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| Such an incredible experience |
As I sit alone in my hostel and write on this overcast Canadian morning, I'm blown away by how much I love music. E STuudio, a youth choir from Tartu, Estonia, is rehearsing Tormis outside of my window.
UPDATE: They've now moved into a collection of songs by Eric Whitacre, and I'm melting here.
They're a pretty special group of what seem to be high school age kids with some incredible talent. We first met them at the Laulupidu rehearsal on our first day here in Whistler, and found it difficult to become friends. For the most part, the Estonians here seem to find us as an object of curiosity; a group of non-Estonians who look nothing like Estonians but can sing like Estonians. Our solo concert was well attended, and our director tells us that there was a movement to repeat the concert.
E STuudio, though were a different bunch. At times, the West Coast Estonian days can feel a little closed to us because we're NOT Estonian by birth. The older crowd and the communal Estonians from around the US and Canada have bonded well with us over the years, but there are parts of the LEP celebration which aren't as open to us and it -- at times -- feels as though we are an oddity.
The first few times our choir members tried reaching out to the youth choir, we hit a brick wall. I finally got the chance to talk to their assistant -- a tall, graceful and talented director -- in the few minutes after the opening gala on Thursday evening.
Yesterday, in the events surrounding the Laulupidu performance, our choirs finally made a connection. The performers changed in rooms in the basement of the Whistler Conference Center, and so we Unistus men and the singers from E STuudio were grouped with one another.
It might have been the magic of Laulupidu which pushed us together.
For me, it was an especially emotional time. During rehearsals, our director Lonnie Cline told the group to sing 'Ta Ledab' as though it were either the first time they'd sung it or the very last time. As Laulupidu rolled into the classic favorites -- Ilus Maa and others -- it dawned on me that this might be my last chance to sing with the Estonians. Moving to Grants Pass will be difficult enough, but having to leave my choir and this culture will be heartbreaking. Tears were had, especially when we all raised our little Eesti flags at the end of the final song.
A few minutes later as we went downstairs to change back into our street clothes, I asked one of the EST basses about the Tormis song they had sung that evening. At the end of the song, the group broke apart into little sections, drifted into the audience and created an incredible atmosphere, surrounding the concert-goers with music and girls in bumblebee dresses. The bass and I got to talking about the different Tormis songs we both knew, and discovered we were both scheduled for "pop up singing," which was a collection of Tormis in honor of the composer's 85th birthday.
About an hour passed, and the two groups crammed into one of the hotel restaurants and traded songs for a time, finishing with Valss and Tuljak, which we sang together before the hotel kicked us out to wander the streets again. We're still not the best of friends, but I think the experience of singing together and having one final performance in Vancouver at the Chan Centre on the horizon have helped to bond us with music -- at least a little bit.
Friday was capped with a night around a fire on one of the many beautiful patios here in Whistler. I had already sampled a few excellent local brews, and jokingly asked the waitress if I could have a bendy straw in my next drink. Shortly thereafter, she came back with a bottle of pear cider complete with a bendy straw which she had made by cutting a straw and taping it in place. Then she told me a joke about cats, and for those of you who know me well enough...
We arrived back at our hostel fairly late, but happy having had the best day of the tour so far. Now, Saturday, we have a free day. There is a dance festival this afternoon which we can attend if we so choose, and there might be plans to visit a sauna later in the evening. One final day in beautiful Whistler.
Yesterday, in the events surrounding the Laulupidu performance, our choirs finally made a connection. The performers changed in rooms in the basement of the Whistler Conference Center, and so we Unistus men and the singers from E STuudio were grouped with one another.
It might have been the magic of Laulupidu which pushed us together.
For me, it was an especially emotional time. During rehearsals, our director Lonnie Cline told the group to sing 'Ta Ledab' as though it were either the first time they'd sung it or the very last time. As Laulupidu rolled into the classic favorites -- Ilus Maa and others -- it dawned on me that this might be my last chance to sing with the Estonians. Moving to Grants Pass will be difficult enough, but having to leave my choir and this culture will be heartbreaking. Tears were had, especially when we all raised our little Eesti flags at the end of the final song.
A few minutes later as we went downstairs to change back into our street clothes, I asked one of the EST basses about the Tormis song they had sung that evening. At the end of the song, the group broke apart into little sections, drifted into the audience and created an incredible atmosphere, surrounding the concert-goers with music and girls in bumblebee dresses. The bass and I got to talking about the different Tormis songs we both knew, and discovered we were both scheduled for "pop up singing," which was a collection of Tormis in honor of the composer's 85th birthday.
About an hour passed, and the two groups crammed into one of the hotel restaurants and traded songs for a time, finishing with Valss and Tuljak, which we sang together before the hotel kicked us out to wander the streets again. We're still not the best of friends, but I think the experience of singing together and having one final performance in Vancouver at the Chan Centre on the horizon have helped to bond us with music -- at least a little bit.
Friday was capped with a night around a fire on one of the many beautiful patios here in Whistler. I had already sampled a few excellent local brews, and jokingly asked the waitress if I could have a bendy straw in my next drink. Shortly thereafter, she came back with a bottle of pear cider complete with a bendy straw which she had made by cutting a straw and taping it in place. Then she told me a joke about cats, and for those of you who know me well enough...
We arrived back at our hostel fairly late, but happy having had the best day of the tour so far. Now, Saturday, we have a free day. There is a dance festival this afternoon which we can attend if we so choose, and there might be plans to visit a sauna later in the evening. One final day in beautiful Whistler.
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