The CCC Concert and Tour Choirs will open the second half of the shows this weekend with this medley of traditional Christmas carols called “Let The Caroling Start,” arranged by the one and only Gary Fry. If you haven’t found it already, we hope this video puts you on the road to finding your “Christmas spirit” here in early December.

Don’t forget to share this video with friends and family on Facebook or Twitter.  See you this weekend at the concerts!

Susie began working for the Chorale in 1988 as a music assistant to Chorale Founder Duain Wolfe. With a background in music education, conducting and performing, she assisted Bob Wells, the Chorale’s long-time stage director, with stage movement and choreography. It wasn’t long before Brad was asked if he would consider making an appearance as Santa. With his professional dance background, Brad enthusiastically agreed!

The collaboration went so well that Brad was invited back for a second year. It was in 1992 that Susie received an invitation to appear as Mrs. Claus, which served as a brief respite from her child wrangler duties backstage during the Christmas concerts. With few exceptions, Brad and Susie have been choreographing and appearing as the dancing Santa and Mrs. Claus ever since, although there was one notable occasion where Mrs. Claus was actually the featured visitor from the North Pole, leaving Santa to the role of secondary ornamentation.Click to view slideshow.

Of course, their most memorable appearances were those when events didn’t go exactly as planned. During one particular Christmas concert, they had an awkward moment when their belt buckles locked together during a fast dance number and they couldn’t break apart when they, ahem, should have.

They have entered on an assortment of wheeled vehicles, one of which Santa crashed into a wall during a show in Estes Park. There was also an occasion in Boettcher Concert Hall when both Santa and Mrs. Claus entered on an electric scooter, their combined weight exceeding the scooter’s limit by at least five times. This is likely the reason the handle bars failed when Santa tried to steer it. Mrs. Claus, feeling a sense of urgency from Santa, who was trying to stop the now uncontrollable scooter from careening into the first two rows of an unsuspecting audience, threw her arms around Santa’s stomach and held on for dear life. It was at this moment that she discovered her dress had become entangled in the back wheel of the scooter!

Another fond memory is the year when Santa’s monofilament beard got caught between his glove and the nylon rope down which he was repelling from the Dress Circle 2 balcony, causing it to ignite from the heat. Santa, however, was focused on the fact that he was supposed to be center stage within seconds; ignoring the stagehand graduate assistants trying to put out the smoking fire, he took off, only to later learn that he left half of his beard melted to the rope.

In “real” life, Brad and Susie have other occupations and activities to fill their time, but they continue to cherish their friendship and association with the Chorale and believe their experiences with the children and staff have enriched their lives beyond measure. Two of their own children are former Chorale members, and they are thrilled that their granddaughter is now enjoying her first season in Prep Choir. They look forward to collaborating with the Chorale for many more years to come, and believe portraying Santa and Mrs. Claus is truly one of the highlights of their holiday season.

Lisa, Ted, Henry, Charley and Quinn Trask

Ted Trask has been a member of the Board of Trustees of the Colorado Children’s Chorale since 2009, and currently serves as a member of its Executive Committee.  Ted was first introduced to the Chorale in the 1980’s when his family moved to Denver from Connecticut, and his mother Melissa became involved with organization, as a volunteer and Trustee.  His parents’ involvement grew over the years, and their passion was fueled, despite never having a child participate in the Chorale.  The Chorale continues to be a family affair for the Trasks, with Ted’s father Fritz, having served as Board President, his wife Lisa having chaired the Beach Ball event in 2009, and two sons who have been members of the Chorale.

Despite having limited musical abilities, and no history of participation in any choral setting, Ted finds it easy to be passionate about the Chorale, and its mission.  “When you see the faces of the kids, from all of the various choirs as they perform, you can just see the positive impact that the Chorale experience is having on them.  The confidence and skills they are building via the Chorale will serve them well in so many future endeavors, both musical and not.”  Ted and his family also take additional pleasure from Chorale concerts these days, as two of his sons have participated, with his middle son Charley, now a member of Concert Choir.  “As great as it has been to see the Chorale perform over the years, it is especially fun to see one extra-special smiling face on stage, and to hear from an “insiders” perspective what it means to be a member of the Colorado Children’s Chorale.”

Ted is a Senior Vice President with Vectra Bank Colorado, where he focuses specifically on commercial real estate project finance.  His family consists of wife Lisa, and three boys, Quinn, Charley, and Henry.  The Trasks live in Highlands Ranch, and in their spare time, when not hauling their boys to multiple activities, they love to be in the mountains, where they ski, ride bikes, play golf, and generally decompress from life in Denver.

This post was written by Chorale staff member and 30 year Concert Choir Camp veteran Anne Quaintance Stylianou. Read her take on all things Concert Choir Camp! 

