I meant to say, that on our recent tour we were announced thus:
"and now here they are to sing Rossolini's Barbershop of the Seville..."
I won't say where it happened...
Friday, 30 November 2012
EPAM London concert
The EPAM 'Music is Everywhere' Christmas party...
Wonderful evening at St Mary-at-the-Wall in the City - lovely church... a friend who was there tells me it looks in fine nick because it had a fire in the 1980s and so the decor is all rather new (and of course beautiful!)
Lovely to finally watch the super Voces8 live, as they joined the EPAM stable this year; and also the splendid Fugata Quintet who did some excellent Piazzola.
Two school choirs were also on show, and were excellent; one the choir from Beaumont School, St Albans who sang together the lovely Second Eve by Ola Gjeilo (published by Edition Peters):- also their six-part male voice group who beautifully sang a wonderful song from Adele. The second choir were from St Edmund's, Canterbury who sang Shenandoah. Both groups had worked with Voces8 in workshops.
All the choral forces joined together to sing John Cage's Four² - a great experience!
Looking forward on Saturday to a sold out gig at a room in the Royal Albert Hall - wanted to, but just could not leave the words "a room in" from that last sentence!
Wonderful evening at St Mary-at-the-Wall in the City - lovely church... a friend who was there tells me it looks in fine nick because it had a fire in the 1980s and so the decor is all rather new (and of course beautiful!)
Lovely to finally watch the super Voces8 live, as they joined the EPAM stable this year; and also the splendid Fugata Quintet who did some excellent Piazzola.
Two school choirs were also on show, and were excellent; one the choir from Beaumont School, St Albans who sang together the lovely Second Eve by Ola Gjeilo (published by Edition Peters):- also their six-part male voice group who beautifully sang a wonderful song from Adele. The second choir were from St Edmund's, Canterbury who sang Shenandoah. Both groups had worked with Voces8 in workshops.
All the choral forces joined together to sing John Cage's Four² - a great experience!
Looking forward on Saturday to a sold out gig at a room in the Royal Albert Hall - wanted to, but just could not leave the words "a room in" from that last sentence!
Wednesday, 28 November 2012
Fowey, Cornwall
Amazing, but quite crazily in Cantabile - The London Quartet's 30th anniversary year, we perform our first ever public concert in Cornwall.
Hoorah!
The newly-tried Winter section of the Fowey du Maurier Festival was where we were - for the unitiated, that is pronounced 'Foy' - and it was splendid. We gave our 'Funny Side of the Street' gig in Fowey church... and it was a Jowey (geddit?)
In fact the audience joined in with the Oweys in Lambeth Walk wonderfully (that's enough fowey jokes, Ed.)
If only it had not taken nine and a half hours to get here... I suppose we should be glad we got here at all.
Hoping that the journey home is more helpful, as we have the London EPAM Xmas party to go to.... 7.30pm at St. Mary-at-Hill Church, along with Voces8 and The Fugata Quintet... can't wait...
Hoorah!
The newly-tried Winter section of the Fowey du Maurier Festival was where we were - for the unitiated, that is pronounced 'Foy' - and it was splendid. We gave our 'Funny Side of the Street' gig in Fowey church... and it was a Jowey (geddit?)
In fact the audience joined in with the Oweys in Lambeth Walk wonderfully (that's enough fowey jokes, Ed.)
If only it had not taken nine and a half hours to get here... I suppose we should be glad we got here at all.
Hoping that the journey home is more helpful, as we have the London EPAM Xmas party to go to.... 7.30pm at St. Mary-at-Hill Church, along with Voces8 and The Fugata Quintet... can't wait...
Monday, 19 November 2012
Ely, MN
So that's it.... the last of our US tour, and farewell to Chris O'Gorman... and thanks.
He has been excellent; lovely to have him on board for these last few weeks... We are all grateful (and Steve, I suspect, especially...)
Our mid-west experience came to an end in Ely (Just down the road from Babbitt & Embarrass (really!))...
...a lovely town, with yet another excellent theatre with wonderful staff (well, Peter worked damn hard, anyhow!) ...
Plane home tomorrow after lunch; just got to get the tuxedos back to Walmart... (this line went very well throughout the tour!)
...a few days off before a rare appearance in Cornwall at the Fowey du Maurier Festival - wonderful...
