Music

23 May, Whitianga to Rotorura

The comment I hear most thus far is “I keep saying this is the greatest thing I’ve ever done/seen, and every day it’s something new,” which just about sums up the general feeling at this point. Every part of every day is some new wonder, some new adventure, some new breathtaking view, and each moment feels like the greatest moment of your life. We’ve done such a variety of activities and each is absolutely mind-blowing in a different way. The feeling of bliss, of awe, is spread throughout the entire choir, and only grows with each new experience and interaction with the wonderful community of people here.

Day 4 we left early in the morning to drive to Whitianga – about a 3-hour drive around a bay area, through jungle-like, prehistoric-looking wilderness. Upon arrival, we had lunch and a rehearsal with the Mercury Bay Community Choir for our concert that evening. The concert itself was truly the best performance we’d ever put on as a choir. The audience was incredibly receptive – audibly and sometimes physically reacting to our pieces – which meant we sung them better than we ever had before, putting our whole collective soul into the music. Then we retreated to our host families – mine was with Lesley and Phill, who had known Professor Niblock from his earlier visits, and were so welcoming and kind to us.

Day 5 was the first big sightseeing day. Whitianga itself is gorgeous, located right on a bay, but exploring outside the city we were able to see such incredible sights hidden from the main roads. We woke early and went to see the Hot Beach, an area along the coastline where people bring shovels and dig in the sand, which causes hot steaming water to swell up and create natural hot tubs. The water was scalding, but we mixed it with the cold ocean water to balance it out. After that, Phill took the choir out in separate boat tours along the coast, where we were able to see Shakespeare Cliff, Lonely Bay, and Cathedral Cove (if you’ve seen “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian”, the beginning scene in Narnia was filmed there). The water was the clearest turquoise blue I’d ever seen, and the rock cliffs were stunningly white.

Once everyone had gotten a chance to go out, we all drove to go meet a local artist who combines his concepts with music, and explore around his home and the beach by him. We watched the sun set over the ocean, and all felt that now-familiar, all-encompassing bliss and peace sweep over us. That feeling only grew when we returned back to Whitianga, and the choir members and their host families all came to Lesley and Phill’s home for a potluck, which soon turned into a group singalong. I’d never felt such a feeling of family and love from people who had been complete strangers just the day before. Niblock truly did welcome us to his family here, and we could all see just what that meant to him, and understand why he returned so frequently.

Day 6 began with working with 4^th and 5^th graders from Whitianga’s school district, giving them constructive pointers and then performing a few songs for them. The students were much more receptive and engaged than we were expecting, and at the end they had us all sign autographs for them, insisting we’d soon be famous. We left there for a 3 hour hike up to Shakespeare’s Cliff, down to Lonely Bay, and across a couple of the mountains where the original Maori defensive position was. At the top of Shakespeare’s Cliff, we gathered and sang “Hine e Hine”, a traditional Maori song. The piece that we’d been singing for a year now suddenly had an entirely different energy and meaning to it – looking out across the bay at the cliffs and the islands with the sun shining on us, we felt the roots of the song, the inspiration for it, the connection with the island and the people and its history.

From Shakespeare’s Cliff we trekked down to Lonely Bay to see the beach cove, and then began hiking up across one of the mountains. This was my absolute favorite part of the day – seeing thee incredible scenery and looking out across Whitianga, but also getting to follow the small side trails and climb on the rocks and trees in the jungle, eyes wide with childlike wonder and joy. It was the most picturesque and lush playground I’d ever climbed through. After the hike we were dropped at our respective host families, entirely exhausted from the past few days, and spent the night having a last meal and packing to leave early the next day.

I cannot truly say how spectacular this trip has been thus far, and we are only halfway through. Each day brings some new wonderment, and elevates our joy and our sense of family as a choir. We don’t mind how much time we spend together, we don’t mind losing sleep to see the sights, we’re all so caught up in the beauty and the magic that is New Zealand. Many of us have mentioned that we don’t want to leave, that we truly would love to live here, and that’s a testament to just how welcoming and loving the people have been – it’s not the views that make Whitianga feel like a home, it’s the people. We don’t want to just be travelers, pass through and leave again, we want to be a part of the community, get to know the families and the histories even better. We came to New Zealand full of excitement and a thirst for adventure, and New Zealand took us in with open arms.

19 May, Auckland to Whitianga

Though we have only been in New Zealand a short while, and this is only our first stop, I am already in awe of the country. Auckland is a beautiful city, and experiencing the people and the culture is wonderful. Our days haven’t been packed yet, but that is much appreciated, because we are all still getting over the jet-lag, and enjoy having the freedom to explore the city in small groups.

