Yesterday there was a rail strike which “derailed” our plans for getting from Edinburgh to Gloucester efficiently where the Three Choirs Festival is being held. Instead of a 5-3/4 hour journey we had to endure a 9 hour bus ride. I was trying to determine which was worse, a 9-hour plane ride or a 9-hour… Read More On the way to Gloucester
Although we really only spent a few moments in each of these churches, St. Giles’ Cathedral and Rosslyn Chapel were highlights in my day today. Here’s what’s on the St. Giles’ website: St Giles’ Cathedral, founded in 1124 by King David I, has been a working church for almost 900 years. A backdrop to Scotland’s… Read More St. Giles‘ Cathedral and Rosslyn Chapel
Last night I stayed up late, to take advantage of Priority Booking for reserving tickets for the Three Choirs Festival, billed as “the world’s finest choral music.” The booking office opened at 10:00 am in Gloucester, UK, which is 11:00 pm in Hawaii. I logged onto my computer at 10:55 pm and didn’t finish booking… Read More Three Choirs, here we come!
This afternoon at the Three Choirs Festival, we heard Christmas music, and in fact, the performance was recorded for the BBC Radio which will be aired in December. It was hilarious, though, when the Dean, in his opening remarks, wished to be the first to wish us a Happy Christmas! Only 143 nights before Christmas!… Read More Christmas in August?
The outing on Monday to Berkeley Castle was only one of several non-music options at the Three Choirs Festival. This morning Joan Ishibashi and I attended a most interesting lecture by Dr Linda Porter, called “The Real Bloody Mary,” on Mary Tudor, the first child of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon. Eclipsed by her… Read More Three Choirs Festival —more than just music
Two of today’s four performances made a huge impact on me—the first was Karl Jenkins’ “The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace,” performed by the Three Choirs Festival Youth Choir; the Philharmonia Players, Gregory Bannan, baritone; and Samuel Hudson, conductor. The work begins with a military march and drumbeat and the singing of the 15th… Read More The Armed Man
As is the custom, a member of the clergy gave a instructions on what to do should an emergency arise (“Stay in place”) and then said a short prayer for this concert, “where score, player and acoustic” come together. Isn’t it amazing that the synthesis of these three words can describe the whole concert-going and… Read More Score, player, acoustic
My flight to London was delayed nearly an hour and a half, but I still arrived in plenty of time to catch my train to Gloucester on Sunday morning at 10:30 am. I realized that this is my third time at Gloucester Cathedral, and a year ago to the day I was here listening to… Read More Back at Gloucester Cathedral
Joan Ishibashi and I made the two-hour train trip to the city of Gloucester from London’s Paddington Station. I can’t believe it has been three years since I came to Gloucester for my first Three Choirs Festival! This time, though, we were here because of the residency of the Duke University Choir at Gloucester, where… Read More Joyful reunion and Evensong in Gloucester
Even though we faced another hot, muggy day, Joan Ishibashi and I toured Kew Gardens today, one of the largest botanical gardens in the world. As we had seen in Green Park near Buckingham Palace, the large grassy areas, normally lush green and verdant, were shockingly dry and brown. News of the heat wave and… Read More Kew Gardens