Day 8 to Day 10: Tours

Sorry for the blog silence everyone!

The hotel in Tours had intermittent internet access at best, and it could really only be guaranteed by having a European cell phone. Needless to say, I decided to wait until I had a more stable connection before attempting to update the blog. 

Day 8: Arrival in Tours 

Spiritus arrived in Tours last Friday afternoon after five hours of travel from Dijon. Incidentally, it was the only day of the trip that we had rain. We arrived in the early afternoon ready to sing in both of our categories for the Florilège Vocal de Tours competition. Our guides for the competition were two local students: Mary and Anne, who would work with our own courier Marianne (really, I can't make any of that stuff up). 

Category IV - Expression Libre 

Spiritus began its Florilège experience late Friday afternoon with its repertoire for Category IV. This repertoire included the commissioned Quiet by Calgary composer Allan Bevan, Sunset from the Stephen Chatman suite of Due West, and the traditional French-Canadian folk song Alouette, as arranged by Robert Sund. I think it's fair to say that after five hours on a bus, combined with the nerves of this being Spiritus' debut at international competition and a relatively flat venue, we admittedly did not sing our best, but it was a great way to get started. 

Category I - Chœurs Mixtes


There wasn't much time to rest to dwell on our Category IV performance: Category I came calling almost immediately after we finished our previous repertoire, and we still had to get to the Grand Theatre in downtown Tours! Thankfully, we were already dressed for the competition and were already warmed up. This repertoire consisted of Weinachten by Mendelssohn, the double-choir performance of Ave Maria by Victoria, and the haunting My Prayer by Bob Chilcott. This time around, Spiritus came ready to sing. In the words of Artistic Director Timothy Shantz, "that sounded a lot more like Spiritus". 

Results from Day One of competition 

That night, much of the choir found itself at a local Chinese buffet to await the results of the competition. A few glasses of blue Kir and a few plates of deep-fried Chinese goodness later, we received word that while we had not advanced to the Finals for Category IV, we did advance in Category I. That meant we couldn't have a late night, and we'd have to prepare another three songs.

Day 9: Renaissance Competition  

Day two of competition began with Spiritus competing in the Renaissance competition. The venue for this competition was a picturesque former monastery on the outskirts of Tours situated in the midst of a  The Renaissance group competed of eight singers: Krishan Power and Aaron Bartholomew on bass, Oliver Munar and Ben Kim on tenor, Boyd Hansen and Timothy Shantz as countertenors, and Katy Warke and Julie Crouch on soprano. The eight began the competition by singing the Ave Maria by Victoria that had previously been sung by the full chorus the day before. The octet was then pared down to a quintet (Julie, Boyd, Tim, Oliver and Krishan) for an additional two songs: Plaine de DeuilTriste Départ by Nicolas Gombert. The octet would then be restored for a performance of Dans le serain de sa jumelle flamme by Anthoine de Bertrand. It was a nice way to end the performance because Bertrand is buried at that monastery. Dennis Voth was nice enough to record the competition so I'll work on getting something posted, with some pictures from Tours.

The remains of an archway at a rather picturesque former
monastery: the site of the Renaissance competition

Spiritus' Renaissance octet
(L-R: Julie, Boyd, Ben, Katy, Tim, Oliver, Aaron, Krishan)

Category I - Chœurs Mixtes, Day Two of competition 

After the high from the Renaissance competition, it was time to prepare for the Final round for Category I. The repertoire would include The Fountain by Edward Elgar, the bold and brassy Benedictus from Giles Swayne's Missa Tiburtina, and the bell-tones of the Epithalame from Daniel-Lesur's Cantiques des Cantiques (which, incidentally, was recorded in Dijon at Eglise Saint-Symphorien and made into a video that has been posted to YouTube). Spiritus joined three other choirs in the Final round: the University of Maryland Chamber Singers, the University of Houston Concert Chorale and the Parahyangan Catholic University Choir from Indonesia. Spiritus definitely went for its performance and came away rather satisfied. However, later that afternoon, we found out that the adjudicators chose the University of Maryland Chamber Singers to represent the category in the final Grand Prix round of the competition, putting an end to Spiritus' competition. With that known, Spiritus enjoyed a rather spirited gathering in a parking lot adjacent to our hotel to celebrate the experience of our first international trip, which culminated in our first international competition at which we advanced to the final round of our category.