He has been excellent; lovely to have him on board for these last few weeks... We are all grateful (and Steve, I suspect, especially...)
Our mid-west experience came to an end in Ely (Just down the road from Babbitt & Embarrass (really!))...
...a lovely town, with yet another excellent theatre with wonderful staff (well, Peter worked damn hard, anyhow!) ...
Plane home tomorrow after lunch; just got to get the tuxedos back to Walmart... (this line went very well throughout the tour!)
...a few days off before a rare appearance in Cornwall at the Fowey du Maurier Festival - wonderful...
Saturday, 17 November 2012
Wahpeton, ND
What, no EP?
Town Heap ?
When at op.?
(that's enough anags. ed.)
Just across the border from Breckenridge, MN we find Wahpeton, ND; and anagram-fanatics paradise...
Another lovely community, and excellent technical team at the theatre; no surprises that all has gone wonderfully...
We have left On the paw & are now many miles away in Ely, MN...
On the way here we found a splendid café in Park Rapids... Bella Caffe... excellent oasis of culture.
Now for that steak...
Town Heap ?
When at op.?
(that's enough anags. ed.)
Just across the border from Breckenridge, MN we find Wahpeton, ND; and anagram-fanatics paradise...
Another lovely community, and excellent technical team at the theatre; no surprises that all has gone wonderfully...
We have left On the paw & are now many miles away in Ely, MN...
On the way here we found a splendid café in Park Rapids... Bella Caffe... excellent oasis of culture.
Now for that steak...
Friday, 16 November 2012
triumphant return to... New Ulm, MN
Just 18 years later, we were back at New Ulm, MN (Old Ulm being the German birthplace of Albert Einstein)...
Last time there was a quite significant German-speaking population - they seem to have 'moved on', but there is a lot of Germanic stuff about the place... especially architecturally; here's the Hermann Monument... (it was indeed a sunny, if cold, day today...)
This would not be out of place in any German town or city! Wagner would have loved it...
Lovely audience and theatre...
We had school kids doing all the technical stuff tonight, and they were as good as any theatre people we have met on our travels this tour - excellent.
In the afternoon, our espresso luck ran out, as the wifi/espresso place closed the minute we walked into it at 3pm! Luckily a bookshop stepped into the breach, at least on the espresso front.
Through the magic of download, we listened to I'm Sorry, I Haven't a Clue in the car on the way to our next hotel (a hotel we stayed in right at the beginning of this US sojourn in the middle of October)...
In our near-the-end is our beginning to miscoin a phrase...
Last time there was a quite significant German-speaking population - they seem to have 'moved on', but there is a lot of Germanic stuff about the place... especially architecturally; here's the Hermann Monument... (it was indeed a sunny, if cold, day today...)
This would not be out of place in any German town or city! Wagner would have loved it...
Lovely audience and theatre...
We had school kids doing all the technical stuff tonight, and they were as good as any theatre people we have met on our travels this tour - excellent.
In the afternoon, our espresso luck ran out, as the wifi/espresso place closed the minute we walked into it at 3pm! Luckily a bookshop stepped into the breach, at least on the espresso front.
Through the magic of download, we listened to I'm Sorry, I Haven't a Clue in the car on the way to our next hotel (a hotel we stayed in right at the beginning of this US sojourn in the middle of October)...
In our near-the-end is our beginning to miscoin a phrase...
Thursday, 15 November 2012
Fond du Lac, WI
Fond du Lac was a glory...nice old town, Eleanor Roosevelt, JFK, Gene Autry and other famous types had all stayed previously in our hotel... this place used to be a hotbed of illegal drinking during the Prohibition era... lots of underground tunnels where it was all hidden...
Then we had that excellent North American delight of Premium Outlet shopping... hoping we can get our cases home (well, Mike & I need to be careful; Chris & Richard were more steady!)
A bar by the hotel provided a fine range of not-only-pale-rubbish-US-lager which was nice...
Also, good to see my old music teacher David de Warrenne on Sarah Beany's house-selling show on More4 (from November 13th...)
Then we had that excellent North American delight of Premium Outlet shopping... hoping we can get our cases home (well, Mike & I need to be careful; Chris & Richard were more steady!)
A bar by the hotel provided a fine range of not-only-pale-rubbish-US-lager which was nice...
