New Apartment

August 14, 2008 – 01:06 Local Time

Hey all! I know everyone has been anxious to hear all about the moving experience. However, I'm dog-tired, so I'm just going to show you something like 19 pictures and call it a night, haha! Two of the rooms aren't quite ready yet, so consider it a work in progress. Thanks for being interested! ~AJR

SGEC Trip Remaining Days

August 07, 2008 – 11:57 Local Time

Well, we’re back – the trip is over, most of us have probably caught-up on rest, and we’re getting back to the routine of life. It’s somewhat sad, as we will all miss those days spent gallivanting about England together. However, I think most of us are relieved to be back in our own beds (and in consistent air conditioning!). Instead of giving a detailed account of the final five days of the trip (I don’t think anyone wants to read all of that in one sitting), I’m going to briefly talk through what we did and then just show you a lot of pictures, haha.



Stonehenge was an interesting (read: mildly disappointing) experience. While the area and such were beautiful, I was surprised by several different aspects. First, the monument itself was rather shorter than I thought it was. Somehow, I was expecting huge monoliths towering over the plain. In actuality, the stones are only about 10-12 feet high, a fact which left me in a less-than-awed state. Also, visitors aren’t allowed to walk amidst the stones themselves – they are forced to walk around the circle, and at quite a distance to boot. Finally, the overt commercialism took away most of the mysticism surrounding the place. I was expecting a quasi-eerie, mysterious location, and what we got was a huge souvenir shop, ice cream vendors, and massive crowds of tourists from around the globe. Oh well, that’s what you get when you visit a world-famous calendar made of giants rocks, right?





Salisbury Cathedral was beautiful! I found myself wishing we could sing in that fantastic space! One thing of particularly nerdy interest was the knowledge of the column material. At first glance, it appears to be marble. However, (per our fantastic guide) they are actually built from limestone which contains trillions of calcified snails, all of which glisten like natural marble. Fascinating! I wish we had had time to climb the tower (highest in England), but we were on somewhat of a tight schedule to return in time for Evensong that night. Trisha and I were ready for the hike, but alas, it wasn’t possible.







The next day (Friday) was our trip to Portsmouth. At first I wasn’t sure I would enjoy it – ships have never been my thing. However, we had a really great time! We first took a river cruise through the shipyard. Then it was on to the huge mall next to the Spinnaker (the incredible viewing tower on the coast). While there, we had lunch and did some shopping – I found nice blazers on sale for £7 each! (Altogether, I purchased $600 worth of blazers for somewhere around $42! WOW!) After lunch, we visited the HMS Victory, the HMS Warrior, and the Mary Rose (Henry VIII’s ship that sunk in 1545). It became a bit much to see that many ships, but they were all very interesting. Just as we were leaving, there was an interesting celebrity sighting – Timothy Spall (Peter Pettigrew from Harry Potter, the Beadle from Sweeney Todd). It wasn’t Tom Cruise, but it was still fun, haha.









Saturday was essentially a free day up until Evensong that night. Some of us went shopping, some went on a day trip out to the Jane Austen home, and some people caught-up on sleep. I spent my time split between the first and last options. Having finished my book the night before, I found a new one and then wandered around the city for a while, exploring some nooks and crannies. I had been growing anxious from being around people so consistently for so long, so it was nice to be able to breathe some for a few hours.



Sunday was a hectic, and yet rewarding, day. We had three church services, and very little free time in-between. First came Matins, then Eucharist, then a brief lunch, then back to Evensong (our last). The first two services were chaotic and confusing, as we had no idea how the order of service worked in this church. We made it though! That Evensong was a truly special event. Not only was it our last performance in England, it was Murray’s final service as our conductor. A bittersweet event, we sang better that night than at any other time during the trip. Afterward, we had a wonderful farewell dinner at the Mercure Wessex Hotel. There were a good number of speeches and presentations, but mostly it was just wonderful fellowship with our beloved fellow choir members and supporters.





The trip home started early the next morning (Monday) with a somewhat long bus ride to Heathrow. Once there, we passed easily through security and killed several hours wandering around the terminal. Finally, we boarded the plane and took the very long flight back across the Atlantic. My time was shared between napping, eating, and wonderful conversation with Deb Torgerson. We had a short time in Atlanta, and then we re-boarded and made our way back to Nashville.



What a wonderful trip and a blessed time of fellowship and music! Thanks for being patient in waiting for this final segment! And thanks for reading, in general! ~AJR

Service: Interrupted

July 30, 2008 - 9:58 Local Time

So, here's the problem - internet in England is difficult. We are now in Winchester, staying in the dorms of Winchester College. However, I believe the internet there to be turned off for the summer. I'm going to try to work on that tomorrow, but tonight it is too late to do so. I'm hoping that I won't be without (essentially) for the remainder or the time here. Currently, I'm in McDonalds racing against a "free trial" clock, haha.