Concert Choir Camp 2011 is in the books, so to speak, after a wonderful three days in beautiful Deer Creek with 95 young singers, 17 high-school aged graduate assistants, and 10 staff members.  Camp is always one of my favorite events of the year, from the morning the excited and nervous campers are dropped off to the final demonstration performance that astonishes parents and staff alike, and always brings tears to my eyes.  Actually, my tears usually start during the morning run-through of the show because, despite many, many (many!) years of camp, I am always so, so proud of these amazing young performers and everything they have learned in such a short time.  Camp is also special to me because I love watching and working alongside our graduate assistants.  Many of these “grads” graduated from the Chorale as 8^th graders only a few months ago, while some of our grads are veterans whose leadership is a crucial element to a successful camp.  We have known these young adults since they were quite young, and love watching them mature and thrive right before our eyes.  We also know how very hard they work, how much they enrich the experience of Concert Choir members, and how camp could simply not function without them!  Most of all, it is a tremendous privilege to be a member of such an outstanding staff.  I continue to learn so much from Mary Louise Burke, Debbie DeSantis, Emily Crile, Travis Branam, Stacey Smith, Michele Ienna, Mark Hardcastle, Tad Koriath, and Janet Wright.  This team has been working together for years, and I am so proud to be a part of it.  We all have several years of Concert Choir camps under our belts, but as I was packing last week, I realized that this year marks 30 years for me, as I first went  — to this same camp — when I was in Concert Choir in 1981.

Much of the camp experience is exactly the same as it was 30 years ago.  The kids are dropped off at our rehearsal site in the morning, with lots of hugs and usually a few tears; often this is the first time these young singers have been away from home.  We check for bandanas, gratefully accept snack donations, line up suitcases and sleeping bags, and then head inside for a short rehearsal.  As the kids check in, they are given note cards which contain information on the various groups they’ll be in throughout the weekend.  Concert Choir Rookies are usually bewildered by a card that may read, “B2 Green, Snitsquat, Knees, Double File, Thunderbird,” but Vets help explain what it all means (choir section, nonsense group, posture group, rules group, cabin).  Among the many items I kept from my own Chorale days is my camp card.  I was an A2 Yellow, a Shazbot, and in Mistletoe (a cabin that has since been renamed Moose), but our groups and their functions have changed somewhat in 30 years, and I no longer remember the purpose of the other groups (composer group : Pergolesi; half-composer group: Pergie; critter group: Fly; Jabberwocky group: Slithy Tove).  The excitement builds as we board the bus, and reaches a crescendo when we finally arrive at camp, welcomed by grads and staff lining the drive, bandanas vigorously waving.

Time-honored camp traditions still remain, with the daily schedule looking very much as it did in 1981.  A Concert Choir Camp day still begins with Torture, followed by rehearsals, rotations of classes, Dummm Stuff (yes, that’s how it’s spelled), Quiet Time, and of course, campfire.  We still enter the dining hall silently (though perhaps not always on the first try), sing together before starting a meal, and try to learn as many names as possible through silly name games and other fun getting-to-know-you activities.  “Getting to Know You,” the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic from The King and I, is one of our standards, as is the special “Getting to Know You” handshake.  I don’t believe we were singing this in 1981, but it’s definitely a tradition now, and a part of every camp since before I joined the staff in 1994.  Grads still marshal nearly 100 campers through showers with the precision and timing of military drill instructors, and all campers anxiously await the daily verdict of the Cabin Inspector.  Those of you from my era may remember the agony and the glory of cabin inspection reports, where the best decorative efforts of a cabin could be undone by a towel hanging just a teeny bit lower than all the others.  A more recent development in cabin inspection is the disappearance of monkeys brought by campers, who later turn up in the employ of the Cabin Inspector.  Apparently, “Monkeys in the House” make a terrible mess, but Monkeys in Cabins like things nice and neat.  We do stay in the same little A-frame cabins spread throughout the beautiful Deer Creek woods, and use the same lodge, dining hall, and gymnasium.  And of course, no camp is complete without the annual Bandana Fashion Show and Cabin Operettas.

Many alumni ask me if we still have Torture at camp, and I am happy to report that we do.  Torture is actually stretching exercises and a physical/vocal warm-up that allows us to start our day with focused attention to the physical demands and expectations of being a singer.  It is also a chance to target and perfect specific dance steps.  I do find, however, that Torture is less torturous than it was in my day, as we did it before breakfast, and I can tell you that walking past the incredible smells of freshly baked bread or cinnamon rolls wafting from the dining hall was torture indeed.  Nowadays we breakfast first and then torture the children. (It seems to me that we also had to walk uphill both ways to Torture.  Does anyone else remember this?)  It is during Torture that we use our nonsense groups.  Kids are grouped by height, and groups have specific lines where they stand so that staff can move easily though them checking posture or dance steps.  In addition to the aforementioned Snitsquats and Shazbots, there are Flügelsnorks, Screebobs, Boolinks, and Filigreeps.

