At Tour's End

We have sung our last Evensong service, gathered for our tour farewell dinner, and will soon be flying back to Edmonton, or going on to other places on the way home. For this final blog entry I asked tour members to give me comments describing their favourite or most memorable things about this trip. Those comments are provided below. Some provided names, while others preferred to remain anonymous.

"Just to sing in Gloucester Cathedral with its wonderful acoustics once again after 20 years." -- Sylvia.

"I will remember the magnificent cathedral that came to feel like home after a week of filling it with glorious music; getting to know our eclectic group of singing souls; the blackberries, and cherries growing around our Gloucester hotel." -- Pat.

"What has impressed me is the stained glass at Bath Abbey and Gloucester Cathedral and the imagery that is in the windows. Lots of photos taken." -- Heather G.

"The people -- particularly the ones I met through NHS."

"I especially enjoyed singing O How Glorious [by Healey Willan] in the belfry of Gloucester Cathedral." -- N.C.D.

"The most memorable moment for me was our processional for the very first Evensong in Gloucester Cathedral. That feeling of awe and mysticism as we walked from the bare Norman nave into the ornate Quire was truly humbling." --Adam

"The most memorable moment for me was when the choir sang O How Glorious as the introit in Bath Abbey. The sound was so amazing, coming as if from angels from Heaven." -- Sandy, a member of our support team.

"The highlight for me was the tremendous sense of satisfaction I felt as we sang the last notes of the Arcadelt Ave Maria in the Lady Chapel in Gloucester."

"There were many highlights of the tour for me, including singing with Voices United, canting in two cathedrals, and my first visit to London. The biggest highlight for me, however, was sharing meals and getting to know other choir members whom I hadn't known very well before." -- Jim

"Meeting some of the local people, particularly a sweet woman from Norwich who shared her concert program and stories with me."

"Singing O How Glorious in the belfry of Gloucester Cathedral."

"Seeing history from textbooks and novels come alive!"

"Heavenly voices in the abbey; 'to be or not to be'; trip of a lifetime!!" -- Mrs. O.

"A tremendous thank you to everyone who organized this tour. I really enjoyed every minute of it -- Singing at Bath Abbey, Gloucester Cathedral, and St. James Church; also attending the Three Choirs Festival." -- Kathie R.

"My fondest memories of this tour are walking in the cloisters in Gloucester, floating down the Isis in Oxford with others as O How Glorious wafted through our minds, and deciding with Maria that the solution to repertoire overload was to sing the Wild responses every day, because every day they would sound different!" -- Heather E.

"My favourite moment from the tour is hearing the wonderful live acoustics in Bath and Gloucester -- especially at the end of "... and make thy people joyful!" -- Tammy-Jo

"Having the secret code to get into the vestry at Bath Abbey. I felt like an insider!" -- Helen N.

"A highlight that I found was being in Gloucester as long as would feel acceptable, not too short an experience of a trip; a chance for the feeling of a bit more careful work." -- Margaret G.

"We didn't just visit history, we were part of it! My favourite moments? ... 1) When we first processed in to the chancel facing the altar and that incredible east window while the organ was playing; 2) when we finished the last Psalm. An unforgettable trip! -- Bob

"The organ voluntaries that ended each Evensong service, especially Tammy-Jo's performance of Gilliland's "Rockin' the Spear" and Warren's grand finale in Gloucester -- Vierne's Carillon de Westminster." -- Laura S.