New Friendships

Our day was again packed full with visiting significant historical sites and viewing artistic treasures, and there will more about those later, but we are compelled to begin by telling you about the end of our day – our rehearsal and concert at the Central Conservatory of Music.

We arrived on the campus in the late afternoon, and during our hour and a half rehearsal, a thunderstorm moved through, which helped to alleviate a bit of the humidity and clear the air. Chamber Choir rehearsed the full program for the evening, and as our choir rehearsed, Central Conservatory choir members trickled in to the concert hall to watch and listen.

After Chamber Choir’s rehearsal, the two choirs rehearsed together. The program called for two pieces with the combined choirs: “Jasmine” by Reed Criddle, conducted by the Central Conservatory’s choral director, Jian Ying, and “The Battle of Jericho” by Moses Hogan, conducted by Steven Zielke.

As is often the case, music proved to be a universal language, and the experience of singing on stage together was a natural and successful ice breaker. When rehearsal ended, Z. told singers they could take some time to rest and relax before the concert, but they remained on stage with the other choir, introducing themselves, naturally breaking into smaller groups, asking questions, taking selfies, teaching each other words and phrases in their respective native languages, laughing and appearing to have a lot of fun. This exchange probably lasted for at least 30 minutes and even in that short time, friendships were made.

Learning some Chinese:

That fun had to come to an end when our choir’s dinner arrived (individual pizzas from the familiar American franchise Papa John’s) but not for long, because as soon as the pizza was devoured, a “Chinese vs. The Americans” half-court pickup basketball game began near the courtyard where we were eating. If music is the first universal language, certainly sports is the second! It was a lot of fun and a great way to relax and alleviate pre-concert jitters.

The Central Conservatory of Music provided a full house for our concert and the all-ages audience seemed delighted with the program. “Messages” by Roger Treese and Bobby McFerrin (solo by Alec Chase) “Nyon, Nyon” by Jake Runestad, and the “Usuli Boat Song” (sung in Chinese by soloist Chuck Gidley) seemed to be particular favorites and the powerful “Battle of Jericho” finale was a strong finish that received a standing ovation and calls for an encore.

After the concert, the choirs again mingled, exchanged emails, took pictures and made promises to stay in touch across the miles. These connections are apt to be the most memorable and special part of any international tour.

I should note that this afternoon rehearsal, friendly exchange and evening concert, all took place after a very full day that included many miles of walking in 100 degree heat and high humidity. It is amazing what these students pack in to a day on tour!

The day began with a bus ride to the Forbidden City. We gathered in Tienanmen Square,  where we had time to take photos and do some people watching, and then entered through the famous gate with the giant photo of Chairman Mao, so familiar from movies (“The Last Emperor”), news, and television; then walked miles of the Imperial Palace grounds.

We are fortunate to be in China during the 90th anniversary year of the funding for the Palace Museum, so we were able to see a rare and ancient art exhibit featuring a collection of ancient scrolls, porcelain and other items that won’t be on display again for nine years. Once again, Scott gave us an amazing tour, sharing his impressive knowledge of Chinese history and making sure we saw and received information on specific pieces of rare art. It was really a treat. We are so fortunate to have him guiding us.

After visiting The Forbidden City, we traveled by bus to the Temple of Heaven, a Tao Temple, which, according to Scott, is widely regarded as the most important religious architecture in all of China. This is the site where emperors came to worship heaven for a bountiful harvest, and it is absolutely beautiful. Today, it is a popular spot for Chinese brides and grooms to have engagement and/or wedding photos taken, and there were four or five such photo shoots going while we were there. Choir member and newly graduated Photographer Shae Williams captured some of the brides beautifully.

Other highlights of our day were another delicious Chinese lunch and shopping at a supermarket, where snack items and beverages were purchased to take home, and for comsumption in the hotel tonight and on tommorrow’s bullet train ride to Xi’an.