Hi all,
I´m struggling with a computer that has a broken key. It´s the letter between u and w. So I can´t properly type Lady Co_e. I´ll just use the underscore for that letter if I need it. In any case, this hotel here in Salzburg is absolutely beautiful and a perfect way to end our journey.
In addition to our competition in Debrecin, Hungary, we enjoyed non-competition performances in two stunning churches - one in Budapest and the other this morning just outside Salzburg in a beautiful town called (and my spelling might be incorrect) Mondsee.
Joan, my much better half, was right on cue and was there to greet us (me) in Budapest when our bus pulled up to the hotel there last week and has been with us (me) the rest of the way through Hungary and Austria.
I wouldn´t be able to put in words how wonderful, rewarding and exciting this trip has been, but I think it´s also safe to say that we´re looking forward to home. If there´s anyone out there still checking this blog and you´d like to come out to greet us, we´ll be on Air Canada out of Toronto scheduled to land in St. John´s at 8:28 Tuesday night. I think it´s flight 1160... or 1167... or something like that.
Thank you all as always for following our experience and for sharing your comments with us. See you in a couple of days! And just when it looks like I made it through this message without that pesky broken key, I must sign off....
Da_id.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Vienna
Hi everyone,
We arrived in Vienna early this afternoon after a fabulous couple of days in Budapest.
Budapest is a fascinating city. Gorgeous architecture everywhere you look as well as lots of green space. Everybody shopped a bit and many people took a "Hop On - Hop Off" bus tour -- a great way to see a lot of the city in a short time. The highlight of our time in Budapest -- if not the whole trip so far -- was singing in St. Stephen´s Basilica. It was a very emotional experience. Last night we enjoyed a traditional Hungarian dinner -- complete with goulash and musicians to serenade us while we ate -- at a restaurant near the Danube. And, of course, I can`t forget to mention the clean rooms and enormous buffet breakfast at the hotel. Total luxury after a week in the dorms (aka shedje).
Personally, I´m finding Vienna a little overwhelming. In a good way... So much ornate architecture everywhere you look. Those Hapsburgs really went all out. Plus, as musicians, this city has a lot of significance for us. Most of the heavies of the classical music world spent at least part of their careers in Vienna. We have lots of free time while we´re here and I think some bus tours, museum visits, and meals/drinks in outdoor cafes are in the works.
Only sad part is that a few people went home today. We miss them!!! Hope the trip home was smooth.
We arrived in Vienna early this afternoon after a fabulous couple of days in Budapest.
Budapest is a fascinating city. Gorgeous architecture everywhere you look as well as lots of green space. Everybody shopped a bit and many people took a "Hop On - Hop Off" bus tour -- a great way to see a lot of the city in a short time. The highlight of our time in Budapest -- if not the whole trip so far -- was singing in St. Stephen´s Basilica. It was a very emotional experience. Last night we enjoyed a traditional Hungarian dinner -- complete with goulash and musicians to serenade us while we ate -- at a restaurant near the Danube. And, of course, I can`t forget to mention the clean rooms and enormous buffet breakfast at the hotel. Total luxury after a week in the dorms (aka shedje).
Personally, I´m finding Vienna a little overwhelming. In a good way... So much ornate architecture everywhere you look. Those Hapsburgs really went all out. Plus, as musicians, this city has a lot of significance for us. Most of the heavies of the classical music world spent at least part of their careers in Vienna. We have lots of free time while we´re here and I think some bus tours, museum visits, and meals/drinks in outdoor cafes are in the works.
Only sad part is that a few people went home today. We miss them!!! Hope the trip home was smooth.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Budapest
Just a quick note to say we made it to Budapest. Gorgeous city. Will post more as time/internet access permit.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
I´m a proud male member of a women`s choir....
....and not just any women´s choir, ladies and gentlemen. Only one of the best in the world... officially. What an absolute joy and privilege it has been to work with these Ladies every day and night all week. Here it is nearly a week since we left St. John´s (which I´m missing very much...) and today (Saturday) was our first full free day to truly explore Debrecin on our own time and privately celebrate our hard-earned accolades.... after a night of much more public and louder celebrating last night. What a time.
Tonight, there´ll be a little more celebrating. Tomorrow morning we take part in a local church service, something I´m really looking forward to. Then we pack our things and it´s off to Budapest for a few days, then Austria.