Day 1 we landed in Auckland at 6 in the morning (NZ time), and spent the morning driving around the city and exploring various parts of it. We were all exhausted at this point, and to be honest I don’t think a single person was able to stay awake for the entire tour, but it was still exciting getting our first look at the place we’d all been dreaming about for months. We grabbed lunch in Devonport and explored around, before all going up 60 stories into the SkyTower overlooking the whole city. The view was wonderful, especially because we could see all the places we’d been wandering through that day.

Day 2 began with a choral workshop with Dr. Karen Grylls, and then we went to see the Holy Trinity Cathedral which has been in construction for 3 years, just now putting on the final touches. We sang “Le Pont Mirabeau” in a side chapel of the church, and then “Daemon Iripetit Coridus” in the main area – the final climactic chord echoed through the building up to the ceiling, shocking and somewhat startling us all. After that, we explored the War Museum and Memorial area. Being introduced to the rich history of New Zealand and the Maori people was incredibly interesting.

Day 3 we were set loose on Auckland, and allowed to go wherever we desired in the city – some went to art museums, others to the park, and myself and some others just wandered the city and the wharf. We reconvened in the afternoon at Takapuna Methodist Church, to have our first concert – a joint concert with the Auckland Youth Choir. Performing a couple of songs with them was phenomenal – their choir has about 100 members, and the sound we made singing together was incredibly powerful. It was also neat getting to meet Kiwis our age, and talking about the differences in their experiences and ours. In particular, we discussed American versus New Zealand slang, and the various phrases we used daily but almost never thought about.

The trip thus far has been phenomenal; all of us are in awe of just how beautiful the country is, and cannot wait to see the sights that await us.

Chamber Choir New Zealand Tour

16 May, San Francisco, California, 9:45 p.m.

We just left US soil, and what’s running through my head is a quote from Steinbeck’s East of Eden, which I think will prove to summarize our entire journey:

“It is a feeling in the stomach, a delight of the nerves, of the forearms. The skin tastes the air, and every deep-drawn breath is sweet. Its beginning has the pleasure of a great stretching yawn; it flashes in the brain and the whole world glows outside your eyes.”

Today we spent 6 hours exploring San Francisco, with a collective overwhelming sense of elation in experiencing it with one another.

We split off to wander Pier 39 for lunch, but then came together to see the Golden Gate Bridge. Joy radiated from us all, which climaxed when we gathered together and sang Estrellita impromptu. The interconnection, the feeling of jubilation bouncing off of one another and multiplying exponentially, even while still just on US soil, still only in day 1, was incredible.

Now, actually being on the plane, racing away from the US, a sense of suspended anticipation is settled over us. There is some level of worry, mainly for the extensive plane ride ahead of us; but for the most part, the thrill of the journey is rushing through us. Suddenly, New Zealand is tangible.

Chamber Choir New Zealand Tour

14 May, Meadville PA, 7:30p.m.

Well, everyone made it on the bus! To be honest, for a while it felt like we’d never make it, like the trip wasn’t actually going to happen. It still feels that way to an extent – like this is just another trip to Pittsburgh, rather than the initial launchpad of our 2-week adventure. Partially this feeling comes as a result of the end of the year – a combination of finals, packing, moving out, and graduation. For me, because I have another year, this was more from the difficulty and guilt which came with balancing spending time with the graduating seniors, while strongly feeling the pressure from time-sensitive New Zealand-related things. But we’ve made it – everyone is packed, dorms left bare, goodbyes exchanged, and we’re off!

As this is my first post, I’ll introduce myself a bit. I’m from Austin, Texas, majoring in English and double minoring in Political Science and Economics. Choir for me has always been my safe haven, the one thing that stabilizes me through the years. My mother is a church music/choir director, so I’ve been singing practically since the womb. Finding a challenging, warm, familial choir at Allegheny is one of my greatest blessings, and getting to experience a new culture, a new side of the Earth with this group means more than I can convey. We’ve become a true family, and I couldn’t imagine going on this trip without each and every member of the choir.

My worries going into this trip – not having enough time, and not having enough phone space for all the pictures I intend to take. 2 weeks seems so long, but I know it will fly by and will leave me feeling shorted. In order to see everything we have planned, some things will seem rushed, and priorities in destinations had to be made. That’s the curse of all travel though – it never seems long enough.

When I try and pinpoint what I’m most looking forward to, it’s getting the chance to experience a new culture, a new country, and doing so surrounded with people I love and people who have become family. Everyone here will see this trip through different eyes. By traveling with this diverse group of people, we get to share our different perspectives and collectively experience the adventure that is New Zealand. I couldn’t be more excited.

Friday, March 6, 2015 at 7:30 pm, Ford Memorial Chapel

Free Admission

• Schumann Piano Quintet, Alec Chien, Pianist

• Allegheny Chamber Choir, James Niblock, Conducting
  • Five Hebrew Love Songs (Eric Whitacre)
  • Elegischer Gesang (Beethoven, Op. 118)
• Brahms Piano Quintet, Alec Chien, Pianist