We spend much of our day in at least two rotations of classes, including sectionals, voice classes, score-reading classes, dance classes, stage movement classes, and games.  The posture groups come in handy for voice classes, and are a good way to remind the singers how hold their head, position their tongue, bend their knees, etc.  Rules groups are used during Dummm Stuff, a playful period before lunch in which we discuss our various Chorale rules — including being on time, clean uniforms for performances, not chewing gum, and being respectful guests in every facility we use.  Groups have a very short time to create two tableaux — one demonstrating the rule being broken, and the other showing the rule being followed correctly.  Dummm Stuff is also time for the long-standing and very popular tradition of rules skits performed by grads.

The Bandana Fashion Show, I believe, has been a feature of Concert Choir Camp from the very beginning.  This decades-long tradition gives each child a moment to shine and show off his or her creativity with a unique look or character created entirely with bandanas.  Kids walk down the runway and wow us with their fashions on stage in the glow of footlights and spotlights.  They sign up individually or with a buddy by writing a description of their fashion and any special requests for music on a card.  The kids are truly in the spotlight on this night, but after so many years experiencing the event, I also love the fashion show because it is an excellent example of the wonderful collaboration and talents of the staff.  This year Mary Louise Burke compiled the cards and arranged the show order, striving to achieve a balanced mix of Rookies and Vets, and boys and girls, and to spread out the many ninjas (2011 was a big, BIG year for ninjas).  The grads help kids think through their fashions, operate the spotlight, and “sponsor” the program with clever commercials.  Mark Hardcastle managed the on-deck/backstage area, and it is no easy feat to maintain order among the excited young ninjas, hula girls, policemen, bandits, Miss Americas, etc., while also keeping track of the show order and helping them with their extra bandanas.  Travis Branam emceed the show, providing a running commentary of all fashions with verve, humor, style, and an incredible knack for describing ninjas in at least 20 different ways.  Travis’s quick wits were matched by those of Michele Ienna and Janet Wright, who teamed up at the piano to orchestrate the show, and interpreted the kids’ musical requests with amazing versatility and skill.  The musical requests are sometimes specific and straightforward (Star Wars music, Pink Panther music), but are more often ideas, rather than specific tunes (“dog-walking music”, “ninja picnic music,” “old lady music,” “hospital beeping noise,” and “mystical with a funny ending” were some of the actual requests made this year).

While the staff joins forces to produce the Bandana Fashion Show, the Operettas, also a Concert Choir Camp staple, are entirely created and produced by the kids and their grads.  When I was in Concert Choir, these were melodramas; later they were operas, with every line sung.  No matter what the format, this is a fun performing opportunity for the kids, and an exercise in collaboration and teamwork.  Operettas are written, directed, cast, and performed by the individual cabins.  Usually they are centered around a theme or an object that must be incorporated into the plot.  Every person must have at least one line, every operetta must have at least one song, and all must take a bow at the end.  It is our opportunity to sit back and watch the hilarity and magic.  Every child in Concert Choir loves to perform, and it is so fun for the staff to watch all of their individual personalities and burgeoning skills onstage.

Another beloved tradition is our campfire, where we end each camp day gathered around the fire and doing what we all love best: singing together.  Some songs have changed over the years, and some new songs have been added to the tradition, but three songs have echoed around every campfire I remember: the medieval canon “White Sands and Gray Sands,” “America the Beautiful,” and of course, the lovely “Goodnight Canon.”  Each new year when we sing these same songs I can almost see the unbroken thread that connects generations of the Chorale family through 30 plus years of camp.  This thread of song weaves each new group of Concert Choir singers into my own story, and that of every other camper and staff member.  After 30 years, I cannot imagine September without camp, and I’ll be there again in 2012, adding my voice at campfire.

OFF THE ROAD WITH TOUR CHOIR

September 19, 2011

Dear families and friends,

You have obviously figured out by now that we made it safely home from South Africa, as planned, on Mother’s Day…FOUR MONTHS AGO!  I can’t believe how the time has flown, both the final four days of the tour and the months, performances, final rehearsals, Vail residency, auditions, more performances, vacations, and now the start of the 2011-12 season!!  These past months have been incredibly busy, but I didn’t want you to miss out on our last few days in Cape Town.  We finished the tour with a flurry of activity and excitement, and even more extraordinary concerts and unforgettable adventures.

