Chapel Choir Tour to Poland – October 2008
This was an excellent trip, one which consisted of excellent leisure activities and good singing. The only let down were the logistics, for there was an issue with pretty much every venue where we performed. However, we coped admirably and sang with aplomb.
I must admit that I was worried that Poland would seem like an ex-Soviet state, dark and dingy with a lack of cleanliness. I was proved utterly wrong. The country was a joy to be in, and the large shopping mall was a large reminder of that fact. However, Poland has built new buildings without forgetting the old, and it had a marvellous selection of old buildings. The one exception to this was the day when we visited the school, and it was a stark reminder how lucky we are in Britain that our lives are not terrorised by the “hooligang” and that we have roofs over our heads.
Leisure-wise, this was the best Chapel Choir Tour that I had been on – we were in the centre of Krakow, with a good nightlife and a large selection of shops. The Salt-Mine was an excellent attraction to visit, and Auschwitz was one of the mostwhile experiences of my life.
All this wasn’t detrimental to the music, as we consistantly pumped out excellent performances, often without much (or any) rehearsal. We coped with the continental organs (we can categorically state that Poland houses no good organs!) and spacial challenges in the venues.
There are several names to be mentioned, firstly a great thank you to Mr Leach, who organised and led the trip alongside conducting us. Everything that went wrong was put right quickly and it was a very enjoyable tour. Thanks to Mr Saunders who coped exceptionally well with the “interesting” organs, and was great company too. Thanks to Miss Gartland for coming back one last time, and thanks for Mr Stansbury for strengthening “Team Tenor”. Thanks go to Mrs Steensma for singing Alto and to the Headmaster for singing Bass, and holding the tour together at times. His conducting at the start of the first mass was sublime!
There is one last name to mention. I have shared 6 foreign tours with Sam Wilson over the last 5 years, and this was to be our last together. It has been an excelent time of my life, and hope to tour abroad with Sam again at some point in the future – thanks for keeping me company and being an excellent room-mate.