Day 10: Results from Tours


Sunday morning and afternoon were free for us to tour around Tours. But that evening, we returned to the Grand Theatre in downtown Tours for the results of the competition. Spiritus won second prize in Category I (behind the University of Maryland and tied with the University of Houston). We also won the French Ministry of Culture award for the whole competition, with special commendation for our performance of Daniel-Lesur's Epithalame. Congratulations to everyone for their hard work and dedication for this trip and competition!


For those who are curious, the Grand Prize winner of the whole competition was Harmonia Ensemble from Tokyo, Japan. Amazing group, in my humble opinion.


Farewell to Tours


After the announcement of the prizes, all the choirs congregated at the Place de la Résistance to each perform a few numbers for the families gathered there. Spiritus sang Train from Stephan Chatman's suite Due West and the French-Canadian standard Alouette, arranged by Robert Sund.

Spiritus' "cultural costume"

Marian Zekulin enjoys some high-calibre choral performances
at the Place de la Rèsistance in downtown Tours

The day culminated in a mass choir singing Beethoven's Ode to Joy not once but twice, accompanied by a brass band. We then made our way to City Hall for a reception that featured a combined performance of Leonardo Dreams of this Flying Machine by Eric Whitacre with Spiritus and the University of Houston Concert Chorale, which both groups had prepared for the Grand Prix round. Before I left the hall, I also heard performances from the University of Maryland and the Parahyangan Catholic University Choir.


I'll have a final entry for this blog before shutting it down. It will feature our detour to the castle Chenonceau on the way back to Paris where the majority of the choir will enjoy a last night in France with the choir.


A la prochaine!

Day 3: Concert day

Our first concert is in the books!

Spiritus Chamber Choir entertained some rather appreciative music lovers while visiting Eglise-Ste-Anne-de-la-Butte-aux-Cailles today.

Church bells calling

Our first performance was at a Sunday morning Mass at Eglise-Ste-Anne. And while the architecture was beautiful, the sound was other worldly. I really enjoyed giving pitches in that church because the acoustics wold allow me to harmonize with myself. The congregation participated with us throughout - led by our cantor, Denis, we sang a number of French hymns, while also performing Taverner's Song for Athene, Victoria's Ave Maria and the Epithalame from Lasur's Cantique des Cantiques.

For lunch, we again scattered around the area. A bunch of the tenors and basses headed to a quaint little cafe where €18 would get you a three-piece meal! Myself, I definitely enjoyed my lamb with fine herbs, but the beef bourgignon was a big hit too.

And then there were 37...

Sunday also marked the return of bass Bob Serrano. To call his journey to France an ordeal would be an understatement, but let's just say that we're very happy that he was able to join us for today's performances. I'd imagine that as I'm writing this, he's catching up on the jet lag that everyone else has shaken off, somewhat.

A Spiritus first

Spiritus trivia alert: what's the site of Spiritus' first-ever concert in France? The answer: Ste-Anne-de-la-Butte-aux-Cailles in Paris! I'd also accept Eglise Ste-Anne in short.

An appreciative audience gathered on Sunday afternoon to listen to Spiritus go through most of its tour programme. The sounds coming back from both the audience and the building itself were rather pleasing. Whitacre's Leonardo was definitely a favourite, with some members of the audience listening with widened eyes as Spiritus took them on a journey of flight. They also nodded and smiled appreciatively as the double choir hit cadence after cadence in Victoria's Ave Maria. In all, it was a wonderful way to kick off our France trip.


Last night in Paris

After the concert, we were once again left to our own devices. Myself, I fulfilled a life-long dream to visit the hallowed grounds of Roland Garros for the first day of competition at the French Open grand slam tennis tournament. I missed the match featuring Canadian Rebecca Marino but I still caught some action on the outer courts.

Our visit to Paris concludes with a sing at the famous Cathédrale Notre Dame de Paris, tomorrow morning.We're scheduled to have a couple of hours of free time before we have to leave the city for Dijon, our home for the next few days.

Pictures are coming, folks! A demain!

Day 2: A Canadian Day in Paris

I seriously can't move my feet. And I wouldn't trade that for anything in the world.

Today was the only open day for us and, as expected, we scattered around the city - and in some instances, beyond the Péripherie - to take in our own slice of Paris. Over the next few days, I'll be asking various choristers to share their experience so that I don't bore you with my own account of Paris. However, seeing as how I'm the blogger, I'm going to start with the highlights of my day.

Oliver Munar's day in Paris

I'm absolutely enraptured. And it had nothing to do with a so-called Apocalypse Day.