As predicted at the end of my last missive (dated May 4!), we arrived in Cape Town to sunny skies and drove straight to Table Mountain.  Similar to our table-top mountains, Table Mountain rises suddenly and importantly above Cape Town.  At 3,562 ft. above sea level, where Cape Town sits, it really is quite imposing.  With rapid changes in the weather, the mountain top is often covered by clouds, or a fluffy, white “tablecloth.”  At other times it is too windy for the cable car ascent.  We were feeling quite smug as we zipped up to the base and boarded our personal cable car – just the right size for our party of 44!  The car rotates as you ascend, affording a spectacular view of rugged cliffs dotted with climbers, and the city and ocean below.  The view from the top is stunning, looking out across the ocean and down on the “bowl” of the city.  And, of course, it was the perfect spot for “On Top of the World!”

We checked in to the Mandela Rhodes Place Hotel, right downtown and across the street from our final performance venue.  The hotel is HUGE and quite luxurious.  It was a last minute change, as our originally-booked hotel closed for renovations.  After turning down one substitute offering, Pieter determined this “would do.”  There was a bit of a kafluffle getting checked in, with rooms spread all over the block-long, very tangled conglomeration of buildings, all connected by various elevators, bridges and hallways.  Well, not all connected.  You can get from Bldg. B to Bldg. K on the 3^rd and 7^th floor walkways, but not to Bldg. C, and you have to go to the 8^th floor and then down the stairs to get to the restaurant, which you can see out the windows from the 6^th floor, but you can’t get there, and K401 is right next to B302…but who knew that??  Elevator 1 takes you to T1001, but then you take Elevator 2 to get back to C706, which is right down the hall from K709, but you can’t get there from here.  Okay, I may be exaggerating…but not much.  We were rewarded at the end of our journey with not-your-typical-hotel rooms, but four-room, beautifully decorated APARTMENTS!  Refer here to rules 3,244, 45, and 46:  Do not go in the kitchen, jump on the couch or walk across the coffee table to get to the TV.  Actually, rule number 3,246 is basically irrelevant these days, thanks to the invention of the remote control…DON’T FIGHT OVER THE REMOTE CONTROL!

Wednesday evening found us in the township of Gugulethu, about 15 miles outside of Cape Town.  Again, as in Soweto, these townships established as the black people were forced to relocate from major urban areas, as well as accommodating migrant workers moving from rural regions.  Gugulethu is not pretty, but an indescribable mix of tourist-driven commercialism and unspeakable poverty.  We were hosted by the Fezeka High School Choir and, again, they blew us away with their commitment and energy.  We enjoyed a joint dinner with their young members, and I marveled at the ease with which our young charges visited and interacted with their other-side-of-the-world colleagues.  This was a tough crowd, but they mixed and chatted as though they had everything in common, because they do — first and foremost, a love of and commitment to making amazing music and performing at a level way beyond the majority of their peers at home.   And beyond that, as we watched them chatter away, it was clear that kids-are-kids all over the world.  They share the drama of life with their friends and parents; they laugh and giggle and are curious about worlds they don’t know; they flirt and roll their eyes with abandon; they shove and guffaw uncontrollably; they live.

The concert was another joyous celebration, from beginning to end, with a loud raucous crowd filled with high school students.  Sometimes a bit overwhelming, sometimes difficult to hear, but always heartfelt and emotional.  And an experience no one there will soon forget.   Back at our hotel, we were treated to a late-night snack of hot chocolate and muffins.  Another yummy ending to an adventure-filled day, and much-needed energy to find the way back to our rooms!

Thursday, May 5, was a school day.  No “happy study time,” but a visit to Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela, along with other antiapartheid leaders, was imprisoned for 27 years.  Robben Island is a very visual and striking symbol of the oppressive apartheied regime, known around the world.  About seven miles off the Victoria & Alfred (V&A) Waterfront in Cape Town, the maximum security prison, completely inaccessible by land, is now a must-see tourist destination.   Following a short ferry ride, we boarded a bus for the island tour which was led by a former prisoner.  Most interesting, and extremely moving, was the walk through the prison, with 40 isolation cells, each with a story penned by one of its inmates and often accompanied by photos.  We wandered silently, trying to take it all in.  The feeling of loneliness and desperation was evident, but always coupled with joy, pride and honor.  Adults and kids alike were silent and respectful.

Nelson Mandela wrote, “Today, when I look at Robben Island, I see it as a celebration of the struggle and a symbol of the finest qualities of the human spirit, rather than as a monument to the brutal tyranny and oppression of apartheid.”  This sentiment is clear everywhere you look on the island.  In 1999 it was declared a World Heritage site, and much has been done to restore the island’s ecology to its pristine state.  The northern part is a bird sanctuary, with rabbits, gazelles, penguins and 132 species of birds.

Back at the V&A Waterfront, we enjoyed lunch in our staff groups, everything from pizza to Thai noodles to shawarma!  The waterfront houses a huge shopping and entertainment area, filled with modern stores as well as craft areas.  With no time today to enjoy it, we made a mental note as to our strategy when we come back Saturday, and then hurried back to the hotel for naps and refreshing before our final concert of the tour.

