Today was May Day and in Oxford there is an early morning tradition where a the choir at Magdalene college goes up into the tower and sings, welcoming the summer. Randall (Randy) Chris and I were the only brave souls to wake up at 5:30am and make our way to the tower. It was quite an experience and I won't go into too much detail. I will post a few photos at a later time. But there was a LARGE crowd and we couldn't even get close to the tower. But we heard the choir and experienced the excitment of the morning. It was fun, although I was exhausted by the end of the day...it was a long day.
We traveled to Stratford-upon-avon, the birthplace of Shakespear and explored the town for a couple of hours. Some students saw Shakepspear's grave, others went shopping. I found and bought a fantastic black suit jacket at a charity shop (Chris has taught me how to shop at Charity shops in the UK and I am hooked!). It was a wonderful morning.
We had a concert in the evening in Huthwaite at All Saints Church. They have an incredible church hall/community centre. Their website is very good - http://www.allsaintshuthwaite.co.uk/
This was the first time that a Providence choir had ever been here, and we all had a wonderful time. I hope to post some comments from the students and well as pictures soon!
I think I will stop at the moment. It is late, and we have a full day of sightseeing tomorrow...maybe st. Andrew's golf course...for those Golf fans! The last few days have been busy WITH LOTS of driving. It has been hard to find time for the blog! We are currently in Tayport, Scotland and will be here for two nights...so I should have time to catch up!
I will catch up more later and add pictures!
Sunday, May 3, 2009
April 30th - Tour Day 9 - Oxford
I have not had a chance to update in a few days, and so I'm going to catch-up quickly now and then add pictures and student comments later...
We were up quite early today (and we were staying in a hostel in Exeter). Many of us had COLD showers, the hostel was full. After a wonderful breakfast (Hot or Cold depending on choice), we hopped on the bus for Oxford.
We arrived in Oxford at around noon. We explored Oxford for most of the afternoon and evening. Some people took in a Sung Eucharist at 6pm at Christ Church Cathedral. The boys choir sang a Poulenc Mass, and this was recieved by mixed reviews from those in attendance. To contemporary for some and amazing for others!
Many people visited the "Eagle and Child" where C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien met with others on a regular basis. It was another fantastic day!
We were up quite early today (and we were staying in a hostel in Exeter). Many of us had COLD showers, the hostel was full. After a wonderful breakfast (Hot or Cold depending on choice), we hopped on the bus for Oxford.
We arrived in Oxford at around noon. We explored Oxford for most of the afternoon and evening. Some people took in a Sung Eucharist at 6pm at Christ Church Cathedral. The boys choir sang a Poulenc Mass, and this was recieved by mixed reviews from those in attendance. To contemporary for some and amazing for others!
Many people visited the "Eagle and Child" where C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien met with others on a regular basis. It was another fantastic day!
Thursday, April 30, 2009
April 29th - Tour Day 8 - Exeter
Today was our last Day in Exeter. And it was the day Jocelyne left, many of us were not able to say goodbye (she left in the morning). So Jocelyne if you are reading this - Goodbye, we all miss you!
This is Jocelyne on the evening before she left on her way down from the church tower:
We had one performance today at a local school - St. Luke's in Exeter. Here is a picture of the choir
practicing for the performance:
We had some time in the afternoon and so we went to a beach at Budleigh, Salterton.
On the Beach at Budleigh, Salterton:
Brenda (and Karen) were laughing so hard at this moment that Brenda almost didn't catch this on Camera!
Some singers enjoying the beach walk!
This is Jocelyne on the evening before she left on her way down from the church tower:
We had one performance today at a local school - St. Luke's in Exeter. Here is a picture of the choir
practicing for the performance:
We had some time in the afternoon and so we went to a beach at Budleigh, Salterton.
On the Beach at Budleigh, Salterton:
Brenda (and Karen) were laughing so hard at this moment that Brenda almost didn't catch this on Camera!
Some singers enjoying the beach walk!
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
April 28th, 2009 – Tour Day 7 - Exeter
Today we doubled the number of performances we’ve done. We did an afternoon recital at Exeter Cathedral – this was fantastic!
Performance in Exeter Cathedral:
Practicing at Broadclyst Church:
Then in the evening we did a concert at Broadclyst Church. A highlight for some of the choir was walking up the spiral stairs at the church and seeing the stunning view from the top of the tower.
Performance in Exeter Cathedral:
Practicing at Broadclyst Church:
Then in the evening we did a concert at Broadclyst Church. A highlight for some of the choir was walking up the spiral stairs at the church and seeing the stunning view from the top of the tower.
April 27th, 2009 – Tour Day 6 – Exeter
It was raining this morning when we woke up. For the most part, the weather has been beautiful – sunny with blue skies! So I guess we were due for a rainy day. We visited two places today; Buckfast Abbey and a little town called Widicombe on the moors. (See photos below)
The Chambers Singers were given permission to sing in the Abbey and this was a very memorable experience.
