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Published: November 1st 2011
Tolosa, Spain. Monday, October 31, 2011.
We woke today with butterflies in our tummies. We had breakfast and a last rehearsal before the competition. We took lunch in the hotel, went to our rooms for a little rest and preparation before heading into Tolosa. We got there and almost immediately went in for our warm-up, which was a 15-minute event to touch each piece to make sure of sound and where we are standing.
Then there was a lot of waiting. Hurry up and wait. The polyphony round was first. We sang Karimatanu Kuicha (Ko Matsushita), Sanctus Benedictus (Josep Vila), Kyrie (Tomas Luis de Victoria), Irish Blessing (Daniel Hughes), and finally Veni (Knut Nystedt). I feel that we did well. There was some more waiting and then we went in for the Folklore round. We sang Phartitze Trixte Huntan (Basque folk), Hide and Seek (Imogen Heap), Zuk Zure Ama (Basque folk), Where Is Love (Joshua Shank), and Let Me Fly (Cormier). I think we rocked that round and I felt really good about my solo.
After singing and before dinner, we had an opportunity to wander Tolosa a little bit. I went into a little shop to check a couple of things out. The girl running the place asked if I was there for the choral festivities and I said “Si!” She seemed interested and the shop was empty, so I asked her if she’d like for me to sing for her (thinking “discount”!) and she said that she’d love that. So, I sang “Anthem” from Chess. She gave me a big ol’ hug. I gave her The Choral Project info and told her that my partner is the director of my choir, then Daniel found me and I introduced him to Amaya, the shopkeeper. She went immediately into a big hug for Daniel, whose response was, “Boy! You seem to have made a friend, here.” She then kissed each of his cheeks (on his face, dirty birdies!), then turned and gave a couple to me. It was really sweet, even if she didn’t give a discount…
Ever felt really good about something and then you don’t get any kind of recognition for a job well done? It feels kinda like being punched in the gut. I think that most of the choir is dealing well with it, but I’m feeling kinda down about it and I know that Daniel is really down about it, but we didn’t even place in the top three in either category. It’s my understanding that the groups we went up against were stunning, but we haven’t seen any video and this festival/competition doesn’t have it set-up to where you can actually hear the other choirs. There’s also a dearth of connection with the other choirs, which I didn’t like because I like to at least have some moments with other cultures to have an exchange of sorts. I mean, that’s the fun of a festival, right?
There were some really cool Basque folk dances going on that I really enjoyed, along with some neat music. One of the instruments was a box that created a high-pitched sound. It was neat, but a little loud. The dancing included some high kicks from the male dancers that were amazing.
After getting the bad news, we headed back to the hotel. I’m sorry to say that I didn’t have good news to share with all of you.
Tomorrow, we head for Bilbao, we’re slated to see the Guggenheim Museum, then most of the choir heads home one November 2. Daniel and I will head to Tiedra from Bilbao.
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Bruce Halen
non-member comment
You guys are still great!
Who knows how these things are judged. It's hard to believe that you guys aren't near the top of the competitive list. Hold your heads high, we love you!!