Thoughts from the bus from Cesky Krumlov to Prague

Cynthia Darling:
There are a few experiences on a tour when it really hits you that you are in another country. At our concert at the small Austrian town of Bad Schonau, we sang to an incredibly appreciative audience in a church that looked closer to some of the simple-styled American churches that I am used to (no ornate gold leaf here!) And yet, this simpler setting helped bring us closer to the audience. Suddenly, as we waited in line before entering for our first piece “Simple Gifts”, and I heard the tour organizer introducing the choir all in German, I had this sense of being a sort of link between America and Austria. Their language was German. They were speaking in German and laughing at his jokes in German. We were preparing to sing in mainly English. And yet, I felt that the moment we started singing the music began to transcend that language barrier. It was like the combined elements of the music, the good cheer of the audience and the light streaming through the golden stained glass window all combined to create this moment of beautiful music bringing people together.

One side note about the tour: I have been particularly impressed with the size of the audience at our concerts. We have had full audiences each night. It has been great to be received in such an appreciative manner. While I know this is due to the tour company’s wonderful job of “selling” the concerts, I think it also might have to do with how much people appreciate music over here. Tourists come to the concerts because they are probably open to hearing the music of the area. And, locals come perhaps because of their value of music. Regardless, it is a new experience to feel that classical music is so greatly valued.

Another note on the predominance of music over here. There are festivals galore! Everywhere I look there are posters and signs and billboards advertising upcoming concerts and shows—from America, Austria, Czech Republic and every other European country. To see such energy devoted to music is refreshing—and also, I am sure, taken for granted by the people who live here.

One thing that the audiences seem to respond to in our repertoire is our Spirituals group of pieces. The minute Gil and Sal start their solos and approach the audience to sing, it’s like the European audience has been given an opportunity to loosen up a bit—I can almost feel them wanting to sway and swing a bit—not used to having the same sense of freedom at a typical European concert.

After the concert at Cesky Krumlov, I heard a man and woman say they were from Brattleboro, Vt. Having spent all of my Christmases there, as my aunt is a longtime resident, I approached them after the concert and asked if they knew my aunt, Ann Darling. They did and I learned that the couple was Lisa and Doug Cox who were here to attend a music festival that their son was going to be performing in. Doug is a violin maker based in Brattleboro.

Some of the nice aspects of being on tour are the opportunities for conversations. Today I got to talk to Lazarita Perez, a fellow choir member who is an opera singer. Since my background is in the violin, the world of opera singing is quite new to me. Sitting on the back of the bus as the Czech countryside rolled by, I received a 45-minute tutorial in the greats of opera. It was better than taking a music appreciation class! I now return to the U.S. with a list of opera singers who I want to check out—and a new sense of the different types of voices that are out there! These moments are the invaluable things that propel the trip forward.