I embarked on became an epic journey with Boyd Hansen, Paul Newman and Julia Millen. We hopped on the Metro to return to the Arc de Triomphe, also known as Etoile. It was early on the Saturday morning, the sun was shining brightly but unfortunately, the stairwells to get to the top of the Arc de Triomphe - which is home to some impressive views of the city - were closed. A small disappointment, but the four of us got some great pictures of the four scenes on the Arc de Triomphe: Cortot's The Triumph of 1810, Etex's Resistance and Peace, and the famous La Marseillaise by Rude. I vowed that given the opportunity, I would try to return to the Arc to get on top of it...

Oliver Munar, Julia Millen and Boyd Hansen
at the Arc de Triomphe.

The long walk begins

The Arc de Triomphe sits along the famous Champs d'Elysées. Even on an early Saturday morning, the avenue was alive and buzzing, mainly with people enjoying petit dejeuner at the various cafes along the street. It was a gorgeous morning for a walk, but we veered away from the Champs de'Elysées for a return to Invalides.

A visit with Napoleon

Saint-Thomas-des-Invalides
The final resting place of Napoleon Bonaparte

Napoleon's tomb

Les Invalides is a series of buildings that relate to the rich French military history. The golden dome of the Chapel-de-Saint-Louis-des-Invalides is prominent in the Parisian skyline. It marks the place under which the tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte, the famous Emperor of France, can be found. We visited the crypt under the main floor of the chapel for a reminder of Napoleon's various accomplishments, including the Napoleonic code and the metric system. It was about this time that my camera battery started giving out, so I became a little more selective of what I would take a picture of. Lesson learned: charge the camera battery nightly and definitely endeavour to get a second one.

A fit-for-purpose visit to the Louvre

After a jaunt through the Tuilleries Gardens, which connects the Place de la Concorde (the endpoint of the Champs d'Elysees that is marked with the famous Obelisk) to the Louvre, we met a large group of fellow choristers to take advantage of a quick admission into the Louvre. Once inside, many of us made a bee-line for the museum's biggest attractions: La Joconde (better known as the Mona Lisa), the Venus de Milo, the Coronation of Napoleon. These are incredible works that now, I can say I have seen with my own eyes. However, on Boyd's urging, we also visited the lavish apartments of Napoleon III, the nephew of the famed French emperor. Those rooms were absolutely fantastic and well worth the visit.

The Inverted Pyramid, at the underground entrance to the Louvre.

La Joconde

Aphrodite of Milos

The dining room in the Napoleon III apartments

A special visit to the Eiffel Tower

After a quick return back to the hotel, which included recharging my camera battery, a group of us made a trip to the Eiffel Tower. We came to celebrate the 65th birthday of one of our own, Marian Zekulin. After all, when will be the next time I can celebrate any birthday at the Eiffel Tower? Incidentally, our date at the Eiffel Tower coincided with the prediction of the so-called "rapture" that was supposed to happen at 6pm in every time zone. Sufficed to say, the only rapture was figurative, because we had an incredible birthday celebration for Marian.

After dinner, a few of us braved a trip up the stairs from the first to the second level of the Eiffel Tower, an estimated 300 steps (we had a free lift ticket to take us from the ground to the first level, where the restaurant for Marian's birthday is located). It was a tough climb, but I kept telling myself it would burn off the calories taken in from Marian's cake at dinner and the glass of wine that came along with it. When in Paris, right? After conquering m fear of the ascent and taking pictures of the city, we descended to the ground. The the foursome was now expanded to include Justin Jalea, Nina Hornjatkevyc and Wes Nickel.

We arrived a little late for dinner...

...to celebrate Marian's birthday!
(By the way, this is the card she received from
her fellow altos from the Calgary Philharmonic Chorus!)

Marian and the Spiritus friends who helped
celebrate her birthday at the Eiffel Tower.

We left the Eiffel Tower as the sun was going down.

A return to the Arc de Triomphe

It turns out that my vow to return to the top of the Arc de Triomphe was going to be realized. The seven of us hopped the Metro to the Arc de Triomphe - this time at night. Along the way, we saw the Eiffel Tower light up, but we had to hurry because the Arc de Triomphe would soon be closing. Thankfully, we reached it in time, and we climbed another 267 steps - yes, I counted, both up and down - to take in the view from the top of the Arc de Triomphe. We spent a lot of time looking down along the now-busy Champs d'Elysées and the now-glowing Eiffel Tower. We would later stroll down the now-jammed Champs d'Elysées to soak in a bit of the street energy from the lifeline of Paris.