The Ladies have been so wonderful and respectful to me as the only guy in the bunch. It´s an amazing honour to be here with them and for me to contribute in some small way as we have achieved all the goals we aimed for from the day our application for this competition was put forward last year. This is a very different and far superior choir than it was even just six months ago. It´s incredible what this calibre of performance and competition can do to and for a group. This was a true team effort from Kellie´s vision, to the actions of the board of directors, to the nitty-gritty of our most recent rehearsals and the huge effort of the singers (and accompanist...). The efficiency and effectiveness and open communication of this very fine group sets the highest example for any organization. Every objective set over our five years has been met and there´s much more in store.
I´m proud of Lady Cove, its high standard and the way we´re representing Newfoundland and Canada. I´m very, very proud.
We´re reading all of your comments every day, family and friends. Thank you so, so, so much for your involvement. Keep those comments coming. You´re here with us. Back home on the 12th...
All the very best,
David.
Tonight, there´ll be a little more celebrating. Tomorrow morning we take part in a local church service, something I´m really looking forward to. Then we pack our things and it´s off to Budapest for a few days, then Austria.
The Ladies have been so wonderful and respectful to me as the only guy in the bunch. It´s an amazing honour to be here with them and for me to contribute in some small way as we have achieved all the goals we aimed for from the day our application for this competition was put forward last year. This is a very different and far superior choir than it was even just six months ago. It´s incredible what this calibre of performance and competition can do to and for a group. This was a true team effort from Kellie´s vision, to the actions of the board of directors, to the nitty-gritty of our most recent rehearsals and the huge effort of the singers (and accompanist...). The efficiency and effectiveness and open communication of this very fine group sets the highest example for any organization. Every objective set over our five years has been met and there´s much more in store.
I´m proud of Lady Cove, its high standard and the way we´re representing Newfoundland and Canada. I´m very, very proud.
We´re reading all of your comments every day, family and friends. Thank you so, so, so much for your involvement. Keep those comments coming. You´re here with us. Back home on the 12th...
All the very best,
David.
A few more details...
Whew...the initial excitement is starting to wear off and I'm getting my head around the idea that we really did it! Last night, we celebrated at the Duke of Debrecen...good times.
So, here are a few more details. My blogging colleagues will fill in anything I leave out.
To give you a bit of context, there were no first and, if memory serves, no second prizes awarded in the Children's and Youth Choir categories. We saw those results before going in to get our own results and there was definitely a collective "gulp." The announcement for our category was kind of dramatic. There were four choirs in the Female Choirs group. The guy got up and announced that the first choir (from Hungary) received a mark of 69 point something. Then he announced the third place winner, the Greek choir, who got 79 point something. Then, he said there was no second prize and that first place was awarded to the other Hungarian choir who got 87.6. So, there we were clapping for the Hungarians and smiling graciously (if a little stiffly!)...and wondering what the heck was going on. I wondered if we had somehow been disqualified...none of us knew what to think. Then, the announcer broke in saying he had more good news...first prize was also being awarded us...with 88.2!!! It took us (well, me, anyway) a few minutes to realize what that meant. Anyway, that's how it all went down. We are beyond thrilled.
Today, I think we get to take it easy. We're singing in a local church tomorrow morning and then we have the closing concert and dinner in the evening. We're off to Budapest on Monday.
Even though the main event is over, we'll keep posting so you can hear what we're up to. Always an adventure with the gorgeous, talented, and FUNNY women of Lady Cove.
Oh yeah, and WE MISS YOU!!!
So, here are a few more details. My blogging colleagues will fill in anything I leave out.
To give you a bit of context, there were no first and, if memory serves, no second prizes awarded in the Children's and Youth Choir categories. We saw those results before going in to get our own results and there was definitely a collective "gulp." The announcement for our category was kind of dramatic. There were four choirs in the Female Choirs group. The guy got up and announced that the first choir (from Hungary) received a mark of 69 point something. Then he announced the third place winner, the Greek choir, who got 79 point something. Then, he said there was no second prize and that first place was awarded to the other Hungarian choir who got 87.6. So, there we were clapping for the Hungarians and smiling graciously (if a little stiffly!)...and wondering what the heck was going on. I wondered if we had somehow been disqualified...none of us knew what to think. Then, the announcer broke in saying he had more good news...first prize was also being awarded us...with 88.2!!! It took us (well, me, anyway) a few minutes to realize what that meant. Anyway, that's how it all went down. We are beyond thrilled.
