July 3

Today was an absolutely marvelous first day in Oxford! It’s almost surreal to be here for the first time! The day began with a bus ride from London to Oxford. I was able to listen to my favorite Dungeons & Dragons podcast as I looked out the window at the beautiful English countryside! My friends Nicole Paige and Ari went on the bus with me so we got to experience it for the first time together. We were all extremely excited to get into Oxford after hearing so much about it from all of our classmates. It will certainly be an experience we will never forget.

When we got into Oxford, we got off at St. Clements and were immediately greeted by Williamson members all over the place! They pointed us to where we needed to check in within the town. I was stunned by how beautiful Oxford is as a town. Oxford University is incorporated into the city so we walked by so many restaurants and businesses just on our way to check in. The city is very lively with lots of young adults and students all over the place, so I knew it would be super fun to go out and explore. Oxford reminds me a lot of Princeton, but with its own British flair in style and architecture. On our way to check-in, we ran into the man himself, Dr. Jordan! He greeted us so happily. If anybody was making us even more excited, it was definitely Dr. Jordan. You could tell how much he loves doing this program and being here. In excitement, he led us to St. Stephen’s House, where we needed to check in.

As we came down the street, we walked into a residential part of Oxford, hiding behind some businesses. We came upon St. Stephen’s House, which was nestled between some residences. You could definitely tell which one it was, as it was the largest building on the street!

Outside of the building, many of the Williamson members were getting ready to head out to get the Williamson polo shirts we would need for the sessions. They told us to hurry and check in and then we could come along. So we rushed inside and got our room keys and headed within this beautiful, old building. Ari and I are rooming together, so we got our room on the second floor, room K110! We headed upstairs and found our cute little home for the next 10 days! It was quite small, but definitely all we need. We have two beds close together, each which had fresh towels and some goodies waiting for us. We also had a desk that had tea that we could make for ourselves (of course, I mean we are in England), and even a sink in the room for us! We also have a beautiful window that looks out to one of the churches on the grounds. Perfect.

We quickly put down all of our things and ran down to meet everyone. With our fearless leader, Paul David Flood, we were led through town to find the Varsity Store to get our polos! It was about a 30-minute walk, but it was basically like a tour of parts of the town so we could get the lay of the land. And just, wow. Oxford is definitely one of the prettiest places I have been to. The University takes up a large portion of the city, but it adds so much the historic and gothic look of the town. At every glance there was some stunning building with exquisite architecture and artistic thought put into it. It was very unreal. It definitely felt like I was in England now!

After a beautiful walk surrounded by Brits and beautiful scenery of the town, we arrived at the Varsity Shop where we got our official Westminster Williamson Voices polos. This also happens to be the first Oxford apparel shop in the town. It has been there for over 100 years. There is definitely a similar vibe to the whole town. But, that makes the town feel that much cooler in a way. In one way, the town is extremely old and you can feel the history as you walk around. In another way, everything feels young and lively. Businesses are thriving with inventive ideas and people are walking around and exploring. It was a beautiful day and everyone in the town was outside taking advantage of it. The old and the new intermingle creating a truly special feeling that I haven’t felt in many other places. I’m excited to see how that feeling contributes to music-making, especially in a place known for its history with choral music.

On our way back from the Varsity Shop, we stopped at a tea and coffee shop called the Grand Cafe, which happened to be the oldest coffee house in all of England! It has been in Oxford since 1650. It sounded like the perfect place to have our first English tea experience. We had some wonderful teas. We most certainly would be drinking more tea while we are here.

After we left there, we headed back to St. Stephen’s House for the introductory session! We arrived early and got to see the 24 conductors we would be working with for the next week. It was a wonderful first session in which Dr. Jordan and Dr. James Whitbourn got everyone excited for the week ahead of us. Dr. Whitbourn, who is a member of the faculty of music and senior research Fellow at St. Stephen’s House, told us more about the history of Oxford and the university. It truly put things into perspective and the impact of doing the program in such a magical place as this. The session was held in a church right behind St. Stephen’s House called St. John’s. They let us out early so I did a bit more exploring around the grounds to see more of it! The grounds were a bit larger than I thought. Within St. Stephen’s House, there are multiple floors of dorms, a chapel, a common room, a dining hall, many offices, multiple courtyards, the church, and even more than that. One could definitely get lost in here.

 

 I saw all the different areas and then headed to tea time! We have tea time every day at 4 (we should bring that part back with us). After that, we did a run through of all the conductor’s music in our respective choirs: St. Stephen’s and St. John’s. Williamson is split into two different choirs so that the conductors will get more of a chance to work with us. Then at the end of the week, we get put together to blow them away with sound! This was simply review of music that we know, so it was a nice easy way to ease back into the choir vibe after being away from it for a bit for the summer. I think that will be a very cool experience. After running through everything with Dr. Jordan and Dr. Whitbourn we all a nice dinner together in the dining hall, including the conductors in the program! We are encouraged to talk to them and try to get to know them, which is something I want to do. It’s always wonderful to learn more about people and their story.