Our final concert venue was just across the street from the hotel (very handy!), in the beautiful and historic St. George’s Cathedral.  Much like Sagrada Familia in Brazil, though with no comparison in sheer size, St. George’s first opened for divine service in 1834, was designated a cathedral in 1847, and has been being built, rebuilt, and added on to, etc. ever since.  You don’t notice this from the outside, but inside it is a tangled web of old and new, large and not-so-large spaces, with a beautiful courtyard in the center, completely obscured from the street.  Through these almost-200 years, the church has been the scene of many a political drama, including month after month of being packed with protestors and opponents of the government to be addressed by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and other speakers.  But without fail, the weekly worship of the cathedral continued, along with choral evensong of the highest musical quality.  And for good reason.  With typical old-world cathedral acoustics, it is a rewarding and joyous endeavor to sing at St. George’s.

We are always challenged, particularly on international tours, with dressing room spaces.  First of all, we come with half boys and half girls, requiring two dressing rooms.  We did not take our formalwear on this tour, trying to minimize both the thousands of dollars (literally) in extra baggage fees and our dressing room requirements.  But we do like to have a first act, more formal look, and then change into a more fun, casual second act look.  We accomplished that on this tour with a series of “sedate” polos in act one, then changing into our brightly colored t-shirts for act two.  Well, accomplished it in my mind anyway – I’m not sure audiences know the difference!  Referring back to the last paragraph, you’ll see the mention of “not-so-large spaces” in St. George’s Cathedral.  Imagine 36 Tour Choir members, ages 12-14, with backpacks, in your average laundry room, with flowers, candles, crosses, vases, etc. stacked from floor to ceiling on all walls.  It was not pleasant.  Fortunately, with our hotel across the street, we were able to arrive dressed for Act I.  And for a moment we thought the best plan might be to return to our hotel rooms at intermission and change to Act II.  If you will refer back to paragraph three of this letter, you will see why this was not possible.  It was taking us easily 15+ minutes, from the doorway of the hotel, to get everyone in their rooms…and another 15+ to get them back out!  So…rotating is us.  Boys to the courtyard and the one toilet conveniently located in some obscure, hidden corner down another long hallway; girls single file down the narrow hallway to the anteroom, squish and change; girls return single file down the narrow hallway that is right next to the performance space where the other choir is performing, to the courtyard and the one toilet; boys single file down the narrow hallway to the anteroom, squish and change; boys return single file…you get the idea.  Backpacks?  They stay in the anteroom, pretty much taking up every inch of floor space.  We finally all arrived back to the courtyard with a few minutes to calm ourselves by walking through the labyrinth before we returned to the stage, on the sanctuary steps of this glorious cathedral, to wow the audience with, among other things, “Colorado Song,” “Take me Out to the Ballgame,” and by special request from the conductor of our host choir, an encore of “Do Re Mi” – which I had purposely taken off the program when I realized the other choir was composed of high school and college age singers.   They sang along with relish!

Speaking of the host choir, Pro Cantu Youth Choir’s mission states that it is “proud to provide an opportunity for young South Africans to sing in a choir of the highest international standards whilst delivering a moving musical experience to its audiences.”   Sounds familiar, eh?  They were indeed excellent, having won world-wide competitions, and again, a bit intimidating.  “Youth” choir generally means high school and college age members, which we obviously are not.  I must say however, I was never prouder of our young performers.  From the Bernstein Mass to Copland folk songs to “The Song I Sing,” they sang with musical sophistication, precision, charm and beauty, proving that they belonged on this world stage.  Following the concert, one of the PCYC parents approached me to ask if by any chance we had been in France in 2006.  Turns out, he was in a choir from South Africa that we performed with at the AICLER Music Festival in the south of France.  When I said, “Yes, that was us,” he beamed and replied, “I KNEW it!  I still remember your performances and those amazing children!”   Nice.   We returned to the hotel, with huge chunks of chocolate cake and cold milk waiting for us in the lounge.  The perfect bedtime snack!!

As I am sure you have faithfully kept every tour letter ever received, you may now refer to May 4, paragraph 2, where we excitedly announced our surprise invitation to appear on the morning show at SABC 3.  We were up early, and appeared on schedule, with Aaron and Jayda expertly handling the interview questions.  We sang “Blessing” for mothers around the world, and enjoyed the segment on manicures as we waited our turn!  Back on the bus by 8:15am, we headed towards Cape Point to enjoy some more of the ocean, which we can never seem to get enough of.  On the way, we took a boat trip to Seal Island getting close enough to snap some good photos of the seals sunning themselves and playing in the surf.  And we managed the trip out and back with only one seasick sailor.  Again, anyone who faithfully follows these letters knows that Thomas is not a fan of the ocean, though we were at least prepared this time, thanks to Ms. Smith.  You will all be happy to know we managed to avert his plan to bring the full bag home with him as a souvenir, “losing” it at the first trash can.

