Back in America

Arriving home on Monday was a terrible shock...Sunday we performed the Requiem twice in The Hague and had a final meal together by the Nordic Sea. Saying 'goodbye' proved difficult: at the restaurant it took almost a half-hour to say our 'thank yous' and 'goodbyes' to our new Amsterdam family and when we got back to the hotel the conductors gathered together for a final drink - and that went on for another two hours. Working on this piece, spending this concentrated time together on an issue that is truly significant to us, has bonded us very quickly and very deeply. At least for me, that was an unexpected -and wonderfully precious - gift from the workshop.

So that made Monday all the more disconcerting...home and suddenly thinking about starting school, church and returning to rehearsals for the musicals I am directing, as well as college choir rehearsal starting in two weeks. However, I did talk and begin working on the Requiem: at church, I invited my choir to come join us in Bethlehem - an unrealistic request, since many will still be at work, but they are loving, caring, compassionate people who might very well enjoy an opportunity to be part of such a thing. At school, we decided to involve as many people as possible (all of the vocal majors will sing, all of the dancers will dance) and we decided to perform it twice, in both the afternoon and evening, to create more publicity and allow more people to hear and participate in the work. More importantly, we started learning the music - the students really seem to like it and are very excited about being a part of this project. That makes me very happy and proud of every one of them!

The school week ended with a wonderful surprise: Sylvia and Peter are coming to the United States next week! They are trying to create more performances for us - at the United Nations on 16 October and then sometime during the G8 Summit during the week of 19-25 October in Washington D.C. To do those concerts would be the high point of anything our school has done in it's five year history. We would truly be using our art for the good of millions of people; that is perhaps the most important lesson we can teach our students about their artist endeavours. And the best part is that Sylvia and Peter plan to visit us on Friday, 14 September and that will be a wonderful experience for everyone in the school; it will be a joy to see these new friends again. So next week will be filled with rehearsals to ensure our visitors have something to hear and see; it is wonderful to be involved with this project and I do hope that our work on and performance of this piece will inspire all those who perform and hear it to dedicate themselves to the death of poverty.