Our US Concert Tour

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Report of our US Concert Tour & Twin Town Baltimore by RJMK De Coolsingers 16-10-2008 to 28-10-2008

De Coolsingers’ US Concert Tour is hard to summarize, but below you will find our attempt to describe our pleasant mutual experiences.
The focus of our fantastic tour to the North American continent was the introduction to each others cultures, next to performances and the exchange of musical experiences.
In retrospect, we must admit this exceeded our expectations, since we have built precious and hopefully long-lasting contacts with key people from the Baltimore Council and the Baltimore – Rotterdam Sister City Committee. The central theme of this Committee is ‘Building Bridges’, and as you know, this is what the people of Rotterdam know how to do best!

Prior to our Baltimore performances, we allowed ourselves some extra time to visit New York. This made our US Concert Tour even more fascinating. After all, in the end of the day, you cannot fully ‘tick’ a visit to the Sates, without having roamed the streets of the ‘Big Apple’. During our first few days, we visited well known sites as Times Square, The Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island and Central Park. Next, we visited trendy Soho, various museums and of course China Town and Little Italy. Since the final days of the presidential elections were ahead, we experienced some activity, but far less then we anticipated.

After having seen the people of Manhattan, the edge was also taken off the stereotype obese ‘American’. It was striking to see that so many New Yorkers, even though in the land of plenty, pay great attention to health and exercise.
Our extensive visit to New York was a perfect prelude to our Baltimore performances. Of course, time off as musical ensemble was nice, but visiting sites with marvelous acoustics (such as the noted Grand Central) raised excitement levels to new heights. Nonetheless, the lack of musical content between the New York sky scrapers was fully compensated for at our next destination, the Port of Baltimore.
We were collected by two big mini vans, driven by the two friendly chauffeurs Robert and Billy, who appeared to be our private chauffeurs for the remainder of our stay. It became inevitably clear that the organizational committee had professionally prepared our visit. Members of the Baltimore Council and various members of the Rotterdam – Baltimore Sister City Committee, had compiled a program of 10 pages, enriched with cultural and musical explorations, including performances of our own and a performance with the receiving choir, ‘Missing Chums’.

There was a lot of work ahead! As true citizens of Rotterdam we rolled up our sleeves and started with great enthusiasm. Not only our reception was very well organized, also our accommodation by far exceeded our expectations. As official guests of the Baltimore Council we were accommodated at the Inn at Government House: a completely restored, luxurious residential and trade centre in Victorian style, dating back to the end of the 19th century. As our program appeared to be very intense, we gladly appreciated the recreational and rehearsal quarters and on top: our spacious double rooms. The latter was a pleasant relief, especially considering we spent our time in New York in a hostel dorm. Lunch was organized by the receiving Choir in the City Café, at walking distance from our accommodation. It was a welcoming break to reflect over the things we had seen so far and to look ahead on the days to come.

Our hosts’ hospitality immediately showed the first evening when a warm reception was organized at the residence of one of the Committee’s members. In addition to the usual drinks and bites, the evening included a reunion with a former De Coolsingers member, a meeting with the first of five members of ‘Missing Chums’, lots of socializing and a short performance in the big reception hall as a matter of thanks to the gratitude of our hosts. At the end of the evening, after a long day full of traveling and enriched with great memories, we returned to the Government House.

At 8 am the next morning, the alarm rang for our first rehearsal of the day. We practiced for a good hour-and-a-half after breakfast, upon which we started our first performance of the day at the Waxter Centre, one of the larger homes for the elderly. The great number of people in the audience responded enthusiastically upon which we decided to do an encore in return. After having received a second generous applause, we traveled to the second destination of the day: the main hall of the Pratt Public Library. Unfortunately, there were less people in our audience; nevertheless, the enormous space did full justice to our harmony which was appreciated by close listeners. Especially our English repertory resonated beautifully as the closing chords echoed in the building, upon which the applause started. This is something we had to get used to though; as we discovered that the Americans like to applaud after every piece. At the end of our performance, a speech was delivered and we were thanked by the Library Official who presented us a few gifts including a mug, a ruler and writing pads.

After two performances, we had the time to regain our breath in the mini vans which brought us to the famous Lexington Market, the oldest connected live market which – over the past few years - had received a roof. We had our meal at the Lexington Market. Some chose the seafood & world famous Crabcakes, others preferred the one-and-only Pollock John’s hotdog or an Eastern stir-fry.