From seals to penguins at the Penguin Colony, a short stroll along a raised walkway with hundreds of penguins, including several babies peeking out at us from the sand, rocks and brush.  Very cute, indeed!  Then on to the Cape Point Nature Reserve and lunch at Two Oceans Restaurant – the largest plate of fish and chips we’ve ever seen.  The Nature Reserve and surrounding ocean view is stunningly beautiful.  We enjoyed the many species of birds, who were more than eager to enjoy our lunch with us, all the while keeping a look-out for the baboons purported to be lurking in the bushes.  They are evidently quite bold, with insatiable appetites for all things sweet.  There are warning signs everywhere, cautioning you to keep all snacks sealed and out of site.  Our bus driver told of watching tourists use the remote to unlock their car, and before they could get to the car, swarms of baboons, upon hearing the click of the remote, swarming the car and ransacking the interior.

We (and by that I mean “they”) rode the funicular to the top of the mountain for the spectacular view of the ocean, and then hiked (and by that I mean “raced”) back down.  As I was sitting at the bottom waiting for their return, and watching for baboons, I was startled to see Zac fly out from the path.  He was clearly the race winner, with Mr. Branam not far behind!  We were rewarded with multiple baboon sightings as we left the reserve, as they literally caused us to stop, blocking the road, and exploring the outside of the bus.  They looked pretty cute from our vantage point high above and behind closed windows and doors, but we understand they are really quite mean and destructive.

At the Cape of Good Hope, the most southwestern point of the African continent, we took time to stumble and frolic on the rocks, as well as snap the necessary photos to show that were actually there.  The ocean waters look treacherous from this point, and tales of shipwrecks abound.  In my opinion, the rocks on land looked treacherous enough, never mind the surrounding ocean!

Our farewell dinner was a fantastic cultural experience, as is always the case on an ACFEA tour.  The Africa Café is committed to “creating food and an atmosphere celebrating Africa’s diversity and rich tapestry of tastes and aromas,”   and they certainly live up to their hype.  Walls, ceilings, any available space was covered with bright paint, hangings, pottery, musical instruments, and some of the most unique and intriguing lighting fixtures I’ve ever seen, most of it made out of something you might find in your trash!  Exotically beautiful wait staff, dressed in colorful costumes and with tastefully-painted face make-up, were there to meet our every need.  They sang, accompanied by a variety of drums, shakers and rattles.  My favorite was the tambourine made of pop-bottle caps, with holes through the middle, strung on a wire hanger.  It was a VERY effective noise maker!  In between songs and serving, they painted any and all faces…and in Mr. Koriath’s case, the top of his head.  The food was delicious – cassava bread, Mozambican piri piri sardines, Ethiopian springbok, sesame chicken kabobs, Congo salad with jungle dressing, Cape Malay dahl curry, green curry oysters, to name a few – and waaaay more than we could eat, partially because it was a lot of food, but also because we were just plain having too much fun to eat.

We were rockin’ the house…quite literally, it seems.  On the way down the stairs, a vase tumbled from a shelf on the wall right on to Ky’s nose!  We hustled back to the hotel for a very late lights out, and a midnight visit from the hotel on-call doctor for Ky.  It was determined that she was fine, though quite sore and a bit bruised.  To be on the safe side, we scheduled an x-ray for the next morning and I spent the night checking on her every two hours.  Thankfully, she slept peacefully as I kept my vigil and the morning x-rays confirmed that she was indeed good to go.  Whew!

Saturday, after packing, cleaning and bidding our lovely apartments farewell, we strolled down nearby Government Avenue, a leafy pedestrian-only road running the length of Company’s Garden, where Cape Town has its roots.  We walked past the Houses of Parliament and National Gallery, and visited the South African Museum with its stunning San rock art, ethnographic displays of various early tribes, and extensive flora and fauna, all beautifully exhibited.  Company’s Garden, first planted in 1652 in order to provide food for the Dutch East India Company, is now a small elegant park of flowerbeds and trees.

After a quick lunch and shopping back at the V&A Waterfront, we hit Greenmarket Square, right around the corner from our hotel.  This square is the old heart of Cape Town, and the second oldest square in the city.  It was a vegetable market in the 19^th century, the 1834 site of the declaration of freedom for slaves, and now a busy flea market, with hundreds of stalls filled with local arts and crafts.  As usual, we did our best to contribute to the local economy, attempting to spend every last bit of our rand and adding to our already-full treasure troves of jewelry, trinkets, and toys.