Today, I think we get to take it easy. We're singing in a local church tomorrow morning and then we have the closing concert and dinner in the evening. We're off to Budapest on Monday.
Even though the main event is over, we'll keep posting so you can hear what we're up to. Always an adventure with the gorgeous, talented, and FUNNY women of Lady Cove.
Oh yeah, and WE MISS YOU!!!
Friday, August 1, 2008
WE WON!!!
They awarded first place to 2 choirs -- us and one of the Hungarian choirs -- BUT we got a mark of 88.7 and they got 87.6. So, we think that means we won super first prize.
We may sing in the grand prize competition...we have not found out yet. We'll keep you posted. Once again, thanks so much for your support and prayers and best wishes!!!
xoxo
We may sing in the grand prize competition...we have not found out yet. We'll keep you posted. Once again, thanks so much for your support and prayers and best wishes!!!
xoxo
Finals
Hi everyone,
We sang in the finals a few hours ago and we feel great about the performance. We could not have sung better, I don't think. So...now it's out of our hands. We get the results around 7:30 pm but I think we all feel that, no matter what happens, there is no way we could possibly be disappointed. I can only speak for myself, but our performances today and yesterday rank among my all-time best musical moments. And really, that's what it's all about.
Still...keep your fingers crossed...
One of us will write again as soon as we've got the results.
Also, thanks for checking in! It means a lot to us to know we have so many people at home supporting us.
We sang in the finals a few hours ago and we feel great about the performance. We could not have sung better, I don't think. So...now it's out of our hands. We get the results around 7:30 pm but I think we all feel that, no matter what happens, there is no way we could possibly be disappointed. I can only speak for myself, but our performances today and yesterday rank among my all-time best musical moments. And really, that's what it's all about.
Still...keep your fingers crossed...
One of us will write again as soon as we've got the results.
Also, thanks for checking in! It means a lot to us to know we have so many people at home supporting us.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Lady Cove Hits It Out Of The Park
Hi everyone,
It´s about an hour after our performance in the all-crucial semi-finals and the Ladies gave THE best performance at the most critical time. The Hungarian audience gave us the loudest possible ovation. In Hungary, instead of a standing ovation, they clap thundersously in unison and for a VERY long time when they love what they see and hear. That´s the ovation we received. It felt a little weird for me to bow with them having played five notes, but I´m proud of the way I played those notes. I gave those pitches with feeling.
But seriously, what I´m most proud of is to be here with this extraordinary group especially as they have peaked musically higher than ever. They´re giving better than their best.
I´ve been asked a lot about my role as the accompanist for Lady Cove in a year when (because of CBC rules and the regulations here in Debrecin) there is no accompanied repertoire permitted. In fact, my role is as intense as ever because I have to be on my game in other very specific ways... giving pitches at a moment´s notice immediately and on the correct beat in the correct measure when time is not on our side. The Ladies have also been very graciously accepting my (hopefully) constructive musical comments in rehearsals.
So here we are with a few hours on our hands until the results of the Women´s choirs category are announced this evening (6:50 here, 2:20 PM today in Newfoundland).
Am I rambling a bit? It´s because I have tons to say in very little time and I haven´t had a chance to express my thoughts until right now. Suffice to say that Lady Cove is serving Newfoundland and Labrador very beautifully over here as the finest representatives of the qualities that make Newfoundlanders so proud. It´s truly amazing to be here with them all and to feel as though I´m also contributing a little. I must also say that this morning´s performance was given on only a few hours of sleep at best as the weather here is very warm, the rooms small and without air circulation and the corridors quite noisy. I´m rolling along today on a combined 5 hours of sleep over two nights, but that`s okay under these exciting circumstances. Just another excuse to enjoy the local cappucino... over and over.
Kellie´s husband Rob arrived in the nick of time to watch our performance and will be with us through the rest of our journey. My far, far better half... heck... she´s at least my better two-thirds... will be in Budapest to greet me and the choir when we arrive there post-competition on August 4th and then enjoy a week of relaxed, casual travel.
Next up for Lady Cove (assuming the results are in our favour this evening...) is the final round tomorrow. So.. another VERY early rise and a race to the shared showers and toilets. It´s not as bad as it seems, really. It just means a daily wake-up at about 5:30 to race everyone else to the showers. Those choirs sharing the building with us are up very early. Before 6:00 this morning, the Japanese choir was jogging around the basketball court below my window while a Swedish singer was doing Tai-Chi for close to an hour. I don´t have much choice but to get up when I do because we have to leave the windows open for some air and we´re alongside a busy street which is humming with traffic as early as 5:00. I´m getting used to it, though. I think it´s amazing that we´re just 25 km from the Romanian border. In the centre courtyard of the concert hall where the competition is taking place, there´s a gigantic statue of Josef Sztalin (as spelled on its base) as a not-too-subtle reminder of how near to them that era of history remains.