After our nice dinner together, we had our last session of the day: 10 Bars. In this session, each of the conductors briefly introduced themselves to the choir and conducted the first ten bars of one the pieces. It was really cool to see each of their personalities and each of their takes on conducting. All of them are from different parts of the world and each felt distinctly different. I’m very excited to dive deeper tomorrow and get more of the experience with each other as the week progresses. When this session ended around 9:30, it was still very bright which was quite strange. But, due to the jet lag and the long day, rest was definitely needed. We took it easy and everyone mostly folded in for the night. I’ll see you tomorrow Oxford!

— Palmer

 

Final Post

On Tuesday, we had another early morning with our first session starting at 10:30 (I know, not that early, but remember I was still basically on EDT!!!). We worked with the amazing Stephen Darlington to learn a piece by Alan Ridout, called The Burning of Jan Palach. My brilliant peer, Alex Miller, helped Darlington to block the music and make it into the musical drama that was written to be. Because of his experience with our Westminster Players on campus, Alex had an easy job directing us on where to go. This experience helped to demonstrate how we can use our art to communicate our feelings. This piece was written in the summer of 1969, after the self-immolation in the winter of that year. People were able to use the music to communicate their feelings with this act that shocked a lot of people.

After we did a final performance of the piece, we moved to our final Practical Conducting Skills. This night, we did a dress rehearsal for the conductors to have one last run of their pieces before our concert the next day. We finished these sessions earlier than we thought we would, so we had some time before we moved to our next activity.

As in Williamson tradition, we had a listening party to listen to the first edited version of our newest CD, which we recorded in January. It was so moving to be able to listen with the choir as a whole( other than the members who were unable to join us in Oxford :-(.) Watching the senior members, who graduated this past May, enjoy the company of each other during their last days as Westminster students. I am so ready to hear the final version of this CD, and you should be too!!! Stay tuned to our Facebook and Twitter pages for more information on the release date!

The next day was our last in the beautiful town of Oxford. Our first thing that day was a tour in the Weston Library part of the Bodleian Library of Oxford University. The staff member had taken out very old and important scores and pieces of music, mostly written in the hand of the composer. The most interesting piece of music for me was Handel’s own scores from the performances of the Messiah. It was not his original composition copy, but was written in the hand of his principal copyist, John Christopher Smith. It has some markings from Handel, including people who may have sung the solo seen in the picture. The first score was open to the Hallelujah Chorus, which completely blew my mind. Having sung this every year at my high school, I thought it was amazing to see Handel’s own copy that he used during performances. This tour was so cool and a great way to end our trip.

We made our way back to St. Stephen’s after doing some shopping and changed into our concert attire for out\r concert later. We then went to tea, and I guess you could call it fancy tea because we were in gowns and tails! Dr. Jordan and our graduate assistant, Levi, then pulled us in to the Common Room to give us our Oxford pins before our performance. Each year a student attends CIO, they are given a pin to wear on their performance attire. In the first year, the pin is the Oxford University logo. The second and third year pins are longer rectangles with the second year pin blue and white and the third year pin red and black.

We then made our way to the first part of the Conductor’s concert!

After the first half, which took about half an hour, we broke for dinner. There was a buffet that the students and conductors ate together. Once we were finished, we performed the second half of the concert. We then did a small Williamson tradition in a separate part of the church, before we went back into the church for a small ceremony to give the conductors their certificates.

After the concerts, we had a small gathering where the choir was able to hang out and make sure we said goodbye to the seniors who will not be returning to the choir in the fall. This was a very emotional night, but it is always nice to spend time with the same people we make beautiful music with.

I am now in a hotel in London right next to Heathrow before my morning flight tomorrow! If you have been following along, I hope you enjoyed reading along with my travels and appreciated my first blogging experience! See you back in the States soon enough.

July 14, 15

The next day was a very well-deserved and much needed free day! I again slept late, if you can see a trend. I think my clock might still be a little closer to EDT because I can’t fall asleep until almost 2 a.m. and I don’t wake up until 11 or 12, but thankfully most days of our schedule have worked with that! After a nice slow morning, I made my way into City Center to meet up with a few Westminster friends. We all signed up to take a tour of Oxford that brought us around to a bunch of Harry Potter filming locations.

I really enjoyed this tour, but not only because of my fandom for Harry Potter. Our tour guide also showed us different historical parts of Oxford, and gave us more of a full tour of the section of Oxford she showed us. She explained the importance of literary influence in the town, and how the pride from the books that come from there, is demonstrated in some architecture. Lewis Carroll wrote Alice in Wonderland based on stories he told three girls who were the children of the President of Christ Church College, one of the 38 colleges that makes up Oxford University. She also explained to us that C. S. Lewis had inspiration for his series, Narnia, in Oxford, and pointed out different landmarks that he references in his books.

 

After our tour, we tried to shop some more, but most shops in Oxford had closed on the Sunday at around 5:30. Instead, we got afternoon tea and relaxed before we walked back to St. Stephen’s House. Then, some members of Westminster Williamson Voices and a few conductors from CIO gathered in the Common Room to have a small Cabaret.