Airport, fond farewells to Pieter and Nando, dinner, movie, sleep, breakfast and…poof!…it’s Sunday morning and we’re back in London.  Another day, another bus, and off we go.  Jennifer, our guide du’jour, directed the bus past the not-to-be-missed London sights including Buckingham Palace, Harrods, and Royal Albert Hall, where just ten years ago this summer we were on stage for a BBC Proms concert performing Britten’s Spring Symphony with the London Symphony Orchestra.  We ended up at the Tower of London where we checked out the Crown Jewels, the torture chambers, the Fit for a King exhibit taking us into the lives of the kings, their horses, and the armor they wore into battle, and of course, the famous ravens.  We had the largest pizzas ever seen (and eaten!) at Pizza Express, topped off with an ice cream cone, then headed back to Heathrow Airport for the last leg of our journey, which was pleasantly uneventful, just the way we like it!

And now, four months later, we have said good-bye to our 2011 graduates – Maddie, Lydia, Evan, Rachel, Michael, Brian, Grady, Henry, Rebecca, Kaela, Jason, Hayden, Lyric, Zac, Sophia, Lizzie, Ky, Panteli, Sammi, Jay, Matti, Jalena, Alec and Annika.   They are taking high schools (and a few middle schools, thanks to untimely L voice changes) all over the metro area by storm, involved in everything from soccer to AP science to jazz choir.  We still see quite a few of them, as they are now oh-so-mature grads and/or in Transitions – and for that we are VERY grateful.  It is way too painful to just say “good-bye,” so we don’t.  Life does go on however, and Nik, Melissa, Kent, Jayda, Thomas, Andrea, Stephen, Brendan, Aaron, Revann, Madeline, and Tyler have 2011-12 National Tour Choir firmly in hand!

A beautiful and inspiring country, culture and people; beautiful and inspiring musical experiences; and 36 beautiful and inspiring young people to share it all with.  It is always good to be home, but I think we all left a piece of our hearts in South Africa.

With gratitude,

Debbie DeSantis

We were honored to have been asked to kick off Denver’s Colorado Remembers 9/11 commemorative concert with the singing of our National Anthem.  It was a truly remarkable day that won’t soon be forgotten by staff and young performers alike.  There were so many connections to alumni, friends and the community, not to mention the amazing program, that we were right at home and thrilled to be at Civic Center Park.  The event, mainly sponsored by The Cell and The Denver Post, was extremely well organized and executed, right down to the challenging details of dropping off and picking up National Tour Choir members in the center of downtown, when road closures and unbelievable security measures were the order of the day.

The crowd of 35,000 started gathering more than two hours prior to the event

With memos on every dashboard, parents negotiated their way through the road-blocks and we had most everyone assembled on the corner of 14^th Ave. and Bannock in a timely fashion – with only a few u-turns required by the bevy of very friendly policeman watching over us.  We couldn’t go straight across the performance area to our warm-up room in the McNichols Building, as we had not yet been given our coveted “All-Access” passes, so we made our way around the back of the grassy seating area to the north door of the building where officials were anxiously awaiting our arrival, passes in hand.  All along the way, we were greeted with excitement from alumni and their parents to current parents and members to Joe Public, all thrilled that we were there to open the concert.

When we arrived at our warm-up space, a gentlemen came in through a back door with an oh-so-familiar look on his face, that look we see so often as we are out and about anywhere in the world.  An alum…surely one of us remembers him…surely we can remember his name…YES!  It’s Eric Satre, who is in charge of sound for the event, and wanted to say hello…and let us know HE WAS IN CHARGE OF SOUND FOR THE EVENT!!  Those Chorale alums; they are surely going to take over the world someday!  We knew we were in good hands, with no sound check, but Eric at the controls.

Tour Choir watching the procession from the capitol building, just before singing

We quickly rearranged ourselves into a 3-row order, as by now we knew there was even less space on stage than anticipated.  Warm-up (thank you Ms. Burke!), bathrooms, reminders about what to expect when singing into a bank of microphones, and then time for some reflections on why we were here, and the meaning of this event for our community.  These kids were babies and toddlers in 2001.  They have lived their entire remembered lives in a post-9/11 world.  Taking off your shoes to go through airport security?  School and church doors always locked?  Concrete barriers and police with rifles surrounding any big community event?  This is the norm in their world.  The term “9/11,” which means so much to any adult, is but a vague, but commonly heard, reference for them.  Out of the 37 assembled in front of me, only one has a school history book that includes a reference to 9/11, and these past few weeks have brought their first real discussions of this life-changing event.

Assuming all of the above, and without going into details best left to parents, we wanted to make sure these amazing young citizens understood the significance of this particular National Anthem — a bit different than singing the anthem for a sports event!  We shared some individual remembrances of 9/11, explaining it was one of those times in our lives, both good and bad, when we remembered exactly where we were when we first heard about it.  Several of the kids had personal connections to the tragedy, and they shared those.  Mostly we talked about what an honor it was to be such an important part of this day.  And, as always, they are the most thoughtful, intelligent and sensitive young people I know.  I truly believe they “get it”; they know they play an important role in this community and they play it well, making all of us so proud.