The Champs Elysées from the top of the
Arc de Triomphe

Let the singing begin

So now, day two has come to a close. That can only mean one thing: it's time to sing. Our first concert on this trip is Sunday afternoon at Eglise Ste-Anne de Paris, which Tim has hinted will be rather short. Sometimes I forget we're on a choir... Anyway, I'll have pictures in the morning when my camera battery is juiced up so until then, bonne nuit à tous!

I don't like jet lag.

It's 6:00 am in Paris. I'm impressed that my body allowed me even five hours of sleep.

It was a very long day yesterday. I had to be at the airport at 10 am in Calgary to catch a 1pm flight to Frankfurt, and in the process, moving my watch forward eight hours. I then sat around the airport for two-and-a-half hours, hopped a 45-minute flight to Paris, toured around the city until 4pm, checked into the hotel, had dinner at 730pm and finished the night at a cafe. You'd THINK my body would be screaming at me to get rest.

Instead, I was up at 430 am, and I'm now watching the sun colour the sky as it comes over the horizon, and listening to the sounds of the City of Lights. This place is amazing.

Today is our "free day" on the schedule. Everyone is pretty much scattering around the city, from a fantastic-sounding flea market in the northern part of the city to the rather touristy things such as visits to the Arc de Triomphe and the Louvre. Some of us will then convene to celebrate a birthday at the Eiffel Tower, which I know will be fabulous.

I won't bore you with what I plan - let's just say it has nothing to do with a flea market but everything to do with walking shoes and, quite possibly, my wallet - but I'm just hoping my body keeps up with me. Save the rest for when I really need it: tomorrow's performance at Eglise Ste-Anne.

Day 1: We have arrived!

It was a long haul, but Spiritus Chamber Choir has landed in France. We have settled in Paris for the next few days.

Some of the choir at a popular picture point of the
Eiffel Tower at Trocadéro Square.

We arrived to a rather warm and humid Paris. Upon arrival at Charles de Gaulle airport, we met our courier Marianne, and slowly made our way into downtown Paris, where we explored a bit of the area around Opèra Garnier and the Trocadéro, which is home to one of the greatest views of the Eiffel Tower. We then completed our whirlwind bus tour of some of the more popular spots in Paris that we will be sure to revisit in the coming days, including the Louvre, Place de la Concorde, Champs-Elysées and L'Arc de Triomphe. There will also be a lot of museum visits, with the famed Musée d'Orsay high on many people's lists, because of its famed collection of impressionist works.

We've now checked into our hotel and had a wonderful group dinner. A few of us even lingered afterward and did some more sidewalk cafe-watching before finally calling it a day. It's definitely been a long day for all of us and we are looking forward to finally getting some much-needed rest. Tomorrow will include a visit to the Louvre but is relatively open for many people, so there will definitely be lots of stories to share.

A la prochaine, tout le monde!

On the bus heading into Paris

Boyd Hansen, Paul Newman and
Oliver Munar doing as Parisians do:
people-watching at a café

On the way to the L'Arc de Triomphe,
via the much-celebrated Champs-Elysées.

Three more sleeps…!

I can hardly contain my excitement.

It's Monday morning, and barely 12 hours after the last Take Flight! concert with Spiritus Chamber Choir before we go abroad. My bags are still not packed and there's still quite a bit to do.

TAKE FLIGHT! - a review

Last night's concert went rather well. There were a few rough patches, and a plea from Tim Shantz to engage both him and our audience a little bit more. I'll definitely have to remember that. I suppose many of us were a little nervous for one reason or another. But on the whole, the audience seemed to enjoy it. I especially enjoyed having Calgary composer Allan Bevan present so he could hear his commissioned piece Quiet for the first time in concert (he wasn't present when SPIRITUS gave Quiet its world premiere on May 7).

We still have some work to do on some of our competition pieces but for the most part, I'm fairly certain everything is taking shape. For the first time since March, we performed the pieces written by fellow SPIRITUS members Georgina Craig (Alberta Autumn, Intruders) and George Fenwick (Cold Spell). It was nice to sing those again - we hadn't sang those pieces since our collaborative concert with the Canadian Chamber Choir. In addition, the Renaissance singers had a first opportunity to perform their pieces so that was a nice addition to the tour repertoire.

Stay connected with SPIRITUS

SPIRITUS takes flight this coming Thursday. We land in Paris on Friday morning and immediately take a tour of the sites including the Eiffel Tower and the l'Arc de Triomphe. I've been asked to maintain a blog of our French adventure so please come back often and I'll try to have as many updates as possible - including how we fare at the prestigious Florilège Vocal de Tours competition.

Many thanks for all your support! Stay tuned!