It struck us that people from all walks of life visited this market at which even the poorest were able to get a meal with their food stamps. On a full stomach, we went to the Lyric Opera House, where we received with a guided tour by the longest employed member of staff and the Creative Director of the Opera House. He mentioned that a great number of world famous celebrities had performed at the Opera House and that the Opera House was financially independent as a result of its many performances and its private donations. On top of this all, we checked the acoustics ourselves, which proved to be exquisitely direct. Looking back, we wished we were able to perform in such a nice building, but hey, anything can happen.

Our concert together with the Missing Chums at the North Baltimore Mennonite Church, would become the highlight of the day. In to prepare ourselves we had a ‘jam session’ in the afternoon with all the members. It was great fun and very useful as soon it appeared that there were interesting differences in both approaches of presentation and interpretation. Interestingly enough, these differences disappeared or fused when singing two pieces from the late Middle Ages; the German ‘Issbruck ich muss dich lassen’ and the Old-Dutch: ‘Ich seg adieu’. The Old Dutch, combined with ‘Diets’, is an enormous challenge for us as Dutch natives, yet we were pleasantly surprised and we admired the correct pronunciation of our hosts. Their enthusiasm and commitment was further expressed by the fact they brought their entire repertory in line with ours. All in all, judged by the standing ovation and the long applause for both choirs, the concert was very successful.

Three performances in one day had led to a great appetite, which the Chums had already envisaged as they organized a delicious Indian meal, together with the local rent-a-chef ‘Happy Curry’. At the end of the evening, speeches were delivered and gifts were exchanged. Our gifts included a reference book on Rotterdam, the inevitable tulip bulbs, Gouda Cheese and a cheese slicer. Our gifts were very well received and ended up in a lively discussion between Chums’ members who was first to slice the cheese!

The next morning, we got up at 7 am to visit and perform at the Baltimore Public School of Arts (a preparatory training for the College of Music). The chair of the Baltimore – Rotterdam Sister City Committee welcomed us with a guided tour upon which we were welcomed in a very big classroom. A great number of second and third year students were gathered for their singing lessons. The teacher / conductor gave a short explanation after which the students sang a couple of extracts. Among other things, the strong vibrato of the female altos and sopranos surprised us greatly. Our introduction was welcomed as these students are open to all kinds of music, especially, since they were not familiar to male voice choirs in general. They, therefore, listened closely to our performance. Their applause was massive and intense. Upon request of the conductor, the students performed at their best. We were very pleasantly surprised when, accompanied by a grand piano, Brahms was executed. After our performance, there was plenty of room to get to know each other better. It was nice to hear that our performance and way of singing had stirred the emotions. We must admit, we are not being approached by people in baggy, hip-hop gear with lumps in their throats on a daily basis!

After this exchange, we were brought to the ‘City Hall’ by our private chauffeurs. Once past the metal detectors, we performed in the Dome in front of staff and visitors of the City Hall. Unfortunately, the Mayor of Baltimore Sheila Dixon was unable to attend; however, the Deputy Mayor did the honors by delivering a speech and accepting our gifts on her behalf as gratitude for the opportunity to perform at such a historical site. Our lunch was organized in the same building by the Missing Chums and the mayor’s office. Next, we visited the Peabody Institute, a very old library which had recently been renovated. We received a guided tour by the Manager who explained all the architectural adaptations with great pride. In the background we could here an organ exam of one of the students. Finally, we were led to an auditorium where Peabody Students were rehearsing intensely in preparation to their performance for the Maryland State University. Conductor Ed Polochick managed the students thoroughly, raising the standards over and over again. Upon request, we performed and explained our Dutch ‘a capella’ repertory. The conductor was moved and pleasantly surprised when he found out our rehearsals are scheduled once a week. He later told us he found our visit very inspiring.

In the evening, we went to the local McDonalds establishment. Unfortunately, one of the concerts scheduled later the same evening, was cancelled. Although regrettable, it gave us the opportunity to get to know our legendary chauffeurs a bit better and to introduce ourselves to the people of Baltimore.

We woke up on Thursday, October 23rd, half an hour earlier than the day before, for our first rehearsal of the day (we say: everything for the good cause). After a one-hour rehearsal and a small breakfast, we left for Penn Station (Baltimore Central Station). After a short performance for the travelers, we were brought to the Hippodrome Theatre by our chauffeurs. Here, we were also welcomed by a guided tour who informed us of the elaborate restorations of the impressive Baroque / Jugendstil Theatre after the great fire. We were also allowed to go backstage to admire the greenroom and the towering stage.