Well, time to sign off. Sorry if this was too wordy, but my very tired head is spinning. It has been such a wonderful journey so far and we´re just getting started. Believe me, we´re all wearing our pride for Newfoundland and Labrador on our sleeves. I´ll try and check in with another post in a few days. Thank you, everyone, for being so supportive.
David.
(please forgive any typos you spot. The keyboards here are very different...)
It´s about an hour after our performance in the all-crucial semi-finals and the Ladies gave THE best performance at the most critical time. The Hungarian audience gave us the loudest possible ovation. In Hungary, instead of a standing ovation, they clap thundersously in unison and for a VERY long time when they love what they see and hear. That´s the ovation we received. It felt a little weird for me to bow with them having played five notes, but I´m proud of the way I played those notes. I gave those pitches with feeling.
But seriously, what I´m most proud of is to be here with this extraordinary group especially as they have peaked musically higher than ever. They´re giving better than their best.
I´ve been asked a lot about my role as the accompanist for Lady Cove in a year when (because of CBC rules and the regulations here in Debrecin) there is no accompanied repertoire permitted. In fact, my role is as intense as ever because I have to be on my game in other very specific ways... giving pitches at a moment´s notice immediately and on the correct beat in the correct measure when time is not on our side. The Ladies have also been very graciously accepting my (hopefully) constructive musical comments in rehearsals.
So here we are with a few hours on our hands until the results of the Women´s choirs category are announced this evening (6:50 here, 2:20 PM today in Newfoundland).
Am I rambling a bit? It´s because I have tons to say in very little time and I haven´t had a chance to express my thoughts until right now. Suffice to say that Lady Cove is serving Newfoundland and Labrador very beautifully over here as the finest representatives of the qualities that make Newfoundlanders so proud. It´s truly amazing to be here with them all and to feel as though I´m also contributing a little. I must also say that this morning´s performance was given on only a few hours of sleep at best as the weather here is very warm, the rooms small and without air circulation and the corridors quite noisy. I´m rolling along today on a combined 5 hours of sleep over two nights, but that`s okay under these exciting circumstances. Just another excuse to enjoy the local cappucino... over and over.
Kellie´s husband Rob arrived in the nick of time to watch our performance and will be with us through the rest of our journey. My far, far better half... heck... she´s at least my better two-thirds... will be in Budapest to greet me and the choir when we arrive there post-competition on August 4th and then enjoy a week of relaxed, casual travel.
Next up for Lady Cove (assuming the results are in our favour this evening...) is the final round tomorrow. So.. another VERY early rise and a race to the shared showers and toilets. It´s not as bad as it seems, really. It just means a daily wake-up at about 5:30 to race everyone else to the showers. Those choirs sharing the building with us are up very early. Before 6:00 this morning, the Japanese choir was jogging around the basketball court below my window while a Swedish singer was doing Tai-Chi for close to an hour. I don´t have much choice but to get up when I do because we have to leave the windows open for some air and we´re alongside a busy street which is humming with traffic as early as 5:00. I´m getting used to it, though. I think it´s amazing that we´re just 25 km from the Romanian border. In the centre courtyard of the concert hall where the competition is taking place, there´s a gigantic statue of Josef Sztalin (as spelled on its base) as a not-too-subtle reminder of how near to them that era of history remains.
Well, time to sign off. Sorry if this was too wordy, but my very tired head is spinning. It has been such a wonderful journey so far and we´re just getting started. Believe me, we´re all wearing our pride for Newfoundland and Labrador on our sleeves. I´ll try and check in with another post in a few days. Thank you, everyone, for being so supportive.
David.
(please forgive any typos you spot. The keyboards here are very different...)
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Listen to the competition live on the internet
Just found out that the competition will be broadcast live on the internet. To listen, you need to go to http://www.fonixinfo.hu/ It's not free, unfortunately -- the cost is 5 euros per day (approx. 7.50 CDN) and you can pay only for days we're competing. Setting up an account takes only a couple of minutes we're told. You start by clicking the banner that says "Bartok Bela XXIII Nemzetközi." The other catch is that our category is at 11:00 am tomorrow morning -- that's 6:30 am Newfoundland time. Lady Cove is scheduled to sing at 11:36, or 7:06 NT. Anyway, that's the deal if you want to tune in.
