Over the last four or five years, I’ve been making it a point to be on hand whenever any of our music ensembles departs on a major tour…. even if that departure is at 5 in the morning, which it has sometimes been. I most vividly recall hauling my tired butt to Carthage at about 5 a.m. to see the band off on their most recent trip to Japan. I remember that the look on some students’ faces was “wow, what a sweet gesture” – while the unmistakable expression other faces was “I knew this guy was a little odd but I didn’t realize he was certifiably insane.” And maybe I was on that occasion, but there is just something irresistible about these occasions, when there is such excitement in the air and this sense of burning anticipation for what might be ahead- and I love being there to soak in some of that sweetness. In some ways those band tour send-offs are the most fun because there’s essentially no reason why I would ever come along on such a trip. Yes, I did come along on the band’s centennial tour a few years back (singing Aaron Copland’s Old American Songs with the band) but that was to exotic locales like Keokuk, Iowa – not Kyoto, Japan. And frankly, I’ve never had much interest or desire in traveling to China, Japan or anyplace else where the symbols of the written language look more like bird tracks in the snow than letters. My loss, I know- and maybe someday I’ll get over that stupid phobia and explore what I know is a beautiful, fascinating and crucially important part of the world. Anyway, those band tour send-offs are especially fun – even at 5 a.m. – because I can wish them bon voyage with scarcely a twinge of regret or envy.
But seeing off the choir Wednesday afternoon was SO HARD! Yes, the choir tours to Europe are almost always “a cappella affairs” because you just can’t count on there being even a halfway decent piano or organ in many of the places where the concerts are presented – which means it doesn’t make sense to program anything requiring keyboard accompaniment, unless you enjoy very risky ventures. So with the choir’s current tour to Ireland and Scotland, there’s no instrumental accompaniment at all save for a couple of drums- which means that there’s no reason for me to come along, unless I were to be the tour wrangler in charge of keeping track of people’s duplicate passports, itinerary paperwork, performance tickets, etc. And I think most people who know me realize that I would manage to misplace most of those documents before the choir bus was halfway to O’Hare. So there is no reason for me to be along on such a trip – plus this year it would mean giving up a J-Term where I’m “off,” which would be a bummer, even for a trip to Ireland – plus I really need to be home right now as my wife prepares for the RTG production of “Glorious” in which she has the leading role. So it just makes sense for me to be here while the choir is there …. but when “there” is Ireland? OUCH!
But I think beyond the fact that I have never ever been to any of the British Isles (and desperately want to visit them before I’m using a walker!) is the fact that the current Carthage Choir is an exceptional group of exceptionally nice, fun, interesting human beings- and I suspect that to be tagging along with them on this trip would be delightful. And since Maestro Garcia-Novelli is the director, I would be along without bearing that ultimate mantel of responsibility that usually takes some of the fun out of such a trip, when it falls upon you to solve certain logistical problems or confront certain behavioral issues. I took the Carthage Choir to Europe in January of 2000, and I’m sorry to say that I have to make a really concerted effort to remember all of the great times on that trip, because what still comes immediately to mind after all these years are the problems- and there were more than a few- which were problems that I had to solve and was scarcely qualified to do so. So you can understand how the thought of tagging along on this current tour without being “the boss” would be so tempting. And the fact that the choir is going to be singing my arrange- ment of “Scotland the Brave” within the borders of Scotland itself make me want to curl up in a ball and stuff myself into Max Dinan’s backpack and tag along on this adventure.
But I was there Wednesday afternoon with a big smile on my face – and the smile was genuine and so was joy, just knowing that these students have worked incredibly hard and are so deserving of this fabulous trip. And just to make the bon voyage a little more special, I arranged for a very special phone call to be received right before they left. All the students were already on the bus and Eduardo was about to join them when I motioned him over and handed him my cell phone. He had no idea that on the other end of the line was the legendary, beloved, Weston Noble- calling to wish him and the choir a wonderful trip. He has been a very important part of this group, most recently conducting them at Carnegie Hall last May- and that word of blessing from him I think meant the world to them.
So I’m drinking in the joy of the Carthage Choir- enjoying each and every photo I’m seeing on Facebook- and knowing that on the other side of the world some of my favorite people are having the time of their lives. And that’s almost as good as being there myself.
pictured above: the Carthage Choir members about to leave for O’Hare- and eventually Ireland. As I’m snapping this photo, Eduardo Garcia-Novelli is out on the sidewalk beside the bus, letting out a big WHOOP because he’s just figured out that it’s Weston Noble calling him.