Writing this on a plane to Dallas-Ft.Worth International Airport, a hub we’ll see probably a dozen times in the next three-five months. This time around it’s for a concert in Waco, Texas.

We’ve had a lovely visit to the beautiful State of New Mexico with concerts and workshops in Portales at Eastern New Mexico University and in Albuquerque at New Mexico University and the lovely Cathedral of St. John.  We’ve enjoyed seeing our Facebook numbers grow after visiting and working with so many young singers!

One young singer asked us the question: “What’s on your iPod?”  This sparked a conversation in the car of desert island top 5 records.  Amongst the four of us, lots of good titles thrown out but here’s some highlights:

GS = Brahms Symphony #4 and Elgar “Sea Pictures”
CP = Fleetwood Mac Tusk and Daryl Hall & John Oates Voices
CH = Beethoven Complete String Quartets and Symphony #7
GW = U2 October and Bela Fleck Tales from the Acoustic Planet, Vol. 2 – The Bluegrass Sessions

In our downtime this tour, we’ve also been listening to the first edit of the album we recorded last month in Sweden for BIS Records.  It’s always enlightening to listen to one’s own performance and under such scrutiny.  We’re looking forward to sharing the fruits of our labor with you all when the record is released.  Keep an eye out!

Descending now into Dallas.  We’ll another update from our Mexico debut next week.

Thanks for reading and following us!

A little post-mortem (literally) about our premiere tonight of “Notatar for eit Rekviem” (Notes for a Requiem).  In short, it’s a stage adaptation of  Odd Klippenvåg ’s novel about Don Carlo Gesualdo, the innovative composer and Prince of Venosa most famous for murdering his wife and her lover. While his noble status shielded him from punishment, he spent the rest of his life tormented by his crimes.

The face of an ancient grave beneath Horten kirke in Larvik, Norway.

Our friend and frequent collaborator Andrew Smith has written musical settings of Psalm 55 to pair with five motets by the murderous Prince himself.  Andrew has really outdone himself this time.  The pieces he’s written for this show are beautiful and chilling.  So much growth in his writing, as well as his expertise in scoring music for of our vocal lineup of alto, tenor, baritone, and bass.

The stagecraft is handled entirely by a single actor– Svein Tindberg, a well-known Norwegian actor of stage and screen. Svein portrays the tormented Gesualdo as well as the other lives he destroys… alternating between characters with consummate skill.  A female dancer, Marte Blom Onshuus, silently portrays the roles of Gesualdo’s two wives in a powerful and beautifully understated performance.  The director and librettist Terje Tveit is an Ibsen scholar living in London.  He has brilliantly taken the script (which he adapted from the original novel), actor, dancer, music, and we singers (NYP and guest Ebba Rydh) and created a vivid picture of this tormented character.

This is a piece we hope to continue to program, in Norwegian, perhaps then to Italian and certainly into English.  It’s a powerful piece of musical drama.  Click HERE to learn more about the program.

After a nice sleep, we leave the lovely town of Larvik tomorrow to head to Tønsberg, the center of the Vestfold Festspillen.  We sing three performances in the Haugar Vestfold Kunstmuseum for their “Gloria Mundi” exhibition of local medieval church art.  Of special note is a portion of a Cranach altarpiece which was recently stolen from the church in Larvik and is now wonderfully restored for the exhibit.  After a brief introduction by the museum’s curator, we will take the audience on a travelling concert through the 5 gallery exhibit with musical examples contemporary to the artwork from Gothic and early Medieval sounds of Perotin and the Worcester Fragments through the middle and high Renaissance to some modern polyphony as an accompaniment to the paintings and wood-carviings to truly make this a “living art” exhibition.

After this a second performance of “Notatar”, our own performance of our Tudor City program in the Dom kirke and a festival finale of a chamber performance of Mozart’s Requiem.

More soon!