To bed! More tomorrow... Some of the other members of the choir have promised posts as well, so stay tuned.
To bed! More tomorrow... Some of the other members of the choir have promised posts as well, so stay tuned.
Getting into the zone...
Hi everyone,
Well, we compete tomorrow morning. We have to be at the hall at 7:30 am for a sound check...ugh. Then we've got rehearsal from 8-10 and the competition around 11:30. So, we're taking it easy today. I don't think any of us slept well last night. Jet lag may be catching up with, plus it was hot and noisy in the dorm. Several other choirs arrived yesterday -- I've spoken with people from Japan, the Philippines, and Sweden. Competition for the showers will be as fierce as the singing competition, I suspect!
We rehearsed for a couple of hours this morning, but we are chilling out this afternoon. I think naps are in the cards for many of us. The opening ceremony and concert are tonight. Today's rehearsal was great, so I think will go into the competition feeling good. We'll get the results of the first round tomorrow evening, so one of us will post as soon as we know whether or not we're going on to the finals on Friday.
In other news, we've found a nice outdoor spot for drinks at night -- nicknamed it the Duke of Debrecen! Great spot to gather and visit at the end of the day.
Weather continues to be stellar. Hot, but not too hot, and not humid at all.
Keep your fingers crossed for us tomorrow! More news soon...
Well, we compete tomorrow morning. We have to be at the hall at 7:30 am for a sound check...ugh. Then we've got rehearsal from 8-10 and the competition around 11:30. So, we're taking it easy today. I don't think any of us slept well last night. Jet lag may be catching up with, plus it was hot and noisy in the dorm. Several other choirs arrived yesterday -- I've spoken with people from Japan, the Philippines, and Sweden. Competition for the showers will be as fierce as the singing competition, I suspect!
We rehearsed for a couple of hours this morning, but we are chilling out this afternoon. I think naps are in the cards for many of us. The opening ceremony and concert are tonight. Today's rehearsal was great, so I think will go into the competition feeling good. We'll get the results of the first round tomorrow evening, so one of us will post as soon as we know whether or not we're going on to the finals on Friday.
In other news, we've found a nice outdoor spot for drinks at night -- nicknamed it the Duke of Debrecen! Great spot to gather and visit at the end of the day.
Weather continues to be stellar. Hot, but not too hot, and not humid at all.
Keep your fingers crossed for us tomorrow! More news soon...
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Getting settled in Debrecen
Amazing what a good night's sleep can do. As a group, we are 100% more cheerful than we were yesterday. Long journey was one thing, but when we finally arrived, we found our accomodations to be a little troubling. We´re staying in a hostel...weren't expecting luxury, but were hoping for clean. Kellie and Doreen handled the situation like total superstars and got us moved to a different floor in the same hostel -- all recently redone, CLEAN, and comfy. It´s close quarters for sure, but everyone is happy!
After the move last night, a bunch of us wandered to the main square -- only a short walk from the hostel -- for a drink and a snack. Lovely to unwind and visit. Today is a free day. We'll rehearse for a bit this afternoon, but otherwise spend the day exploring this beautiful city. I didn't have a clear idea what to expect from Debrecen but whatever expectations I had, they have been more than exceeded. Gorgeous architecture, lots of green, and outdoor cafes everywhere.
I'll try to post some pics on the Facebook page for the Lady Cove group.
After the move last night, a bunch of us wandered to the main square -- only a short walk from the hostel -- for a drink and a snack. Lovely to unwind and visit. Today is a free day. We'll rehearse for a bit this afternoon, but otherwise spend the day exploring this beautiful city. I didn't have a clear idea what to expect from Debrecen but whatever expectations I had, they have been more than exceeded. Gorgeous architecture, lots of green, and outdoor cafes everywhere.
I'll try to post some pics on the Facebook page for the Lady Cove group.
Monday, July 28, 2008
We made it!
Just a short note to say we made it to Debrecen safe and sound. Trip was long but uneventful, and the city is gorgeous. More soon...
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Welcome
Hi Ladies and LC fans -- welcome to the Lady Cove tour blog. We're off to Hungary on Sunday to compete in the Bela Bartok New Music Competition in Debrecen, Hungary! Please check in for updates...we'll try to post regularly.
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