Our call time for the next morning was pushed back to 10:00 instead of 11:00 so I really had to force myself to wake up that morning! But I am so glad that I did, because I quickly regained energy out of excitement. We walked into the church and there were microphones set up and a few cameramen around the room, which was set up differently than the past few days. We were recording a few Free Chant Sessions with the amazing Gary Graden. He was unable to make our Recording Session in January, so Dr. Jordan asked him to follow us to England instead! This was my first time working with him, and I was almost moved to tears many times. He is such a genuine man, and I really think that helped to give us our best sound with him. We were able to instantly connect and create such beautiful music, that is now documented for us to look back on.
We had two sessions with Graden, at 10, and another one from 2-4. After that, we made our way to tea time for our daily refresh! We then separated into our two choirs for another Practical Conducting Skills Session. This was the last one before the conductors work with the choir as a whole. Dr. Whitbourn was very happy with the skills of the conductors, and they seem confident and excited for the next step!

We then had our last Compline of the year! After that, I went out (again) to get ice cream from the spot around the corner, with the entire Soprano section. It’s always nice to bond with the people you sing next to and take a second out of your day to be with these great people.

July 12/13

The next day began at 11:30, with an amazing lecture from painter, Makoto Fujimara. Dr. Jordan made a connection with him in recent years, and he brought him here to demonstrate the impact of trauma on our art. Fujimara taught us about Kin-Tsugi, which is when you repair bowls and other things with gold, to make them whole again. He passed around one bowl for us all to touch, that had come from a Japanese tea maker, and was most likely used in Korea. HIs lecture helped us all to see into the impact our art can not only have on others, but ourselves.

After the lecture, we made our way to lunch, which was a selection of delicious casseroles provided by the college. We then had a workshop plenary with Dr. Whitbourn, who led the choir through his piece, Annelies, and demonstrated the importance of certain phrases, and why he wrote them the way he did. The choir was occasionally mind-blown by his words, since he took us even more in-depth into the piece that we have been singing since February.

We then made our way to a quick tea before our next Practical Conducting Skills Session. Again, I am still so blown away by how much the conductors have grown in such little time. I can really see them opening themselves up to us, and relaxing as time goes on. This was our last of these sessions for two days, so I can’t wait to see how much more they’ve relaxed and gotten comfortable after the weekend.

After this session, we ate dinner, and I went and got delicious sushi which is only 0.3 miles from St. Stephen’s! I then came back, and we had our Compline session for the night. Once that was over, I went with a few of my friends to G and D’s (the closest ice cream shop) to celebrate our friend Lindsey’s 21st birthday! Her parents had been planning a surprise for a few months and they showed up today during one of our sessions to celebrate Lindsey’s birthday with her. It was great to see them, and it’s always great to end our days with ice cream!

The next day was another late start, so I happily slept in! I made my way to lunch at the college with a few of my friends. After that, I hung out with my roommate, Maddie, and our friend, Caroline. Because of all of the singing we’ve been doing, it’s nice to sometimes just sit down and decompress with your friends. We eventually made our way to our Dress Rehearsal at 3:45. We met Dr. Whitbourn in the church, who introduced the choir to our instrumentalists for that night’s performance, and the soprano soloist, Elin Manahan Thomas. She had the opportunity to sing at the most recent Royal Wedding (Meghan Markle and Prince Harry), and we would be singing with her that night! Our rehearsal was long, but also exciting. Because the choir splits into two for our Practical Conducting Sessions, it is always nice to be able to sing as a whole again. We finished our rehearsal and quickly ran to dinner. We then changed into our performance attire and met back at the church 15 minutes before the performance and lined up.

The performance went beautifully, and a lot of the choir members were moved by the historical significance of the piece, and the sheer emotional value of Dr. Whitbourn’s composition. The librettist was also in attendance at the performance, which was incredible for the choir to witness. As Annelies is the only piece that has been allowed to use the text of the Diary of Anne Frank, we realize just how lucky we are to sing this piece, and to continue to remind the world of the awful events that happened during the Holocaust.

 

July 10/11

We started our earliest day of the program at 10 a.m. with a session from Dr. Jordan called ’The Musician’s Being’ where he discussed what it means to connect with a choir and unite with your sound. He was followed by Dr. Pilkington who gave another session. Although we are very lucky to have the opportunity to work with these professors on the regular at school, it has been really awesome to see them in their element in a different place, impacting not only the current students, but the conductors who are here to learn from them. It is very obvious that this is their passion, and seeing them demonstrate that to new people is very exciting.

After that we broke for lunch and had a small break until our next session. I went to Sainsbury’s, which is a small store that is like a convenience store mixed with a Rite-Aid. They have a 3-pound meal deal where you get a sandwich, bag of chips or fruit and a drink. I was able to relax in my room after this to get rid of any remaining jet lag. Our next session began at 2 p.m. with Edward Higginbottom, who workshopped the Fauré Requiem with us. The sound he got out of us was very obvious, and especially the conductors in the room realized that.

After our session with Higginbottom, we went out and had our daily tea time. I really think we should bring this tradition back to Westminster… not only is it nice to take a breath, but the energy of the choir bounces back after we’ve had some caffeine in us. We then went on to our next session titled “Practical Conducting Skills,” which is the most common part of our schedule. This is where the directors, Dr. Jordan and Dr. Whitbourn, are able to work with the conductors in attendance for 10 minutes each and help them to grow their conducting skills. It was another 2 hours of singing that reminded us we have been on vacation for two months, but it’s always good to jump back into singing with our choir family.