The week before leaving New York for Norway, I did an exact count of how many diapers Grace uses on a weekly basis. The number was 49: 7 a day. So, for 11 days, I packed 95 (just to be safe) plus an extra few in the diaper bag. I also calculated 3 outfits a day, 9 “binkies”, two changing pads, baby carrier, car seat, stroller, two giraffe teethers… the list goes on. I researched weather in Norway, sleep accommodations, flight bassinet, and infant jet lag. I began packing in earnest a full three days in advance, adding little things as I remembered them. Norway was to be our first trip as new parents, and with Grace just under 6 months old, we are still getting the hang of, well, everything. Travelling with NYP was new, too; I had never been with the guys on a trip further away than Greenwich, CT.

Craig and I calculated that from our home in Jackson Heights, Queens, the trip to Newark International would take (with traffic) 90 minutes. To give ourselves plenty of time, we decided to leave at 2:30pm for our 7pm flight. In the morning, Grace had a last-minute photo shoot with Sing for Hope on the pop-up piano in Jackson Heights. We still managed to board our dog, pack the car, and get on the road on time. We left at 2:42 with a brief stop for a poopy diaper three minutes down the road.

As we got on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (BQE) and headed toward Brooklyn, we had to make a decision: take the Williamsburg Bridge to Manhattan and the Holland Tunnel (definitely shorter on the map) or take BQE around Manhattan through Staten Island and up 95N to Newark. Craig hates the BQE; he opted for the tunnel. I had misgivings, but I figured, it’s still early– let’s go for it.

We got into Manhattan easily but things slowed as we reached Soho and headed to the tunnel. Then they slowed some more. Then they stopped. I mean, they really stopped. We were in the middle of a block of traffic, and the lights were cycling through and no one was moving. Over and over. This was frustrating at first, then annoying, then, as we watched minutes tick by, absolutely maddening. 4:30. 4:38. Nothing, with cars stopped as far as we could see. I called the airline. We had to check in by 5:30. The call service was located in Estonia; they were no help. We moved one car length. Ten more minutes went by. When we were finally the ones approaching the box, I told Craig to gun it. The reason typically aggressive New York drivers weren’t going through the intersection? Two cops on every corner. I had missed them. They approached our window and I literally burst into tears. “We’re going to miss our flight! We’re travelling with an infant.” The officer looked amused– “I’m just doing my job.” $115 later, he informed us that it was still another 30 minutes to the tunnel. “What were you thinking, the Holland Tunnel on a Friday afternoon?”

I called the airline. Changing our flights: $762 each. I wouldn’t be able to go. Craig would have to go without me and Grace… on our first post-baby vacation.  I cried some more.

I called the airline back and spoke with a slightly more helpful Estonian. If we could check-in online by 5:30 and ask Craig’s bandmates (the other 3 NYP guys had taken the train to the airport) to speak with the airline staff on our behalf, they MIGHT make an exception for us. So, with reservation numbers in hand, I tried to use Craig’s smartphone (I’m a technology Luddite) to check-in online in the remaining minutes. As I was absorbed in this task, we somehow got through the tunnel. It was 5:08. When I’d finally figured out the online form, (feeling like I was working on a ticking bomb) it was rejected.

Suddenly, the pace of traffic started to pick-up and we were faced with make-or-break decisions about which way to go.  It was 5:18. We decided that the best plan was to bypass parking and drive straight the terminal. Craig would then race in with all of our big bags, beg their mercy, and try to check us all in. Meanwhile, I would take the baby, park the car and race back to the terminal to meet up with Craig. 5:24.

