What a way to end our time in the heart of the French wine country!
Spiritus had one of its best concerts yet with a sing at Eglise Saint-Symphorien in the picturesque town of Nuit Saint Georges, about 20 km from Dijon. Eglise Saint-Symphorien is a rather old church with a cemetery but was recently renovated. The sound, like all the churches in which we have sung so far, was incredible, and I will busily work on getting a second Spiritus tour video up on YouTube featuring some of the sights of Dijon and surrounding area.
A last day in Dijon
Our morning started a little ominously with rain clouds rolling into the area - the first time for the tour. It did rain a bit but certainly not enough to dampen anyone's spirits. We had the morning free so I joined Dawn Coulter, George Fenwick and Kathy Hanna at the Musee des Beaux Arts in downtown Dijon, in the Palais des Ducs. We enjoyed some fine art, including sculptures and paintings.
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Part of a work featuring the various stages
of the Passion of Christ |
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| Adam and Eve |
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| A sculpture of Hébé and Jupiter as an eagle |
After a brief respite, it was time to get on the bus and head to Nuit Saint Georges for a rehearsal at Saint Symphorien, and then a dinner dressed in our concert attire. The dinner provided by Les Cultivateurs was the best yet - and yet, I left my camera back in the coach. Oh well, live and learn. I'm sure someone took pictures of the fabulous food...! The choir treated our hosts with a sing of Willan's
How They So Softly Rest.
A surprise audience and a brilliant sing
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| Eglise Saint-Symphorien |
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| Eglise Saint-Symphorien |
Our courier Marianne had warned us that she wasn't sure how many people would show up for our concert. After all, the church had hosted a concert earlier this week, so it was likely that there wouldn't be many people. However, after taking a few pictures, Spiritus delighted a rather full house. The concert featured the European premiere of our very own Ben Kim's
Gyeongbokkung Taryeong, as well as a number of pieces performed from memory. Personally, I think Willan's
How They So Softly Rest is quickly becoming a tour favourite (
check out how we sung it on YouTube), and it really worked in mixed formation. Bob Constantin was kind enough to record our performance of the
Epithalame from Daniel-Lesur's
Cantiques des Cantiques so on the five-hour ride to Tours, I'll try to put something together. In all, a fabulous performance that was very well received.
Let the competition begin!
So now, after concerts in Paris, Dijon and Nuit Saint Georges,
it's time to head to Tours for the 40e Florilège Vocal de Tours international choral competition! We leave Dijon bright and early tomorrow morning, so I'll have to leave this blog entry for now. Wish us luck!
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Spiritus Chamber Choir
Timothy Shantz, Artistic Director
Taken at Eglise Saint-Symphorien, Nuit Saint Georges, Framce
May 26, 2011 |
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