European Tour 2009

June 10, 66 members of the Vancouver Welsh Men's Choir together with Music Director Jonathan Quick, Accompanist David Buchan and soprano soloist Jennifer Driscoll-Holmes rendezvoused in Berlin for the start of a twelve day, three country concert tour. Thanks to the efforts of Ellison Tours and local choirs, we performed before capacity audiences wherever we went. Our tour repertoire consisted of 22 songs plus the Czech national anthem, providing lots for our Music Director to choose from as he tailored each concert to the expected audience and to the repertoire of the host choirs in Berlin, Dresden, Prague and Ybbs (near Vienna).

After a day to recover from jet lag, which included a bus tour to familiarize us with the city, the Choir headed to Hochmeisterkirche for a joint concert with Berliner Singegemeinschaft, a local mixed choir. The concert was an outstanding success as evidenced by the rhythmic clapping and standing ovations. The host choir, presenting a classical repertoire, was excellent. They had arranged for the concert to be a benefit for a children's charity and together we raised a significant amount.

(Berliner Singegenmeinschaft Markisches Ufer e.V.)

The next day we travelled to Dresden in three buses in which we were to spend many hours during the course of the tour. After a moving visit to the Frauenkirche, the cathedral recently reconstructed from the rubble of a World War II bombing raid, we headed for Annenkirche, where we were scheduled to sing with the Bergsteiger Chor. Annenkirche is another venerable church, a bit on the small side, but with great acoustics. Strangely, the Bergsteiger Chor (Bersteiger means "mountain climber") chose the ground floor dressing rooms for themselves and assigned the VWMC a green room four flights up.

Bersteiger Chor is a magnificent a cappella male choir with excellent pitch. Their program, folk songs and traditional mountain climber tunes, nicely complemented the VWMC's repertoire. When our choir came on stage we were conscious of performing before a critical audience. However, our program was very well received-especially "Loch Lomond" and "Kalinka", both of which featured solos by Jonathan Quick. Our finale, a rousing arrangement of "Amen", had the audience, including Bergsteiger Chor, on its feet cheering and clapping.

(VWMC in Dresden)

After the concert, both choirs and friends headed to a wonderful German restaurant called Feldschlosschen Stammhaus for a traditional sauerbraten (pot roast), potato and cabbage dinner. We entertained each other with songs and gifts-a picture of the VWMC and a CD from us and a CD and sandstone sculpture from them.

The performance in Prague on June 16 took place in the Concert Hall of Saints Simon and Juda, once a large church but now a concert hall that is home to the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. To our surprise given its start time, the 5:30 pm concert attracted dozens of patrons in addition to the group travelling with us. The women's choir was excellent-singing a classical repertoire with lovely voices that fit perfectly with the acoustics of the baroque interior of the hall. The VWMC was very well-received, especially when we sang the Czech National Anthem. Our Czech guides Martina and Zdenka Adamova (who had been with us since Berlin) were reduced to tears. Once again, the spirituals in our repertoire were great hits. The soaring soprano voice of Jennifer Driscoll-Holmes, soloist in "Ride the Chariot" and "Morte Criste", was particularly suited to this beautiful venue.

(VWMC in Prague)

June 19 found us in Salzburg. Old Salzburg is just as charming as Old Prague, but more compact, so we didn't have to walk so far. The afternoon highlight was a choir performance in the Salzburg Cathedral, one of the largest gothic cathedrals north of the Alps. We had arranged to sing a 20 minute set at 1:00 pm-not a formal concert so tourists could wander in and out as they wished. We had a bit of scare as we waited for the start time because a jackhammer was performing next door. Fortunately, by prior arrangement, the jackhammer stopped just as we began to sing. The Archbishop of Salzburg required that we perform a sacred repertoire a capella. We met the challenge with a program that included "Balm in Gilead", the spiritual "Ride the Chariot", "Schubert's "Sanctus" (sung in German), and "Eli Jenkin's Prayer" from Dylan Thomas' Under Milkwood.

That evening we travelled to Abtenau, a Whistler like village south of Salzburg, for a concert in the local parish church. Once again the place was packed. We were sponsored by the local tourist bureau that had obviously done a great job advertising the concert. Unfortunately, it was difficult to stuff 66 singers into the space provided, but we persevered and were treated to another standing ovation at the end of the concert.

(Gift presentation in Abtenau)

June 20 we left Salzburg for Vienna and our last concert, stopping en route at Ybbs am der Donau (Ybbs on the Danube) where we were to perform a benefit concert for the "children of Chernobyl", together with a local male choir. The concert was sponsored by the local town council which has embraced the cause of victims of the Chernobyl explosion and engages in an annual fundraising campaign. We were treated like VIPs when we arrived at the town hall (which also contains a concert hall), being met by the deputy mayor and feted at a coffee and cake reception. The concert was a phenomenal success. Organizers had sold 350 tickets at €20 each, and we donated €500 from our gratuities fund. We heard later that the concert had raised at least €6,000.

The local choir was excellent. They are a smaller group with an age limit of 65. They did some wonderful choreography, including two men imitating mandolins using vibrating tongues and hand movements as the group sang "O Sole Mio", also featuring an outrageous tenor. The evening was made even more magical by the view from the concert hall. An entire wall was made up of floor to ceiling windows through which we could view barges and cruise ships passing by on the Danube.

(Joint concert in Ybbs with Mannergesansverein Ybbs)

The evening didn't end with the concert. We boarded the buses for a 10 minute drive to a beer hall type restaurant in the country. There we were honoured again by the town with dinner and unlimited wine. The dinner was unusual by our standards, consisting almost entirely of different kinds of cold cuts and liver pate. The only vegetables were a couple of tomato wedges and a small sliced dill pickle. The plate was also garnished with a substantial dollop of lethal horseradish, which some of our people mistook for grated cheese, much to the amusement of those who did not.

After exchanges of several songs with the host choir (they did "O Sole Mio" again, plus some traditional folk songs, and we responded with "Vive l'Amour", "Myfanwy" and the Welsh and Canadian anthems), we boarded the buses for a 90 minute drive to our Vienna hotel. We arrived at 1:15 am and managed to stumble into bed by 2:00.

(Photos by Curt Dickson)