Blog: Choral & Current

Olympic Torch Road Trip

I went on a great choral road-trip with a few Chor Leoni singers on Sunday November 1! We drove to Vancouver Island to sing with Timbre! Choir for the Olympic torch ceremonies in Port Alberni and Tofino. Because of commitments on the 31st and the 2nd, Nic Bermudez, Ryan Cho, Sky Kao, and I had to get on and off the island that day. What an adventure that turned out to be!

The warm-up for the first performance was at 9 a..m, so we caught the 6:30 ferry. I developed a great appreciation for Daylight Savings Time, which gave us an extra hour to sleep after Halloween! After only a few false turns on our way through Port Alberni, we found the stadium, and joined the choir. Timbre! sang two songs very familiar to us: O Canada arranged by Diane Loomer, and We Rise Again arranged by Stephen Smith. We also learned a new piece composed for the torch ceremonies entitled Cette Flame/ There's A Light. The ceremony is such a celebration of community: we saw athletes, school groups, community leaders, and dancers all take their turn! I hope you get a chance to take part in your home town.

After lunch and a quick nap for this tired driver, it was time to hit the road again, as we headed to Tofino. I'd forgotten how far it really was across the island! We had a bit of free time before the next performance. Nic and I had sung with Timbre! before, so it was nice to visit with them again. They're such warm people, and Patricia Miller gets such a beautiful sound out of them. The patches of light rain didn't dampen the enthusiastic crowd's spirits at all.

I was hoping to get my carpool home in good time, so we thanked our new friends for a great day and drove quickly (and safely!) back to Nanaimo, hoping to catch a 9:30 ferry. Unfortunately, the 9:30 was a figment of my imagination, so all that rushing was for nothing. (Well, that did leave time for a quick drink and nachos at the Modern Cafe, in our best imitation of George's) We caught the 10:45 Tsawassen ferry, and all of us slept well that night when we arrived home 20 hours after we left!

Russell Cripps, baritone

Posted by bruce on November 16, 2009 at 9:25 AM
Filed in: arcana; tour diaries; visiting choirs | Permanent Link