The Billerbeck Dom
Restoration that was taking place
Side chapel
I am lucky enough to be staying with the conductor for this leg of the tour, which means that I got a little extra time to work with him on tempi... plus he didn't feel the need to show me around because he knew that basically all I wanted to do was rest. It was the perfect last house! He met his wife while visiting France and because he only spoke German and she only spoke French they had to talk to each other in English! At home, though, she speaks French to her daughter and he speaks German, so needless to say there were many many conversations I didn't understand.
With Ann and Pouline!
Maestro Ludwig before the performance
And for one final random picture... they had this game at there house in German! (of course, what other language would it be in?) If you read my previous post then you know I LOVE anything to do with this game!
THE BUTLER DID IT!!! BTW, who the blank is Fraulein Gloria? And don't even get me started on Oberst von Gatow... I'm pretty sure that's not even a real German name.
The Elijah performance went very well and we even had a thunderstorm during part of it which was wholly appropriate. DIRECTLY after the performance we had to load up the bus and take a nine hour drive from Billerbeck to Paris.
Oooooweeeeoooohhhaaaahhh... creepy night time bus ride
Our bus for the last 3 1/2 weeks. I would have gotten a picture with the driver, Peter, but quite frankly he was super grumblies and not exactly the most agreeable of people!
Then we continued the whole process by getting seventy plus high schoolers through Charles de Gaulle airport, which I'm sure you can imagine was a fun time for all involved. Luckily, though, I had spoken with my friend Steven (he was one of my closest friends at my undergraduate, Baylor University, in Texas) and oddly enough had been in Germany visiting family and was flying out of Air France at the same time as us but only to Houston instead of Chicago. Even though we only got to see each other for five hot seconds it was enough to get me through the morning!
I MISS YOU!
Everything involving the check in, flight, and process of going through customs went very smoothly and the parents were at the airport to happily collect their progeny. I can't tell you the joy I myself had in seeing their heads get smaller and smaller as they were swifted away!!! (Yes, five weeks with high schoolers has soured me a bit!)
As I mentioned earlier, we will have the chance to perform Elijah one more time... at Hill Auditorium in Ann Arbor, MI on July 27th at 7:30pm. If you are in the area, PLEASE come! It is truly a wonderful piece of music and I am very proud of the work that I and the choir and orchestra have put into it. If you aren't able to make it to Michigan, don't fear: the Blue Lake radio station, which is the NPR channel for that part of the state, will be broadcasting it and also live-streaming it on the internet. I will have more details to follow once I get them.
Though I am not exactly sure what time zone, or state (mental or physical) or day it is, I am very happy to be back in the states. I had an ab.so.lutely amazing tour and the good times certainly helped me get through the stressful ones. I made so many fantastic friends, got to sing something that I have dreamed of doing for the last eight years and I hope you enjoyed the photos and stories in the process!!
:) i'm going to miss you joseph! remember back in may when i first met you? we talked about everything from puma shoes to University of Michigan Arts Department (all on the way to lunch from Miller) I'm going to miss these days and i can't wait to see what amazing things you'll be doing next! i know i've said it like pretty much a million time by now, but i absolutely love your BLOG!! see you sometime:)
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