Women’s choir takes Europe by storm

Editors Note: This is the first in a three part series about the Women’s Choir trip to Europe. Sullivan  traveled to Europe with the Women’s choir as a soprano.

 

Arioso, the CSC women’s ensemble, left fo+r Europe March 5 to perform in historical cathedrals, learn about another culture’s history, and make memories.

The ensemble visited and performed at many important destination in the Czech Republic, Austria, and Hungary.

The ensemble walked through graffiti-covered alleys and performed in the sacred architecture of cathedrals. Una Taylor, the women’s choir director, said, “It was a really wonderful experience for the students not just musically, but culturally.”

Taylor also went on to say, “It was the first performing tour in living memory for this department, so we hope to start a trend.”

They discovered the wonders of Prague’s Astrological clock, old town square, and the St. Nicolai Church through the expertise of our tour guide Marek Holub.

“The astrological clock is over 600 years old and is one of the most beautiful clocks ever made. The clock maker who designed this clock was blinded so he could never make anything more beautiful. The poor man then threw himself into the gears of the clock, and it couldn’t be repaired for nearly a hundred years,” Holub said.

When the clock strikes the hour, windows open and wooden statues rotate inside. The statues are not the originals because originals were destroyed by the Nazis, Holub said.

The first concert was in the St. Nicolai Church. The paintings, sculptures, gold leaf, and haunting acoustics surrounded the choir.

Due to the church’s age, it was not built with a heating system. We could see our breath escaping as we sang each musical phrase.

Although we did not speak the same language the reaction to music is universal. Laughter, cheering, clapping, and smiles warmed us as we burst back into our dressing room.

On the way out of the Czech Republic, we made a short stop at Cesky Krumlov. It was a much smaller town than Prague, but it was clean and friendly.

“I wish we  could have stayed here for a night,” said Erin Dunn, freshman of Valentine.