Then we had our dinner break! I went to a small restaurant down the street called Coco, where Dr. Jordan was kind enough to treat me and my friend, Christian, along with Brian Sengdala, who is an alumnus of Westminster and Williamson Voices, who is working on the Conducting Institute staff this year. Once we finished eating, we made our way back to the Chapel for Compline. This is a service that ends our day and helps us wish for a peaceful night. We end the day singing all together, and creating even more beautiful music!

The next day, our first session wasn’t until 2 pm, so we had an easy morning. I explored town with a few of my friends before we had to be back for sessions!

We then had two more “Practical Conducting Skills” sessions with a tea break between the two.  After the second session, I quickly went to Subway to grab a sub before our first concert. We had to meet back in the Church at 7:45 so we could have a little rehearsal time before our Graduate Assistant’s recital. Levi is only the second GA to have their recital in Oxford, and he was very excited to do it in such an important space to him. He originally attended Oxford as a conductor himself, and it led him to attend Westminster for his Graduate degree.

Once we finished singing the Fauré Requiem, our night was over. I went to get ice cream with a few of my friends from this place down the street that has about 20 different flavors of Gelato and Sorbet. Then I turned in for the night to make sure I was ready for the next day!

July 9

Hey there! My name is Kate and I am a rising Senior Bachelor of Arts in Music major with a minor in Arts Administration. This has been my first year in Westminster Williamson Voices and my first trip to Oxford for the Conducting Institute. I am so excited to show you around the city as I become acquainted with it.

My day began by catching a bus from London to Oxford, where we passed the countryside and dozed off for parts of the two hour ride.

We eventually arrived in Oxford and walked down a few streets to meet up with our friends at St. Stephen’s House. Once a large number of first year attendees had gathered, we walked to the “Varsity Shop” in downtown Oxford. As we were walking, we passed signs advertising numerous concerts that would be occurring during these weeks, including our own Annelies performance.

We then settled into our rooms and caught a quick breath. I am sharing a room with my friend Maddie and we are lucky enough to have our own bathroom in our room, which is also right above the rehearsal spaces and the dining area.

We made our way down to the St. John’s Church where we gathered with all of the choir, conductors and staff. There were some small introductions, and then we made our way to tea time.

I grabbed a cup of tea and went outside to sit in the cloisters. It was a beautiful day and the breeze was just right, perfect for a break. It was nice to sit around with friends and catch up, since we haven’t seen each other since Commencement two months ago.

After tea, we were treated to a small concert/workshop from the Magdalen College Choir. The choir consisted of 15 boys, and men who made up the other three voice parts. They created a beautiful sound in the church that made most of our jaws drop. We then enjoyed a BBQ, and I was lucky enough to sit outside in the Cloisters yet again.

After dinner, we made our way to rehearsals with the two Directors – Dr. James Jordan, a Westminster Choir College faculty member, and Dr. James Whitbourn, an Oxford University research fellow. The choir was split into two sections, which we call the St. Stephen’s group and the St. John’s group. We split into two so that the conductors who come to participate in the program have the opportunity to conduct more students in more time. During tonight’s sessions, we worked with the Directors to ensure that we brushed up on the music we would be singing with the Conductors, and to establish our sound in the new spaces. I could tell that my voice wasn’t used to singing that much for over an hour, but I am so excited to be back with my Williamson family, singing pieces that mean so much to each and every one of us. If today was a testament to how the rest of this program is going to go, I can’t wait for the rest!

Make sure you are also following Westminster360 on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook to see even more of my adventures!

July 10th & 11th – Palmer

Wow, I can’t believe is already about to all end. What a jam packed adventure this has been! Before I start talking about the last day, I will talk about yesterday first because yesterday was filled with fun things that I did! Yesterday started with a bright and early tour at the Magdalen College Library with Lucy. I knew this would be incredible, but it even exceeded my expectations! When they brought us into the library, there was a large table with sheets of original manuscripts of medieval music, like chant and lute songs.

The guide explained to us how a lot of it was recovered and the different histories behind the sheets that were there. The coolest part was due to these sheets being on vellum, which means it is made of animal hide instead of paper, we could actually touch and hold the music. We were able to get super close and observe the music and the little differences between them. A lot of the music was from the 11th and 12th centuries, which is absolutely mind-blowing. To think that an actual person wrote this by hand hundreds of years ago, was just too insane to even fathom. He also showed us a book of lute songs, which turned out to be a collection of songs by John Dowland. This was especially cool because the examples contained the original music for “Weep you no more sad fountains,” which was a song that I’ve worked on and spent time with. It was insane to have that connection, and it just made the experience feel particularly relevant and meaningful.

After looking through all the music, we left the library and had some free time before a private concert by the Magdalen Choir in the chapel! We sat outside in a gorgeous quad area with beautiful flowers for a little bit and then decided to walk around Oxford a bit more.

We went to Scriptum, which is a stationery store that Dr. Jordan really likes that had quills and really pretty journals. I also was able to get some various Oxford gifts for my friends and family as this was the perfect time for a little shopping. Then we went to the Covered Market, which was this beautiful market of various vendors that had food stalls and shops, but it was all built into this covered area right off the main street. We got some absolutely decadent strawberries that looked too incredible to resist (and they were worth it) and just walked around a bit more. We got to see the open air mall as well which was just very pretty to look at, and then we headed back for the concert!

