Long Rehearsals and A Night at the Opera

We were up early and had a nice breakfast in our hotel. The rehearsals were at the Sheraton Times Square, which was a short walk from our hotel, the Hilton Garden Inn. There are four choirs performing together; our two, one from Ohio and one from Alberta. They have all been practicing the two pieces; Mozart's Vesperae Solennes and Mozart's Coronation Mass, but this is the first time they will be performing together. It's incredible how beautiful it sounded so very quickly. There are two conductors leading practices, and its interesting watching their different styles. There is also a very talented pianist, so I feel very fortunate to listen in. A commitment had been made to the parents of our student choir to ensure the students were always accompanied by adults so Lex and I joined a group of Charity's friends for lunch. One of them really wanted to go to Margaritaville in Times Square, so off we went. It was a wild 15-minute walk and a bit of a challenge, ensuring we kept all 9 of them together in the crazy crowds. There was so much to see, but we made it back to rehearsal just a few minutes late. After rehearsal, we had a short break before a group dinner at the Empire Steakhouse and then back on the bus to the Lincoln Center and Metropolitan Opera House. Both buildings were impressive. We had great seats for the production of Orfeo ed Euriduce. The orchestra was wonderful, the sets were really well done, and the chorus and dancers were so good. I'm not sure Opera is my thing, but I'm so glad I had a chance to experience it. We really enjoyed people watching, especially those who really dressed up. It was a very full but wonderful day.Read more