From Stephanie Jean-Paul:
My favourite part of the trip so far has been meeting the locals. We’ve been making great friends along the way, and having interesting conversations. A few girls and I on tour had our first official tea party in a real manor!!
Some of the students (and Brenda), were housed at a Christian retreat centre in Torquay. It was luxurious and they even had a swimming pool! Here are a few pictures from it:
Widicombe on the Moor:
Buckfast Abbey:
Henry and Jocelyne in the Gardens at Buckfast Abbey:
The Chambers Singers were given permission to sing in the Abbey and this was a very memorable experience.
From Stephanie Jean-Paul:
My favourite part of the trip so far has been meeting the locals. We’ve been making great friends along the way, and having interesting conversations. A few girls and I on tour had our first official tea party in a real manor!!
Some of the students (and Brenda), were housed at a Christian retreat centre in Torquay. It was luxurious and they even had a swimming pool! Here are a few pictures from it:
Widicombe on the Moor:
Buckfast Abbey:
Henry and Jocelyne in the Gardens at Buckfast Abbey:
April 26, 2009 Tour Day 5 – Torquay.
After a quick breakfast at the Youth Hostel, we went to the sung Eucharist at Salisbury Cathedral. For me, as an Anglican, it was heavenly. The choir sang beautifully and each part of the liturgy was perfectly done.
After the service a few of us had “Cream Tea,” where we had tea and scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam. This was great, and as a tea drinker, I really enjoy the tea here in England!
At 12:30 we met at the bus and enjoyed a lunch organized by Chris Banman with many students and staff helping (See picture). And when all was cleaned-up we headed to Torquay for another concert. It was a longish drive and we only arrived at St. Matthias Church at 4:00. After a short rehearsal, and supper provided by the church, we performed our second concert of the tour.
From Ja’red K Miller:
Cream Tea and Scones with strawberry Jam…YUMMY!
Ja'red having cream tea:
Feeding 40 people on a budget can be difficult. Chris Banman has this figured out:
Practicing at St. Matthias Church - Torquay:
After the service a few of us had “Cream Tea,” where we had tea and scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam. This was great, and as a tea drinker, I really enjoy the tea here in England!
At 12:30 we met at the bus and enjoyed a lunch organized by Chris Banman with many students and staff helping (See picture). And when all was cleaned-up we headed to Torquay for another concert. It was a longish drive and we only arrived at St. Matthias Church at 4:00. After a short rehearsal, and supper provided by the church, we performed our second concert of the tour.
From Ja’red K Miller:
Cream Tea and Scones with strawberry Jam…YUMMY!
Ja'red having cream tea:
Feeding 40 people on a budget can be difficult. Chris Banman has this figured out:
Practicing at St. Matthias Church - Torquay:
Monday, April 27, 2009
April 25, 2009 Tour Day 4 – Salisbury
Today was a travel day with some sightseeing. We arrived in Salisbury and then spent some time at the Salisbury Market and Cathedral. It was wonderful. Brenda and I spent at least an hour in the Cathedral where we were both mesmorized by the new baptismal font. It was huge and a baptism could be a full immersion! The font was dedicated in 2008, and yet it fit into the cathedral nicey and the way the water sat in the font reflected the roof, windows and the light. Both Brenda and I took many pictures of this font. (See below).
We also discovered a “Choirsters bumping stone” where each boy chorister gets his head bumped when he is accepted into the choir (the girls have a Bible bumped on the their head)! We found this to be quite an interesting tradition and wondered if we should start a similar tradition at Providence!
After a few hours in Salisbury we met back at the bus and made our way to Stonehenge. We spent an hour looking at the rocks from many different angles and learning the ancient history of this spot.
We stayed at a Youth Hostel this night and Dr. Schellenberg, with some home made us a wonderful spaghetti supper. It was yummy!
From Stephanie Andrews:
We found that in Canada things aren’t as well preserved as here in England. We were walking around the Salisbury Cathedral and we found a tombstone, the name of the person was unknown but the date was 1107-1129. It made me feel small in the huge expanse of history that we have. Thinking about how small we are in history made me think about how small we are to God, which made me feel both insignificant and significant at the same time.
A picture from the Youth Hostel:
We also discovered a “Choirsters bumping stone” where each boy chorister gets his head bumped when he is accepted into the choir (the girls have a Bible bumped on the their head)! We found this to be quite an interesting tradition and wondered if we should start a similar tradition at Providence!
After a few hours in Salisbury we met back at the bus and made our way to Stonehenge. We spent an hour looking at the rocks from many different angles and learning the ancient history of this spot.
We stayed at a Youth Hostel this night and Dr. Schellenberg, with some home made us a wonderful spaghetti supper. It was yummy!
From Stephanie Andrews:
We found that in Canada things aren’t as well preserved as here in England. We were walking around the Salisbury Cathedral and we found a tombstone, the name of the person was unknown but the date was 1107-1129. It made me feel small in the huge expanse of history that we have. Thinking about how small we are in history made me think about how small we are to God, which made me feel both insignificant and significant at the same time.
A picture from the Youth Hostel:
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