Also, good to see my old music teacher David de Warrenne on Sarah Beany's house-selling show on More4 (from November 13th...)
Tuesday, 13 November 2012
Easy Cheese
Now surely it is clear that we have no need for any fake cheese - we are brimming over with the stuff!
Despite being offered this in Worthington, MN (where we were looked after royally), we had a splendid evening... having had an excellent afternoon sampling the delights of Ben Lees Coffeebar. It was very, very cold here...tho' the audience were equivalently warm...
Many miles later, we are here in (much more sunny) Fond du Lac, WI...
(See previous blog for much more edifying picture of Steve & Martene's new life...)
Many miles later, we are here in (much more sunny) Fond du Lac, WI...
(See previous blog for much more edifying picture of Steve & Martene's new life...)
Chloé est arrivée
For those yet to find out, Steve & Martene are the proud creators of Chloé, who arrived very recently... busy bees as we are, we have yet to meet her, but we have seen photos...
Quite gorgeous, of course...
Welcome to the world, Chloé !
Quite gorgeous, of course...
Welcome to the world, Chloé !
Saturday, 10 November 2012
Wunsiedel, DE
Another excellent a cappella nacht from Magenta and Peter Martin Jacob, along with Six Pack & The House Jacks.
Splendid to see our old friends Six Pack from Germany, and to meet The House Jacks from the USA for the first time... including that a cappella powerhouse, Deke Sharon.
As ever, a brilliant mix of acts, such contrasts... Six Pack, very funny... Merlin Monroe especially! The House Jacks all power and beatbox action (tho' with a glowing and sweet rendition of Summertime too)... they were the first beatbox vocal group... and they are very fine at it...
Wonderful moment in the bar afterwards, when Peter, being his smooth delightful self, decided to grace the Hungarian waitress with some Hungarian... the quite difficult word 'egeszegere' meaning... cheers... we all dutifully intoned this to her, and she was flattered and a little flustered by it... so much so that she dropped a tray with glasses on it on the way back to the bar... Peter was a little embarrassed, but we all knew his intentions were good... and she continued to serve us!
Back to the US tomorrow.. what fun!
Splendid to see our old friends Six Pack from Germany, and to meet The House Jacks from the USA for the first time... including that a cappella powerhouse, Deke Sharon.
As ever, a brilliant mix of acts, such contrasts... Six Pack, very funny... Merlin Monroe especially! The House Jacks all power and beatbox action (tho' with a glowing and sweet rendition of Summertime too)... they were the first beatbox vocal group... and they are very fine at it...
Wonderful moment in the bar afterwards, when Peter, being his smooth delightful self, decided to grace the Hungarian waitress with some Hungarian... the quite difficult word 'egeszegere' meaning... cheers... we all dutifully intoned this to her, and she was flattered and a little flustered by it... so much so that she dropped a tray with glasses on it on the way back to the bar... Peter was a little embarrassed, but we all knew his intentions were good... and she continued to serve us!
Back to the US tomorrow.. what fun!
Thursday, 8 November 2012
Roseau, MN then Europe
A 'final' concert at Roseau, MN, (that's Rose-oh, btw) before we hop over to Europe (Wunsiedel, Germany) for a quick a cappella nacht with Peter Martin Jacob and Magenta...
We had a splendid Guy Fawkes night in Roseau (Ian, in the audience, from Maidenhead told us we had not mentioned this anniversary! - he was right...); great evening again, there will be more next week... after we have had a quick German sojourn...
We still have Chris with us; no news yet of latest Cantabile new generation...
Aeroports, planes... marvellous...
We had a splendid Guy Fawkes night in Roseau (Ian, in the audience, from Maidenhead told us we had not mentioned this anniversary! - he was right...); great evening again, there will be more next week... after we have had a quick German sojourn...
We still have Chris with us; no news yet of latest Cantabile new generation...
Aeroports, planes... marvellous...
Monday, 5 November 2012
Thief River Falls, MN
Another town, another espresso house...
You might think it dull that we attach such weight to the availability of espresso; it must stem from our first US tours in the 1990s, when it was almost impossible to find a place where espresso occurred at all, apart from when we approached Seattle (where I for one, rather OD'd on the stuff...) However, Wired Bean, just across from our hotel, the mellifluously-named, C'mon Inn (geddit?) is tremendous.... and even has sandwiches in which the meat part of the sandwich is more than half-a-milimetre thick and tastes of something.... such glory...
