While most of the people in my tour group went on a whale watching cruise, I opted to stay in town to visit the Hallgrims Church. Hallgrimur Pétursson is the best known sacred poet of Iceland, born in 1614 and died in 1674. He is most famous for his Hymns of the Passion, a series… Read More Hallgrims Church, Reykjavik
I am in amazing Iceland, a land of many contrasts: tall mountains of stone, created by volcanoes; crystal clear waterways formed from melting glaciers; huge tons of water rushing down many waterfalls; erupting geysers, boiling hot; rain one minute and clear blue skies the next. There is a saying here in Iceland—if you don’t like… Read More Don’t like the weather? Wait 5 minutes!
Something that I have found utterly admirable is Iceland’s commitment to energy that is renewable and sustainable. This is the first hotel I have been in that has recyclable bins as part of each room’s decor. From Wikipedia: Renewable energy provides almost 100 percent of electricity production, with about 75 percent coming from Iceland – Built… Read More Renewable and sustainable
When I first flew into Iceland yesterday, my first thought was, “This sure looks like the Big Island of Hawaii!” You see, Iceland is also a land of volcanoes and lava flows, and like the islands of Hawaii, most everything has to be imported. It means that all goods, food, etc. are frightfully expensive! On… Read More Iceland’s Golden Circle
I am now in my beautiful hotel in Iceland, and finally, I have a fast internet connection, after suffering through spotty Wi-Fi throughout Ireland. Some of you who have read my posts about the Hawaii Masterworks Chorus were perhaps wondering about our performances and how we sounded in those historic churches. Those of you who… Read More Ireland sound bites
Today was our last day in Ireland, and those of us who are non-singers had a relatively free day, my first in two weeks! In the morning I went with several others to the National Museum of Ireland (with Viking artifacts the most interesting to me) and the Natural History Museum (The “Dead” Zoo!) In… Read More The view from the organ loft
I never knew I had a fear of heights until tonight, when the Hawaii Masterworks Chorus had a rehearsal for tomorrow’s concert with the Dublin Symphony at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin, Ireland. I was anxious to set up a few registrations, try out the organ, and see how well I would be able to… Read More Fear of heights?
“All we need to do is have someone buy this building, then take it apart, brick by brick, then move it to Honolulu. Hey, they did that to the London Bridge!” So proclaimed director Tim Carney, when he heard the sound of the Hawaii Masterworks Chorus in the magnificent acoustical space of Christchurch Cathedral, Dublin.… Read More All we need to do …
This trip to Ireland by the Hawaii Masterworks Chorus is a reunion for many people– it is a reunion with choristers who moved away from Hawaii, plus a reunion with family members. As I wrote in a previous post, we have 78 people on the trip, 56 of them who are singing, and the rest… Read More Reunion in Ireland