Quick run-down of the last two days, sans pictures. We left York rather early for Oxford, where we checked-in to the hotel, and then spent the evening at Oxford University. The evening ended with the Office of Compline at New College (Murray's alma mater) - a TRULY beautiful experience. *For those who care, the New College cloisters was the sight of several Harry Potter movie scenes*











This morning we travelled to Winchester and checked-in to the dorms there. We had a large part of the day to ourselves, but sang Evensong at Winchester Cathedral this evening. For my taste, this is the most fun place to sing throughout the whole trip. We will be here for the duration of the trip, so it's really great to be able to experience this space to such a lengthy extent.



The next few days (in case I can't post) will be taken up with a trip to Salisbury and Stonehenge, a trip to Portsmouth, a rather free Saturday and the a VERY busy (three services) Sunday before flying back Monday morning.

I hope I can post more often, but I can't make any promises at this point. I hope this post isn't too incoherant - the music in here is really loud and distracting, haha. Thanks to all for reading, and I will post as soon as possible! ~AJR

SGEC Trip Days 5 & 6

July 28, 2008 – 10:27 Local Time

When one thinks of an English parish church, I think the stereotype is that the clergy and parishioners are typically cool and aloof. However, the parish of Selby Abbey was quite to the contrary of all that. They were the warmest and most inviting group of folks we could have had the opportunity to meet. We arrived there early to warm-up in their choir stalls, and the organist and his wife ushered us through the entire process and helped us in every way possible. We then sang the service (which is far more complicated than an Episcopal service in the US), and they shepherded us along when we were close to stumbling. Afterward, there was a reception for a couple celebrating their golden anniversary and we were all invited to take part in their jollity. All-in-all, this experience has thus far been our warmest time spent in a service while here. (Yes, that is the Vicar down there with a glass of wine, haha!)







We then travelled to Harrogate to acquire the Youth singers, as they had sung their own service in a parish church there. Next, it was on to Bolton Abbey in Devonshire and the ruins there. Honestly, the beauty of this place is breathtaking! It is a former priory which was left essentially in ruins after the Reformation and has been left as such to the present day. After a casual lunch, we sang a very informal concert there (at which Murray’s mother was in attendance!) and took a photo. As with York Minster, I feel that it is best to allow the pictures to speak for themselves.











Following our return to York, Stephanie, Rachel, Megan, Trevor and I went out to dinner at a small restaurant/pub. Sitting there, a few (not all) of us became rather friendly with some proofed-out grape extract (haha), and considering that it was only £7 per bottle, we had much more than we had intended. It turned out to be a rather long night (and not in a good way), but I think we’ve all recovered nicely.







The morning and early afternoon were ours to do with what we pleased, so (considering the night before) I slept until 10:30. After a shower and a quick text message to Trevor, we met up and went to H&M. In case you aren’t familiar with this store, it is a trendy clothing store for 20-somethings which has great prices! While in Germany, I bought quite a bit there, but here I kept it to a bare minimum. Afterward, we found a delicious Mediterranean restaurant with a lunch special and proceeded to replenish some much-needed nutrients. Notice anything odd about the last choice for pizza (see below)? We spent the rest of our free time walking around this magnificent town, browsing in some of the shops and taking a few pictures. Eventually, it was time to return to the hotel, freshen up, grab our robes and music, and walk over to York Minster for a 3:30pm rehearsal.







The joys of singing Evensong in a place like York Minster are hard to put in to words. It’s not a place where the building does all the work for you, by any stretch (as was Selby Abbey). Rather, you have to make a conscious effort to fill-out the choral sound, not to mention the HUGE space, haha. Quite to Gerry Senechal’s satisfaction, we sang Edward Bairstow’s Lord, thou hast been a refuge in the space for which Bairstow wrote it. (He is at the top of Gerry’s favorite composer list.) We also sang the Magnificat & Nunc dimittis of T. Tertius Noble, which is of a particularly special significance to me – it was the first “Mag and Nunc” that I ever sang, and it was at St. George’s where I had this experience. Considering the power behind the piece, it becomes difficult at times to maintain my composure.







After the service, Richard Shepherd (the cantor), Gerry, the Somervilles and I went to Dr. Shepherd’s house for a couple of glasses of wine. I wasn’t thrilled about wine after last night, but I didn’t want to be rude, haha. We all sat there in his drawing room and discussed everything from making a career as a countertenor to the new Batman movie to the pitfalls of flying through Dulles airport. It was quite an entertaining experience, especially when Dr. Shepherd repeatedly tried to convince Gerry that Bairstow did actually have shortcomings, and that other, greater composers have lived, haha. At around 7:45, Dr. Shepherd needed to meet someone for an engagement, so the Somervilles and I (Gerry had already had to leave) went to a fantastic Italian restaurant for dinner. It was a delicious meal with great company and splendid conversation. I’ve been truly lucky to know and work with them, and I’ll miss them, and the St. George’s choir on the whole, an immeasurable amount once I move to Indiana.







Well, I’ve definitely written enough for tonight. I still need to pack, and have to be on a bus at 8am rolling toward Oxford and a compline service at New College tomorrow evening. As always, I’m not sure what my internet situation will be from day-to-day, so I’ll post as soon as I can! ~AJR