We entered the Magdalen College chapel, and it was stunning. It had tall beautiful stained glass windows and a large organ in the center. The most magnificent part was the back wall which consisted entirely of statues that covered the entire wall. A perfect place for magical music making. The choir consisted of tenors and basses, who were college students at Oxford University, and sopranos and altos, who were young boys from around the community. They sang a variety of different styles of combinations – some with just the younger boys and some with just the older boys. The concert was short, but so so beautiful. They resonated through the beautiful space perfectly, and it was so nice to hear some beautiful choral singing for the first time in a while. It was nice to not be singing for once and just being able to listen. The magic of Oxford kind of hit me in that moment and made me so happy to be here. For their encore song, they surprised everyone by singing something by Dr. Whitbourn! It was such a beautiful way to end the concert. The concert was fairly brief, but it was still very meaningful to experience a part of the music world in England more closely. I’m very glad we got to see something like this before leaving.

After the concert, we had a nice long break before we had the dress rehearsals for the conductors. The dress rehearsals were the conductors each getting to run their piece with the choir all the way through without stopping. For this we were no longer split into the two choirs, so they got to conduct the full choir. For the break, I walked around Oxford a bit more and saw the Christ Church Meadow, which was this beautiful open green area in the middle of Oxford. The path led us right back to St. Stephen’s just in time for the dress rehearsals.

After the all the dress rehearsals and some tea time, we were set free for the rest of the night. I went out, ate dinner, and relaxed a bit, and then Dr. Jordan had a surprise for us that he told us about earlier in the day. We all met up in the presentation room of St. Stephen’s to get our first listen to the recording that we recorded in January! It’s not being edited yet, but he wanted us to hear what they had so far. This one of the most magical times in all of Oxford. Everyone in the whole choir sat in a room together and listened to ourselves sing. We were amazed that was us. It was so indescribable. People cried at just how beautiful it turned out. Everyone was so excited and passionate about the music we made together. It made me feel so connected. We did that together, with our work and our passion. I couldn’t help but watch Dr. Jordan as well, the proud leader he was. He was so moved by our work and what we were able to make together. I could not have asked for a better group of people to be a part of or a better leader of that group. Listening to the recording together made it feel that much more special. I cannot WAIT for the world to hear this. After we all listened to the recording, everyone had to get some sleep for our concerts the next day! It was a truly wondrous day that made me so thankful to be able to come to Oxford. That’s absolutely mind-blowing.

That brings us to today, the final day of the Conducting Institute at Oxford! Today was mainly about the concerts for the conductors, where each conductor would get to conduct one of their pieces and show the progress they have made over the week. However, the day started with a session where we got to see the Magdalen Choir once again! This time, they came to us and did a full rehearsal in front of us. It was very cool to see the behind the scenes of the choir we saw yesterday. It’s very fascinating how the use of young boys for sopranos and altos influences the overall sound of the full choir.

After the session, we got a nice break before the concerts. I went out and got some bubble tea at a cute place near St. Stephen’s. I was able to relax, talk to some friends, and get some alone time. When recovered, I put on my tux and set off for the first concert! We warmed up and off we went. After the first concert, we got a dinner break and then right back in.

There was 12 conductors for each concert, so 12 pieces each. Each conductor got up conducted their piece and then had a picture taken with the whole choir. It was really lovely. The conductors all brought their whole hearts. You could very well see and feel the progress they all made. I felt the communication, the breath, the connection. It was all new and lively. I felt open to each one and it was so wonderful to see what they are capable of. These people love music, and they are the type of people I want to be around and sing for. This program really did something to each of them. At the end, it truly like we were singing for friends, rather than strangers. They were all so appreciative of the hard work we did. It was really so wonderful to meet them all and talk to them. They were all such wonderful, passionate people.

Right after all the conductors went, it became very emotional. Dr. Jordan took the whole choir and some of the staff to one of the hallways that has our Williamson window in it. There we all gathered around and thanked all the people who have done so much for us. Dr. Jordan likes to give out replicas of the window as gifts, because it is one of the choir’s most prized connections with the program in Oxford.

After handing out all the gifts and some heartfelt speeches, we all sang the Lutkin in the hallway together. It was so so so powerful. As I looked around at everyone, I felt that this was not just a choir. It was a family of people who cared about each other and loved being together. The entire trip in that moment felt so meaningful and powerful. That all this is more than just about music, it’s about love and sharing with others, sharing emotions and experiences and our lives with each other. We all walked back into the church where the conductors were waiting and did even more thank yous, and even a graduation ceremony for all the conductors in the program. Even the conductors did their own thank you where they thanked everyone in the program and expressed how they were truly touched by the events of the past week. Even for them, this was more than words could talk about. All in that room, for one last time, we all sang the Lutkin together, conductors and choir and staff and everyone. The last magic through music we would all make together. After the Lutkin causing another eruption of emotions, the next 20 minutes was just about hugging, and thanking, and appreciating everyone individually. Everyone really cared about each other here.