I circled the airport three times to find the long-term parking (cleverly marketed as Economy parking), parked the car, and ran to the 1980s-era bus sign where I waited for the bus. It started to rain. No bus. It started to pour. Still no bus. I reached for my phone to let Craig know I was delayed… but I couldn’t find it. Did I leave it in the car? How would I find him in the airport if he needed to board the plane without me?! No choice, I had to get back to the car before the bus came. For the trip, we packed an older stroller, because we didn’t want to damage our new one. Good thinking except that the older stroller is impossible to maneuver, doesn’t fit between the cars, and can’t be pushed with one hand…which, since I was also lugging a suitcase I had forgotten to leave with Craig, made things much worse. So, I made a panic-induced decision to leave Grace in the stroller at the bus stop and turn back to look at her every ten seconds while I searched for the car. I found the car. No phone. I gave up and ran back to Grace. I was losing it.

After fifteen minutes of waiting for the bus, I saw a bus approach the Air Tram but then stop and go no further. I made a run for it in the rain. A weird crying-wheezing sound was coming out of my mouth. When I asked if she would take me to the terminal, the bus driver looked at me like I was absolutely crazy. The Air Tram. I was supposed to take the Air Tram. Yes, it turns out they’ve updated the Newark airport transportation system, but neglected to let anyone know this, leaving travelers to figure things out for themselves. I got on the Air Tram with Grace and suitcase. At this point, Grace was whimpering so I pulled it together and talked to her in a happy voice. I got off at Terminal B. It was 6:15.

Then I heard my phone ring….in my purse? Craig was in the check-in line in the terminal. Apparently, there had been a computer glitch, so no one (not even the pilot) was able to check-in. Soaking wet, I found the guys, calm as cucumbers. Craig was never so happy to see me. We sped through priority security, got on the plane as it was already boarding, and sank into our seats. It was 7pm.

On the plane, we had everything we needed for a comfortable flight, due to my impeccable planning.  Grace slept like a baby.

Complicating things is the amount of driving ahead of us. We rented a mid-size SUV in Kansas City and, from there, we’re driving to the first 3 gigs: Omaha, Oklahoma City, and Topeka. If you don’t have a map of the American Midwest, trust us– it’s a lot of miles. So, to keep things friendly and to prevent us from chatting ourselves hoarse, our iPods come to the rescue. And, since it’s that time of year again, our playlists will likely feature our favorite Christmas records as well as some classic driving music. Here’s what I will be contributing to the mix:

I’ll never forget our drive into the Kansas sunset in September 2009 listening to Tom Petty’s Into the Great Wide Open and Bruce’s Born in the U.S.A. from top to finish, so I for sure want to revisit these records. But it’s really the season for holiday tunes.

It’s no secret how geeked I get around Christmastime each year. It’s probably due in part to my involvement in more than a half dozen Christmas recordings since I was a kid. I love Christmas music in almost all forms and aim to add a new record or two to the collection each year. I haven’t made my decision about what I want to hear in the car, but here’s what gets the spins every year:

Jingle All the Way – Bela Fleck and the Flecktones
I bought this on iTunes with a birthday gift card from our former baritone Scott Dispensa in 2008. It blew me away that Christmas and I often allow it to keep playing if it shuffles around the iPod out of season. What an amazing collection of musicians. Four of the most amazing musical brains playing their asses off! Vic Wooten’s solo version of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” may possibly rival Nat King Cole, no joke! It’s a real breath of fresh air after too many covers of “All I Want For Christmas is You” and “This Christmas”… which remain my two LEAST favourite holiday tunes.

The Carol Album – Andrew Parrott, Taverner Consort and Players
This record is the recorded fruit of the New Oxford Book of Carols which gave us much of the material for I sing the birth

O magnum misterium: Twentieth Century Carols – Polyphony
Directed by Stephen Layton, this record is also a great inspiration for I sing the birth programming. My Christmas purchase in 2002 and a favorite every year since.

A Renaissance Christmas – Early Music New York
This program was my first professional early music gig and it’s full of so many golden oldies for an early music nerd like me. It’s also linked to the Christmas that me and missus got engaged in 2003. Lots of warm fuzzies with this record.

And I guess I should include Vince Guaraldi’s Charlie Brown Christmas. It’s a no brainer, I know.  But I prefer not to play this record until I start trimming the tree sometime around Advent IV. It’s the first record I play when the wrapping paper starts ripping on Christmas Day.