Government and community leaders, including Governor Hickenlooper and Mayor Hancock, participated

As we headed to the stage, we were greeted by all of the leaders in our community.  Governor Hickenlooper and Mayor Hancock, both of whom included the Children’s Chorale in their inauguration ceremonies, said hello as they walked by.  Congresswoman Diana DeGette, whose daughter Frannie was in the Chorale, greeted us.  Our musical colleagues from the Colorado Symphony wished us good luck.  As we finished the anthem, an F-16 flyover led by Prep Choir parent Timothy Conklin, added the appropriate drama to our final chords.  Our only regret?  Alas, no Beach Boys yet in sight!

The Colorado Children’s Chorale has the distinct honor of opening this weekend’s Colorado Remembers 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony by singing our National Anthem at 1:00pm at Civic Center Park. The ceremony will be hosted by Governor John Hickenlooper and Mayor Michael Hancock and will consist of some speeches, a military flyover, and of course, music. We are honored to share the stage this Sunday with the Colorado Symphony, the Beach Boys, and Tyler Ward for the remembrance ceremony. We hope you will join us and the thousands of others from our community who are expected to attend. Details can be found on the flyer above or by visiting www.thecell.org.

For many of us, music plays a variety of roles in our lives. We use it for fun. We use it to experience beauty. We use it to inspire ourselves and others around us. There are also times like this Sunday, when we will use music as a way to help us remember and reflect. Experiencing music in this way isn’t just good for kids; it’s good for adults, too.

Our Tour Choir kids are almost all in middle school, so they were very young on September 11, 2001. But, as they sing the Star-Spangled Banner this Sunday, and actively participate in this 10th anniversary commemoration, they do so not just as choral singers, but as members of the Denver community. Members of the American community. Members of the post- 9/11 world that they are inheriting.

So, please join us this Sunday at Civic Center Park as we serve our community by opening the ceremony with our National Anthem. Sing along with us if you want. Come listen. Come reflect. Come remember.

We continue our series of introducing Colorado Children’s Chorale trustees.  This month, meet Chorale board vice president, Steve Strachan. Steve is president of Strachan Exploration, an oil and energy company, and he and his family have become good friends of the Chorale. 

Steve Strachan with his family

As it happened, Fritz and I had worked together on our high school alumni association for a few years and he knew my schedule much better than I did. The month I ended my 6 year term on the Board of Trustees, Fritz called and invited me to lunch. “I understand you now have some free time”, he said, “and I think it would be great if you thought about joining the board of the Colorado Children’s Chorale.” Anybody who knows Fritz also knows you can’t say “no” to Fritz. One Christmas concert and one meeting with the staff and board leadership later, it was a sealed deal. That was five years ago, and I still have four more years of service ahead to enjoy.

I was taken in by the quality of the Chorale organization: the professional staff; the amazing kids; the dedicated board. The result of all these working together creates an incredible, life-changing experience for the children. The skills they learn during their tenure with the Chorale will last them a lifetime, and, literally, make this world a better place.

I have worked on the boards of high schools, universities, libraries, graduate schools, food banks and corporations, but to be involved with the children of the Chorale is a different story. To be a part of the Chorale experience that shapes the lives of so many children is a gift in itself, and one that I now understand, thanks to Fritz.

Outside of enjoying her work (it was revealed in the interview process that she “loves making photocopies”!), Rae likes movies, reading and helping her neighbors.  She has a special fondness for helping seniors with appointments, errands and other daily necessities, and takes pleasure in being around children, like the family on her street with two sets of twins.

According to Rae, what attracted her most to the Colorado Children’s Chorale was the fact that she is excited by the mission of the organization.  While browsing the Chorale website, she said, “I just fell in love, seeing the children so happy and reading the quotes by alumni about the impact the Chorale had on their lives, many years later.”

Join us in welcoming Rae to the Chorale family.  She can be reached in the office at 303.892.5600 x100 or via e-mail at office.manager@childrenschorale.org.

Penny and Fritz Trask on the golf course at the Chorale Golf Classic on June 27

Longtime Chorale friend Fritz Trask suffered a stroke in October 2009.  It’s been a long road to recovery for him and wife Penny, but if anyone could overcome a situation like this, it would be the Trask family.  Earlier this summer, Denver’s Channel 7 produced a feature story and video about Fritz battling the effects of his stroke through music therapy and we wanted to share this testament to the healing power of music. We know that music is good for the soul, but we are especially happy that music is helping the health and well-being of our dear friends.

Check out the full story from Denver’s Channel 7: http://www.thedenverchannel.com/health/28183189/detail.html