After all that, Dr. Jordan rented out part of the Cape of Good Hope, a neaby restaurant, for a nice party with all of the conductors and choir members to celebrate the end of the program together. It was a beautiful way to end the program, all together in one place. It was bit sad to think that it’s over, but I’m assured because I get to come back and do this again next year! I already have ideas of things I want to do when I come back. Going home to relax and enjoy some free time will be really nice after these past two weeks.

Tomorrow I am off to London, then Brighton, and then home on Saturday! Oxford has truly been a blessing to my life. It was even more amazing, brilliant, surreal, wondrous, magical, meaningful, and special than I ever thought it could be. Thank you Dr. Jordan and Dr. Whitbourn for making this possible and giving us your love and wisdom every single day. Thank you to Dr. Pilkington for always being so thoughtful in everything you do and say, and yet still so funny all the time. Thank you to everyone who helped in any way because you touched many people’s lives, and now I get to be included in that. I can’t wait to come back with new Williamson members next year and get them just as inspired as I am. I can’t wait for more people to experience what this is, because it really is hard to describe. This marks the official end of my first year with Williamson Voices. It was more incredible than I could have ever fathomed. Thank you to Dr. Jordan for creating this family and home within my school and for welcoming me into this family. Thank you Lucy for being a leader that keeps things as organized as they can be and showing the choir so much love and support. We are gonna miss you so much. Thank you to my entire Williamson family because this is not just any choir of people. This is a family of some of the best people I have ever met in my life, and I am so thankful I got to spend this last year with you all. I’m so thankful it doesn’t have to end. Thank you Westminster for making my dreams real each day, even if we’re not in Princeton right now. The spirit of Westminster is over here in England, and it’s stronger than ever. Happy holidays and happy new year to Oxford. I won’t see you for a little bit. But, soon. Thanks everyone. Thanks Oxford. Goodnight.

— Palmer

July 12

As I sit on the bus ride to the airport reflecting on the last few days of the Choral Institute I can’t help but think that there is a sort of magic that exists in Oxford. The last few days of Oxford are always the best because you have created new friendships and grown more comfortable with people- and the last few days are spent just really getting to know one another and make music.

The final concert was really extraordinary- every conductor has grown so much since the 10 bars intro session as musicians and as people. It’s astonishing to see the way that people open up and really become a part of our little musical family.

I really cannot put into words how grateful I am to be in the Westminster Williamson Voices and have the opportunity to go to Oxford, along with all the other things Williamson does. When I first came into Williamson almost two years ago I was a nervous sophomore who wasn’t quite sure where she fit in to the choir. Now as I approach my last semester in Williamson, I can honestly say that I feel connected to every single person in our choir of almost 70.

On the second to last night of Oxford, we got to listen to the rough cut of our CD that is coming out this November. We all piled into one of the tiny and incredibly hot seminar rooms and listened to an hour and six minutes of pure bliss. From the very first song we were all holding hands and crying, not only because it was beautiful, but because we had all worked so hard to create this recording and now we were all sharing a very special moment listening to it with just us, before the rest of the world gets to hear it.

The last 10 days have flown by, but it has also felt like a new lifetime of memories and experiences. I’m sad to say goodbye to those graduating and those I won’t see until school begins, but I am excited to head back to the states! I can’t wait to return to Oxford next year in my last year in Westminster Williamson Voices!

— Brianna

July 8, 2018

Last night was particularly wonderful as it was our Westminster Williamson Voices concert to close the International Choral Festival at Oxford. We opened the concert with some chant and Beatus Vir by Dr. Whitbourn. We then continued with Peter Relph’s Requiem as a UK premiere, which finished the first half. Peter Relph even came again to hear the Requiem for a second time! It sounded extremely beautiful in the church, and it was just so wonderful to sing it again, as it is among some of the favorite music I have sung. We had one minor hiccup in the middle, but a quick recovery kept our momentum going! Of course, everyone always remembers the mistakes, but the entire piece was absolutely stunning. It’s not meant to be perfect, because then that isn’t genuine, honest music-making.

In the second half, we sang Whitbourn’s Luminosity, which we had been working on for so long! And wow, it was definitely worth the work. The entire piece was far beyond anything we had ever sung it. It was brilliantly executed, and just so incredible, more incredible then I even thought capable. I could feel how excited that Dr. Whitbourn was in the moments where things clicked. Things we had been working on all this time all worked so well. The piece was impactful and meaningful and powerful. The audience gave us a standing ovation, even though it wasn’t the end of the concert! After the concert, Dr. Whitbourn thanked us for how special that moment making music together was. It was truly something special.

After we sang Luminosity, we finished the concert with I Shall Not Live in Vain by Thomas LaVoy and the Lutkin Benediction (which was a nice little surprise). We are quite familiar with the LaVoy, so we pulled that off without a problem. The Lutkin was actually a surprise as we never actually talked about doing it, but Dr. Jordan just told us to in the moment. I think that was one of the best Lutkins I have ever sung. It was soft, gentle, and thoughtful. It was so stunningly and unexpectedly beautiful. Any walls that anyone had up instantly collapsed and everyone was very vulnerable. Some people felt the impact of their last Williamson concert, and others, simply, the power of the music. After the concert, the whole choir went out for a bit together to celebrate. We were all truly connected tonight. Something that, I find, Oxford does well for us.

