park Chapel, and Dr. Crane highly recommended it. So I decided to go! It was a little boring at first... nothing too interesting for me. Until I got lost and found a room with HUGE casts! Here are some photos from the museum:
After that, I wandered off by myself to find the Royal Opera House. I went to a little restaurant right on the corner. The food was not good... but it was nice to enjoy some alone time.
Then I waited outside in the wind and rain for Sister Hall to arrive with our tickets. We saw Donizetti's "L'elisir d'amore" or The Elixir of Love. It's one of THE most famous operas, and Darrell says it's a great first opera to see for people who aren't necessarily fans of the genre... because it's a comic opera. Well, he was right, it probably would have been the best opera for me to see for the first time. I enjoyed it for the most part, but I still don't really care for opera. The best part of the show was when the main character sang "Una furtiva lagrima," probably the most famous aria in all of opera. It's a beautiful piece, but to me, it doesn't seem to fit the comedy of the show. The performance of the man we heard sing it was INCREDIBLE!!! But again, it didn't make sense to me that that aria belong to such a silly storyline. Oh well...
Monday, June 5, 2017
London Post #33 - Monday, June 5th - Windsor
Today was a blast!!!
We all hopped on the train to a specific station where we caught another train to another station that took us to the city of Windsor. We had tickets to visit Windsor Castle, the Queen's favorite!
We were all given an audio guide so we could walk the tour at our own pace. It's always cool to see places like these, but I wish we could see all the rooms that they block off. I would LOVE to see the master bedroom and bathroom! Wouldn't that be fantastic?!?!
It was a beautiful day, and the castle grounds were so gorgeous! Here are some pictures I took of the day:
After wandering around the castle and the castle grounds, Luke, Liza, and I went to a Thai food buffet for lunch. Then we got ice cream at a nearby shop. After that, we all took a private tour of St. George's Chapel. It was super cool, but sadly, we weren't allowed to take any pictures. You can see a few photos from their website by clicking here.
We were invited to sit in on the rehearsal of the boy's choir for that night's evensong service. It was so cool to watch James Vivian work with the young boys. We even got to see some other familiar faces. There were a handful of men in the choir who also sing with Tenebrae and The Tallis Scholars. We then participated in the evensong service which was lovely.
After that, we were on our own. Most of us went home right away. Then Luke, Tyrell, Liza, and I went to Byron's for dinner. They had great burgers, fries, and shakes!
We all hopped on the train to a specific station where we caught another train to another station that took us to the city of Windsor. We had tickets to visit Windsor Castle, the Queen's favorite!
We were all given an audio guide so we could walk the tour at our own pace. It's always cool to see places like these, but I wish we could see all the rooms that they block off. I would LOVE to see the master bedroom and bathroom! Wouldn't that be fantastic?!?!
It was a beautiful day, and the castle grounds were so gorgeous! Here are some pictures I took of the day:
This is where the men who sing in the choir live.
After wandering around the castle and the castle grounds, Luke, Liza, and I went to a Thai food buffet for lunch. Then we got ice cream at a nearby shop. After that, we all took a private tour of St. George's Chapel. It was super cool, but sadly, we weren't allowed to take any pictures. You can see a few photos from their website by clicking here.
We were invited to sit in on the rehearsal of the boy's choir for that night's evensong service. It was so cool to watch James Vivian work with the young boys. We even got to see some other familiar faces. There were a handful of men in the choir who also sing with Tenebrae and The Tallis Scholars. We then participated in the evensong service which was lovely.
After that, we were on our own. Most of us went home right away. Then Luke, Tyrell, Liza, and I went to Byron's for dinner. They had great burgers, fries, and shakes!
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