A Letter of Greeting

-
Dear Choristers,
Welcome to Russia!
Our adventures have scarcely begun, but we can rest this first night satisfied with how far we have already come. We have reached our destination through a communal effort.
Some of you have created beautiful art for the purpose of this trip – new symbols of our group that will last for years to come. Others printed music for the rest of the chorus. Some volunteered contacts in Russia who booked us concerts. Some led the musical  preparation for the tour. Some traveled far to submit and collect visa applications. Some transliterated new music. Some have volunteered their finances, others time, others energy and wisdom.
Some, of course, have done more than others – and to them we are thankful beyond measure. But now is the hour when all join together equally in the great work we have gathered to do, which is the making of song. We have come here through the efforts of many, but we will succeed here only through the efforts of all. Every voice counts, reminding me of lines written long ago: “Everyone’s voice was suddenly lifted / and beauty came like the setting sun.” But I would not say it that way. This is not the setting of a sun, but its rising, and the dawn of a new era for the chorus. We are the vanguard.
Yours, always,
Stepan Sveshnikov
Location: Moscow, Russia

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Final Day

-
Image
by Kit Lorentz On the morning of our last day, diverse groups fanned out to diverse activities and sites — various museums, shopping downtown or in the flea market, or just a contemplative walk in the woods near the hotel.  Some weary ones slept in and took a breather from the rigors of successive days of brisk long walks, long times standing in Church service, relentless sightseeing and late-night revels around town or in the hotel’s “Garage Bar”. In the late afternoon everyone gathered at the Spaso House, in the old Arbat district.  This elegant 1913 NeoClassical mansion, originally built by a prominent Russian industrialist, has been the American Ambassador’s residence since 1933 and has been the venue of many an extravagant ambassadorial fête.  Stepan, during his Fulbright scholarship, had been in communication with several of the staff including Ambassador John Huntsman, and had been given a significant State Department grant to help fund this YRC Russian Tou
Read more

Saint Petersburg

-
by Andrew Scott On this rest day a group of choristers, myself included, decided to travel to St. Petersburg and explore the city. We boarded a sleeper train for an overnight ride to the former Russian capital. It was an exciting journey, filled with lackluster sleep and bunk beds that were too small for my above-average height. We made it to St. Petersburg early in the morning and immediately set out into the city. We admired the wide boulevards, the intricate facades of the Savior on the Spilled Blood church, and the KFCs which were along our path. The most important part of our walk, however, was its destination: the Hermitage. An intricate complex of buildings, the Hermitage contains a truly massive collection of artwork. We were treated to a free tour of part of the Hermitage, a sign of our growing clout (and a tour originally meant for two people, not fifteen, but nevermind that). The most interesting part of the tour was the well protected Gold and Diamond Ro
Read more

Back to Our Roots

-
Image
by Stepan Sveshnikov After a morning rehearsal we all headed to the Red Square. We wanted to recreate that famous photo in front of Saint Basil’s Cathedral and Emma Kazaryan, our videographer, wanted to film us singing in Red Square, and an echo and tribute to the old black and white footage of the Mickiewicz chorus gathering a public crowd. The photo – as you can see – was a success. If we manage to produce an album from our four recordings, it will make a splendid cover. The almuni: Connor, Malcom, Anastasia, Alton, Agata, Father Bill, Brock, Ladislav, Hank, Reed, Ernie, Beau, Phil, Elvis, Lance, Stepan, Peter, Michael, Dave, Alaric, Kit, Brooks We intended to sing on Red Square next, but because of a festival and a security drill we couldn’t get onto the square, so we sang off to the side, on the road that leads down to Saint Basil’s. A bit nervously at first, but with more confidence as a crowd gathered (half Chinese tourists half Russians) an
Read more