Today was a wonderful change of pace from the rest of the program, as it was our first, and only, complete day off! After a long day yesterday, a concert, and some celebration, it was nice to have some time off. After being able to sleep in for the first time, some of my classmates (Colin Mahon, René Miville, NicolePaige Uvenio, Christian Koller) and I made some plans to go out into Oxford and explore some farther out parts that we hadn’t been able to see quite yet. We made plans to go to the Ashmolean Museum and have afternoon tea at the rooftop restaurant they have there. But first, we decided to have a meal! We went to a pub called the Eagle & Child which was famous for being the place where C.S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien used to meet up and discuss their writing. The pub had C.S. Lewis quotes and decorations all over. It was a cool place to visit and to eat!

 

After we finished, we went to the Ashmolean Museum, and being a bit early, as well as entry being free, we decided to just walk around the museum. The section we loved the best was the section where they had different violins from different time periods showing how the design evolved over time. In that same room, there were large tapestries with humongous ornate designs of musical parties, and even one with a gigantic map of Oxfordshire. After that section, we walked through a large room filled with ornate china that had a myriad of different patterns and pictures. There were particularly a lot of flower designs, which I loved. After walking around for a bit, it was time for high tea! We went to the rooftop and got a table in the outside section overlooking the streets of Oxford. The view was absolutely breathtaking. I ordered the Oriental Sencha tea with some small treats. It was fun to participate in a common British tradition. The strawberry jam with the scones was so amazing. Definitely the part that I will remember the most. It was relaxing and relieving after a week of work.

 

When we finished our tea, we headed back to St. Stephen’s because the tea and treats made everyone feel a little sleepy. Some people went off to sleep and René Miville, Joel Noonan, and I watched some of the new Steven Universe episodes that came out while we were here. After we caught up, I was invited to go out with Jess Forbes and Christian, to see Jess’s mother, who we knew from high school. Jess’s mom went to nursing school in Oxford, and so she was here as a 40th anniversary with her and her friends. Her and her friends had rented a houseboat on the River Thames, so she invited us to come and hang out with them! We walked all the way out there and met everyone. It was super nice and all of them were super funny. It was a relaxing evening on the riverbank as we watched party boats and so, so many birds pass along going upstream. We saw this one duck that we really liked, so we named him Daniel and followed his adventures. After hanging out there for a while and watching the sunset, we walked back a new way to St. Stephen’s and even saw a fox along the way!

 

Upon getting back to St. Stephen’s, we went straight to the cabaret night in the common room. All the choir members and a lot of the conductors came together to just sing whatever we wanted for each other. People got up and sang musical theatre, classical, and even Disney! It was a fun night of laughs and bonding. Nobody tried to be good while performing, everyone just did it for fun. Even some of the conductors got up and sang, which made the event just feel that much more memorable. It was really wonderful to be able to spend time and have fun with everyone like this. We ended the night by all singing Dancing Queen together as a grand finale. Brilliant.

We ended around midnight and everyone went to bed after a much needed day off. What a jam- packed and exciting first week. I can’t wait to see what the next week holds. Thanks Oxford, cya tomorrow.
— Palmer

July 5

Today was another exciting day in Oxford! It felt busy and relaxed almost at the same time. It started off with the wonderful English breakfast that has greeted us every morning so far. Still doesn’t get old (at least for me). We started singing nice early with a 9:30 warm-up together in the church. Lucy warmed the choir up in preparation for our first rehearsal with Dr. Whitbourn to work on his work, Luminosity, which we will be performing in our concert this Saturday along with Peter Relph’s Requiem, which we premiered in the spring.

The rehearsal working on Luminosity was a delight. It was really nice to have the whole choir together again and singing to prep for a concert. Everyone really was on their A-game today and the singing was absolutely fabulous in the church. I’m one of the tenors assigned to a small-group part, which means I get to drone one note for quite a few pages. While not the most exciting, it does mean I get to listen to all the other parts even more intently! The drone adds a very cool effect in the music that attempts to model the style of Indian music so it is definitely well-worth it. Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do for the greater whole. It had been a little while since we had sung Luminosity together, so we hit a few speed bumps, but Dr. Whitbourn was very patient and helped us iron out any problems. Then all the section leaders agreed to hold some sectionals to really make sure we have it down pat for Saturday! And with another rehearsal on Saturday as well, the piece will not only be ready, but it will be absolutely brilliant! I’m excited to bring in the instrumentalists and put all the pieces together. I can only imagine how magical a concert in Oxford will be!

After we finished our rehearsal with Dr. Whitbourn, we had some free time so I quickly ate some lunch, went for a quick walk, and then went outside to sit in the wonderful England weather. I walked right up the street to this cute game store called the Gameskeeper. I’m an avid fan of board games, card games, and role-playing games so of course I had to check it out. I picked up this huge 10-sided die that was clear and had another smaller 10-sided die inside of it! I had never seen it anywhere so I figured it would be a cute souvenir to remind me of Oxford, even during my more nerdy activities.

When I got back, I went outside and was able to catch up on some of one my favorite shows, Steven Universe! It was some nice relaxation time outside of the hustle bustle of all the sessions. The beautiful weather pulled other people outside as well because you just can’t be inside on days like this.