...and the concert? After nine hours in the car yesterday, it was excellent... the good people of TRF bought CDs and had a good time in a packed Sunday afternoon theatre. Huge crowd, huge fun...
Splendid technical skill too in the theatre...
One more before we pop home for a quickie in Germany, in Roseau, MN... just up the road... time for a lie-in...
You might think it dull that we attach such weight to the availability of espresso; it must stem from our first US tours in the 1990s, when it was almost impossible to find a place where espresso occurred at all, apart from when we approached Seattle (where I for one, rather OD'd on the stuff...) However, Wired Bean, just across from our hotel, the mellifluously-named, C'mon Inn (geddit?) is tremendous.... and even has sandwiches in which the meat part of the sandwich is more than half-a-milimetre thick and tastes of something.... such glory...
...and the concert? After nine hours in the car yesterday, it was excellent... the good people of TRF bought CDs and had a good time in a packed Sunday afternoon theatre. Huge crowd, huge fun...
Splendid technical skill too in the theatre...
One more before we pop home for a quickie in Germany, in Roseau, MN... just up the road... time for a lie-in...
Sunday, 4 November 2012
Hettinger, ND
Another delightful community at Hettinger, ND; very friendly people, who fed us wonderfully, and looked after us with great care.
We were singing in a church, and that was splendid... good acoustics of course, and many children there with their parents - a real family evening... terrific.
All were dead impressed by Richard's forceful and loud nose blow in Creole Love Call...
No sooner had we arrived than we were off for a nine-hour jaunt to Thief River Falls, MN, where I type...
We managed to stop for a second time at Rabb's coffee house in Jamestown; the girl was not that impressed to see us a second time (excellent espresso & grub) - she did not know that we had travelled over 4000 miles and so the chances of our happening on her café twice were quite small!
Looking forward to tomorrow pm in Thief River Falls - after an extra hour's sleep (daylight saving ends a week after UK's change...)
We were singing in a church, and that was splendid... good acoustics of course, and many children there with their parents - a real family evening... terrific.
All were dead impressed by Richard's forceful and loud nose blow in Creole Love Call...
No sooner had we arrived than we were off for a nine-hour jaunt to Thief River Falls, MN, where I type...
We managed to stop for a second time at Rabb's coffee house in Jamestown; the girl was not that impressed to see us a second time (excellent espresso & grub) - she did not know that we had travelled over 4000 miles and so the chances of our happening on her café twice were quite small!
Looking forward to tomorrow pm in Thief River Falls - after an extra hour's sleep (daylight saving ends a week after UK's change...)
Friday, 2 November 2012
Williston, ND
Our triumphant return to Williston, ND was indeed so!
We shared memories of the Wiederanders, who had looked after us 18 years ago, and were delighted to make new acquaintances - Jackie Keck took us to Books on Broadway which does fine espresso.
...and we sold lots of our new songbook - best sales yet!
In the morning we had a splendid time in the company of lots of schoolchildren, who were suitably enthusiastic... and heard the excellent Treble Makers, a seven-part girl group from WHS (Williston High School), who sang Mary did you know... & The Java Jive: they were wonderful. Clear, beautiful singing.
Eric and Katy, music teachers at the school, were very supportive (and their little son extremely sweet!)
We have passed Grassy Butte, had lunch in the great Trappers Inn, Belfield, will have a concert tonight in Hettinger, but right now are in our Lemmon (SD) hotel....
What larks...
We shared memories of the Wiederanders, who had looked after us 18 years ago, and were delighted to make new acquaintances - Jackie Keck took us to Books on Broadway which does fine espresso.
...and we sold lots of our new songbook - best sales yet!
In the morning we had a splendid time in the company of lots of schoolchildren, who were suitably enthusiastic... and heard the excellent Treble Makers, a seven-part girl group from WHS (Williston High School), who sang Mary did you know... & The Java Jive: they were wonderful. Clear, beautiful singing.
Eric and Katy, music teachers at the school, were very supportive (and their little son extremely sweet!)
We have passed Grassy Butte, had lunch in the great Trappers Inn, Belfield, will have a concert tonight in Hettinger, but right now are in our Lemmon (SD) hotel....
What larks...
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