Click the headline of each year, to be linked to the Danish site for photographs.
Our aim is to make international choir travels every 3rd year. Considering that travels are paid by the individual members, this interval is an acceptable compromise. On the other hand we appreciate the social dimension, shopping, and the common joy by presenting a good programme is important to us. Therefore: We do want communications with foreign choirs. Considering the social benefits from the travels we should like to be acquainted with other choirs. Maybe we can exchange and mix for concerts in Denmark and abroad and widen our musical knowledge?
2017 brought us to Belgium, to the beautiful city of Antwerp. Two local choir-singers, Patrick Seegers and Inge Peppermans, helped set up two concerts in local churches, and also arranged for two "pop-up" concerts, one at Antwerp Zoo and one at Groenplats in central Antwerp.
Our two full-length concerts took place in two churches. On 25th of May in the gorgeous baroque church of Saint Paul in central Antwerp and on 27th of may in the more modern church Sint-Anna on the left river bank, just oitside the city center. Both concert venues were excellent for a choir like ours. We particularly enjoyed the phenomenal accoustics of Saint Paul's church.
We also visited the beautiful city of Bruges - although it proved a bit more challenging than planned getting there. We had booked (and payed) to have a coach take us there and back, but the coach never showed up, so we had to take trains and local buses to get there, but we managed and had a great day there.
Destination Tromsø, Norway. A
northbound travel, with performances every day around Ascension Day. The choir members met in the Tromsø midnight sun. Most of us arrived directly from Copenhagen, whereas a few had made it a tourist trip as well. In advance a little planning group
had arranged concerts in and around Tromsø, in the small village of Kåfjord. In between there should also be some socializing time, although it is expensive to socialize in Norway!
We had a sacral and a secular programme. The sacral programme was presented in the Arctic Cathedral. With its superb acoustics every fault by the choir would be enlarged, so: don't sing off key! Not only the acoustics but also the glass mosaic by Viktor Sparre, The Return of Christ, are worth a detour. The church is Tromsø's landmark.
The next day (!) the local newspaper told about the choir giving concerts in Tromsø. However, the information had been sent to them well in advance before the concert. Maybe that was why there were not many listeners. However, they appeared at the following two concerts in the library and the museum, where the secular programme was performed.
Just as overwhelming the Arctic Cathedral might seem, just as intimate was the little church in Olderdalen. In direct distance not so far from Tromsø, but since the road followed the fjord banks it was a long drive in the chartered bus. This church is rather new, as well (1948), but the welcome was overwhelming.
Liv Rundberg, the organist, had advertised in advance. Our choir was the main element in musical prayers with the clergyman introducing and concluding. Also, Liv had prepared a surprise welcome: Sámi Lávjonjoavku (Sami Song Group) sang Gula Áhcci almmis rohkosa. This group consists of local men, women, and children.
After that, it was our turn to perform.
People were very hospitable, but unfortunately there was not much time after the concert. The bus was waiting to transport us to Skjervøy. From Skjervøy the Hurtigruten took us southbound back to Tromsø, with dinner onboard.
UNOFFICIAL CONCERTS
On our way back to Tromsø the choir performed for the passengers. It had been arranged more or less in advance, yet we did not know how it would take place. But we were soon clarified. One of the spots onboard was, that a boat landed at the shipside with fresh cooked shrimps. They were afterwards served for the passengers, outdoor on the deck together with a glass of wine. And this was the venue for a cold choir in overcoats to entertain the passengers! OK we got the opportunity to peel shrimps afterwards, but most other people had withdrawn indoor before that.
Just shortly before midnight we were back at the hotel.
The second unofficial concert was agreed upon spontaneously as a PR for our concerts. After the well-attended concert at Tromsø Library we continued to Tromsø's Market place, where we "happened to" burst out in song.
Not everything was concerts. There was also time to celebrate a birthday at one of the restaurants - said to be a fish restaurant, but we don't remember it as such. It was a bar rather than a restaurant.
The last day in Tromsø was a mixture of buses and flights. First with local bus to and from the concert in the museum. Then coach to the airport. After check-in we all landed in Oslo, with a very short transit period before the flight left for Copenhagen. All came on board, also the luggage, which was transferred in Oslo, where we did not see it.
We had landed and were back in the Danish Summer heat - on June 1st.
The destination was Berlin, arriving and leaving individually, but with the concert period as compulsory period.
A group booking had been made at the same hotel, but first meeting as a group was in pouring rain at the foot of the TV tower for a dinner together in the rotating rooftop restaurant. Other excursions included e.g. the Parliament Building. In its dome we gave a "spontaneous" number off-programme.
The serious part of the visit was our three concerts, one with sacral repertoire in the Lutheran church Zum heiligen Kreuz.
The remaining two concerts had a more secular selection. First in the cultural center Bildungszentrum am Antonplatz with a large audience. After the concert the choir received a specially designed framed collage. The last concert took place in the Schöneberg Town Hall, once situated in the former West Berlin and therefore made famous by President Kennedy, when he declared: "Ich bin ein Berliner" (I am a Berliner).
We didn't get famous, but the weather had changed to dry and warm, too warm for a choir in their concert uniforms, but we finished. Altogether a challenge with different repertoire and different concert venues, each scattered in a new corner of Berlin.
But then we could relax with a boat trip on the Spree and a concluding farewell dinner in a restaurant close to our hotel.
Our 2008 travel went to Poland. There were concerts in the two towns Wroclaw and Krakow. The Consonanza choir assisted us in arranging the Wroclaw concert in St. Elisabeth’s Church, centrally located on the market place in Wroclaw. The Krakow concerts were in The Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul in central Krakow and in Sct. Joseph’s church in the Podgorze part of town