This was followed by an interview at the local classical radio station WBJC, for which our conductor Arie Hoek was accompanied by two De Coolsingers board members. Unfortunately, interviews were not broadcasted ‘live on-air’ so we were unable to directly listen to the final result of the recording. This was also disappointing for our chauffeur Robert who had informed all his family members to tune in at 3 pm. This example once again showed the great appreciation of our visit. Around noon, we had some time for ourselves to visit the Inner Harbour and to have a meal.

The highlight of our trip – in our own eyes- was our visit and interactive session at the Harriet Tubman Elementary School. This elementary school is based in a very poor neighborhood of Baltimore, home to the very poor and mainly black community of Baltimore. This year, a project started to get the very young (from 4 to 6 years old and over) introduced intensely to music in all its aspects, mainly supported by the own financial means of the Harriet Tubman Foundation. The project, called ‘Orchkids’, is based on a similar program in Venezuela, where it has proven to be a great contributor to the success of very poor children ultimately leading to a privileged career in music (national orchestra or anywhere else). The artistic leader, Dan Trahey elaborated on the program which he personally introduced to Baltimore. The idea is twofold. First, music opens doors (of which our visit is a very lively example). Second, it aims at boosting social change and offering opportunities for children to escape from the slums and a find meaning of life through music. Strong discipline prevailed between the four walls of the school which was supported by values such as ‘respect’, ‘team spirit’ and ‘listen’ literally written everywhere. It was made clear that this elementary school also played an important educational role, which most of the often torn apart teenage families were unable to offer. Dan’s stories were supported by what we had seen in the neighborhood. This confirmed a program such as ‘Orchkids’ was greatly welcomed, since very few rays of hope were spotted between the liquor stores, wasteland and dilapidated buildings.

First, we attended part of a lesson after which Dan brought us to the gymnasium at the ground floor, where the class and De Coolsingers introduced themselves to each other. Our conductor lectured and we performed. Ultimately, the children had the opportunity to ask questions. They enthusiastically told us which instrument they wanted to play later on in life. When it was time to leave, it was made inevitably clear this visit had made a great impact on both the class and us. We can only sincerely hope ‘Orchkids’ will last and is able to offer an escape for the greater part of these young children!

In the evening, the Baltimore Council had organized a dinner to taste the famous Baltimore Crabs. It was a pleasant evening which gave us the opportunity to speak to members of both the Committee and the Baltimore Council and to reflect over our experiences so far, while busily hammering the steaming crabs, using the notorious wooden hammer.

On Friday, we had a day for ourselves during which we visited Washington DC. In comparison to our trip to New York, we walked even more while we visited Arlington National Cemetery, Lincoln Memorial, 2nd World War Memorial, The White House en Capitol Hill. In the mean time, we had developed a strong friendship with Dan, who joined us for part of the day. In the evening, we joined Dan in his favorite bar, where we met our hosts from the previous evening.

In the morning of our last day in Baltimore, we prepared for our performance in the Amphitheatre. Unfortunately, the weather conditions changed dramatically which impeded our open-air performance. Our hosts rescheduled our performance to a local shopping centre which proved to be a welcoming location to perform for the people of Baltimore. Since this was our last performance and contact with the Baltimore Council and the Committee, speeches were delivered and gifts were exchanged. As a token of appreciation and protocol the choir was presented with the Mayor’s Seal, an honorable experience for all of us. The afternoon was well spent at the largest shopping centre in Towson (a wealthy area of Baltimore) to and from which we were driven by our friendly chauffeurs.

We were pleasantly surprised by the tickets provided by the Baltimore Council, to attend the Soulful Symphony by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in the Joseph Maier Symphony Hall (BSO in popular speech). This also proved to be one of the highlights of our Tour with the most enthusiastic and groovy audience we have ever experienced. It was the perfect closure of an absolutely perfect week.

At the end of the evening we had organized a small party in the recreational quarters of the Government House ourselves and we were pleasantly surprised this party was attended by one of our chauffeurs and a Council representative.

The next morning we drove back to New York by bus, followed by a trip in the underground to JFK International Airport, full of great impressions and experiences.

By means of this travel journey, we hope to have provided an impression of what we have seen and experienced during our stay in the United States. We would like to thank everyone who has enabled us to tour through the US, in particular we would like to thank the Baltimore Council and Sister City Committee. Our enormous gratitude also goes out to the Rotterdam Council for without its financial support we were not able to make this Tour.

We would sincerely welcome and express our humble hope to claim similar support in the near future in order to further explore similar opportunities and to contribute even more to exchanges with organizations such as the Peabody Institute, Baltimore School of Arts, and projects such as ‘Orchkids’ in particular.

Thank you very much!

Peter van Dop