I have no idea what everyone else wants to hear, but I’m sure it will be all over the map.  Let’s just hope Craig doesn’t want monopolize the radio with his insatiable appetite for the music of Daryl Hall & John Oates!

…

The audience greeted our new selections warmly, we emerged largely unscathed and we received a terrific review from the Denver Post:

And in case you wanted to share in our new music bonanza, here’s an excerpt… recorded live on Friday.

Ego flos campi – Clemens non Papa

…

Beside our concert, the most eventful thing that took place in Northfield during our 36 hour stay was a massive rain storm that resulted in regional floods.  Our concert in Boe Chapel, the home venue of the renowned St. Olaf choir, had to be relocated due to flooding in the basement that eliminated the building’s electricity.  Our new location was the Urness Recital Hall, a beautiful space that, while lacking in the massive acoustic reverb of the Chapel, was well suited to our ensemble.  Click HERE to watch the webcast of the concert.

On a brief personal note, and as the new guy in the group, I’m really excited to be a part of New York Polyphony.  It’s been a great several weeks with concerts in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and Minnesota.  I’m looking forward to the rest of the season and all our great concerts with anticipation!

Before signing off, we’d like to thank our hosts at St. Olaf, including Cathy Rodland, her husband Brian Carson, our super-fans Katie and Maggie Burk, and the entire organ department for showing us a great time in Minnesota!!

-CDH

Our first full day began with a workshop with the church choir of men and boys, and ended with a concert broadcast live on Denmark’s national radio.

The workshop was held in the well-appointed Church hall, with its brightly coloured walls, impossibly puce fabrics and Dansk heart-motif ceiling; all in all, a bit early morning. We were welcomed by our hosts Preben and Irene who provided much-needed coffee. Preben teaches core Anglican repertoire to his choir – we met him at the annual Choir Masters’ Conference in NYC – so luckily we knew most of the music for the workshop (Howells, Rutter – God be in my Head and Britten) as our Danish is a bit thin on the ground. Preben is approaching his 25th anniversary at the Church, and in that time he has built a truly remarkable program. About 15 boys and a dozen men, many of whom began as choristers, then joined us.

We opened by performing three of our Tallis English psalms, whose vernacular resonated with our Lutheran hosts. After that, I drew the short straw for the warm-up, to give the boys an easy start with some English spoken proper. We spent time on breathing, low-impact vocal onsets, slides, head-voice blending and placement. The group was impeccably behaved, even NYP for the most part.

The boys were fantastic, pretty Johnian in their ‘take-no-prisoners’ attitude. This being their first rehearsal for several weeks, they impressed us by remembering their memorised repertoire. As impressive, perhaps even more so, were the men. The five tenors, five basses, and two counter-tenors, included a couple of Dads, but essentially consisted of Preben’s former choristers.

GW worked with them on the Britten Te Deum, Scott and Craig on solos in the Vivaldi Magnificat. Our friend and organist Svend, who collected us from the airport, accompanied.

A side note about the vowels: we all think the dark, back of the throat “ah” is very helpful – we rehearsed the Howell’s Col Reg Nunc with a fantastic tenor who transpired later to be the son of our host, and his dark pronunciation of “hast” and the second syllable of “prepared” reminded me of a Brummie friend who also benefited from the vocal alignment that that darkness provides.

In the evening, the concert went well and the Church was full. It’s a beautiful building and we had a fantastic and enthusiastic audience. The radio guys placed two pairs of mics at the front (two omnis, two cardoids), and one pair of omnis at the back behind the organ for Absalon we did in the base of the magnificent bell tower. Scot received a good response from his Danish intro, GW and CP did an interview in the interval, and we received rhythmic applause that demanded three encores.

We’ll post a link when the archived show is available. Meantime, visit our Facebook page to see pictures (and links to a few video clips) of our trip.  Tweets, too.

– GS