After some down time, we went to the next session. This session was on chant improvisation with Gary Graden, a friend of Dr. Jordan’s who came here from Sweden! This session was incredibly fantastic. It began with him conducting a piece from the Westminster Williamson Voices repertoire – Acclamatio by Damijan Mocnik – selected because he was actually the one who premiered it! It was really a joy to sing for him. He was so excited and passionate about the music. He conducted with such undoubted trust and love for the music, and that made it memorable in itself. He also worked on the piece for a little bit with us, but he didn’t work for that long because he said we were already doing it so well! That’s always a nice thing to hear from the guy who premiered the piece, am I right?

After that he started talking about ways to incorporate improv into chant. He gave us a booklet with some basic chant melodies and we used them in a variety of creative ways. In the beginning, he just had everyone in the room improvising on any notes in the scale that they wanted. He always started and then would point at people one by one to add to the sound. As the numbers grew, the church filled more and more with different melodies and people’s improvisations. It started simply and eventually evolved into a great cacophony of noise that was still somehow profoundly beautiful. It was as if we were all feeding into this collective ball of energy that just got larger as more people put their energy into it. He continued the session by having one side of the room improv on the scale while another half sang a chant melody over top. It was absolutely incredible. From there, he experimented more and more with canons using the chant and more improvisation on the circle. This culminated into all of us standing in a giant circle improvising on the scale as every single person in the circle participated in canons of the chants! This was like an almost 100-person canon. It was absolutely brilliant. You could tell he absolutely loved what he was doing and wanted us to join him on his own musical journey as well as have our own. I’m so glad he is here working with us and we get to work with him again tomorrow!

After an action-filled session, everyone went over to tea time! This allowed for a nice break and the ability to interact with some of the conductors as well as Gary Graden! It went by super fast and then we were thrust right into the day’s conducting sessions.

Today the St. Stephen’s choir was once again in the chapel, but with Dr. Jordan this time! This two hour session was essentially a masterclass with the various conductors in the program. Each conductor got 12 minutes of time to pick one of two pieces they chose to conduct and get Dr. Jordan’s feedback. Sessions like this with Dr. Jordan always end up having such a wide array of wonderful emotions throughout. Sometimes he does such silly things or makes jokes that causes the entire choir to burst out in laughter and other times he makes people cry due to the magic of the music they can make with his help. He truly does incredible work with these people. Every single conductor did a magnificent job and even made such incredible progress over just 12 minutes. Dr. Jordan’s comments really went to the heart and improved everything about what they did. Sometimes Dr. Jordan and Dr. Whitbourn even ask for comments from the choir to get our perspective on singing for them, which I really like. The full two hours of this was quite tiring and I was definitely ready to eat. Just in time for Tenor Dinner!

After our conducting sessions, the tenor section of Williamson all went out to dinner together at a restaurant in Oxford called Big Society. This wonderful event was organized by our fabulous section leaders, Aldo Aranzulla and Paul David Flood! It was a great time where we all got to relax with each other and just be friends! I feel quite at home in this section and we all love each other so much. It was nice to all be together, have some tenor pride over what we accomplished over the school year, and, of course, to get hyped for the concert on Saturday! It was a great way to end a busy day. With no night session tonight, I was able to get some nice alone time and just wind down after the day. Goodnight Oxford, let this never end.

__ Palmer

July 4

After last night’s session “10 Bars or Less”, everyone was excited to start our work with the amazing 24 conductors that have joined us in Oxford this year. Each of the conductors brings something different to the table, and I can’t wait to see what we learn from them and what they learn from us.

I started out my morning with an Alto sectional- where we all got together to go over some notes and check in with each other. It is such a joy to be back singing with these wonderful women even if it is only for 10 days! I have learned so much from this section over the past two years, and I am so honored to sing with them.

Then all the members of the Choral Institute attended a session given by Dr. Michael Ward on C.S Lewis and the power of metaphor. This session really got me thinking about how every musician who composes the choir, be it singer or conductor, brings a different story with them into rehearsal. It is our job as musicians to take our specific stories and find a common level of humanity so that we can give performances that reach a broad audience but are still authentic to ourselves and our own music making.

The first session was followed up with lunch in the dining room, and a little bit of free time. Whenever we have some down time, it’s wonderful to pop into town for a coffee, some ice cream, or just to take a stroll! Oxford is loaded with beautiful sights, cafes, and very pleasant people.

After that, the phenomenal Dr. Pilkington gave a lecture on the power of narrative, which did not disappoint. Dr. P talked about how we as musicians need to stay relevant in a time when the classical music bubble is shrinking every day and how we can still honor the traditions and music of the past while making performance relevant to the modern listener.

Then after tea time, the best time of day, we had our first session with the CIO conductors.

In these sessions Westminster Williamson Voices is split in half, with one choir rehearsing in St. Steven’s Chapel and one choir rehearsing in St. John’s church. Either Dr. Whitbourn or Dr. Jordan works with the conductors during these sessions on a piece that the conductors have chosen – based on repertoire that Williamson has done this past year. In these sessions we really get to know the conductors as human beings and musicians. Getting to see how quickly they learn and grow in the short time at Oxford is simply astounding.

Then after a break for dinner, we joined up again for our first Compline rehearsal and Compline. Compline is a time for us to all come back together at the end of the day and sing together- as a reminder of the power of community and unity.

-Brianna