Lots happening, and not much time to write about it. Laura and I discussed this, and we blame Furman. Since they have gone on a semester schedule their term is ending much earlier, and that’s thrown us off completely. I think, “Oh, Furman’s commencement is next weekend, so my school must be winding down” when we actually have a month more to go. With the compressed schedule, it seems like more is happening each weekend, and this past one was no exception.
Thursday Night
I did a photo walk with my Flickr friends Eric Morris (RestedTraveler) and James Wellman (geoman78). James is moving back to Massachusetts, so this was a last walk downtown for him to get photos.
As usual, we met at Falls Park then wandered through town. Our route this time took us up a little-known staircase from McBee Ave to the Church Street Bridge. From there we wandered over to Christ Church to take some photos. Here are a few of the ones from that walk…
Friday Night
Friday was our first rehearsal with orchestra for the Greenville Chorale’s performance of the Verdi Requiem. Since this was our first time together on this piece, things were a bit ragged. The designated tenor soloist was sick, so Keith Jones from Spartanburg was filling in.
Saturday
Several of my fellow singers and I gathered at Soby’s on the Side for breakfast before our dress rehearsal for the Verdi Requiem.
After that came the rehearsal itself, and lunch at Belgian Delights. The afternoon was spent in a stupor. I had been going strong all week, so I completely collapsed, and managed to take a two-hour nap.
The concert itself went very well. The Requiem is a stirring piece, and has huge dramatic portions that really rouse the audience. It was well-received by both the audience and local critics.
I’m just glad to have Monday nights back for awhile, at least, until August.
You’re not singing this summer? Bummer. Of course, with your Chamber Chorale gig, I can understand – you don’t get a break otherwise.
I know the stairway you mentioned. Back in the early 90s, I spent a lot of time walking Greenville. Didn’t have a camera at the time, and I was quite attentive to things. I get nervous feeling the slabs of that bridge (Church St) quiver when vehicles whiz by me.
Happy Cinco de Mayo! I’m meeting a friend or two at 4:30 to salute with a couple shots of tequila. Might be too cool to drink that beverage, though.
Yeah, I used to sing with the Piedmont Men’s Chorale during the summer, but I found that to be a bit much with all of the Chorale engagements. Plus, that concert always falls within my tech conference/vacation weeks. It’s as much a scheduling problem as anything.
Speaking of music, I saw where the NC Symphony and a chorus were doing the Verdi Requiem up in the Triangle this spring. One concert was to be in the concert hall in Raliegh, but the other was to be in the Duke Chapel! I can’t imagine trying to do that work in a place as reverberant as the Duke Chapel. Got to sing in there once with FBC Clemson College Chorale, and it’s not good for fast paced or loud music. The Agnus Dei would’ve sounded nice, but the rest? Scares me to think of the task the performers would face.