Continental Shift: Trinity Choir wins new fans in NZ & USA
Friday 25 July 2008
Singing the Sunday services on four consecutive Sundays on opposite sides of the world – in some of the major cathedrals and churches of New Zealand and the USA – was just one highlight of the Choir’s latest international tour.
The Choir of Trinity College outside the National Cathedral in Washington DC where they sang two Evensong services.
Another was making a host of new friends and fans in both countries. These included the Headmaster of the St Thomas’ Church Choir School in New York, who declared the Trinity choir to be ‘the best visiting choir’ he could remember.
However, this tour presented something of a problem even before departure. ‘Heading into winter for a week (and, even by New Zealand standards, unseasonably cold weather!!) before flying into high summer in the USA made packing even more difficult than usual,’ says Director of Music Michael Leighton Jones.
‘Our first venue was Wellington Cathedral, where we sang the Sunday services for St Peter’s Day (29 June) together with the resident choir, directed by former Trinity Director of Music, Michael Fulcher. Then it was off to Wanganui for two concerts and a memorable introduction to Maori culture at the Wanganui Regional Museum, before returning to Wellington on Tuesday evening to rehearse for our joint concert – mainly Vaughan Williams – with Wellington Cathedral Choir on Wednesday 2 July. Radio New Zealand Concert FM recorded this event for later broadcast.’
Severe weather closed roads, ports and airports throughout the country, but the Choir managed to reach their accommodation in the middle of the island, just to the south of Lake Taupo.
‘En route to Auckland on Friday 4 July we presented a lunchtime concert in Hamilton Cathedral, where the Dean, Trinity alumnus Jan Joustra, made us very welcome. Once in Auckland we joined forces with Auckland Choral to present a public concert, during which our contribution was almost upstaged by the violent thunder outside! Sunday morning service at Holy Trinity Cathedral preceded a ‘yum cha’ lunch before we set off for Auckland International Airport to commence the US stage of our tour,’ Michael says.
Due to the quirks of the International Date Line, the Choir arrived in San Francisco before they’d left Auckland! In reality, this meant they had Sunday twice and spent two nights on planes before arriving in Boston on Monday 7 July.
Sightseeing at the White House.
Michael continues: ‘Our accommodation was at the Episcopal Divinity School – pleasantly Spartan, but very handy to downtown Cambridge, Massachusetts and the delights of Harvard Square. Sightseeing followed a short concert in the Old North Church, Boston – made famous by Paul Revere at the time of the American Revolution. A fast ferry took us to Provincetown en route to our next concert in Hyannis where we sang to benefit a local project for homeless people.
‘Thence to our first concert in New York City and the welcoming faces of the Warden and Bishop Andrew St John at the Church of the Transfiguration. Our accommodation at St Thomas’ Church Choir School proved a real boon and its conveniently central position launched many exciting expeditions to museums, galleries and 5th Avenue shops.
‘Our Sunday Choral Eucharist on 13 July was webcast, after which we drove to Washington D C to sing two Evensongs at the National Cathedral on Tuesday and Wednesday. We flew back to San Francisco on Thursday to sing the Sunday morning service at Grace Cathedral (also podcast), as well as concerts at Mission San José (Fremont) and St John’s Church, Ross.
After three weeks of travelling, performing, sightseeing and learning a great deal about their host countries on both sides of the Pacific, Michael and the Choir have now returned home, ‘tired, but proud of our achievements'.