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©2005 Oregon Children's Choir & Youth Chorale. All rights reserved.
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The Boston Blog
Tuesday, 28 June 2005
Welcome!
I'm Richard Iredale, dad to Trish and part-time videographer to the OCCYC. Over the past six months or so I also learned how to build this website for the Choir.
I thought it might be kinda fun to write a Blog ("Web Log") of our summer tour to Boston this year. Now normally a Blog on the Internet is arranged so that the most recent entry is at the top. That makes sense for many purposes, but for a running tour commentary it seems to me that there should be a flow from beginning to end, like a book. So the most recent entry on this blog is at the bottom, like a handwritten diary. I've put a link at the top of this page that will get you quickly to the most recent entry.
Anyway, today was the last official day of practice for Choir 3 before leaving for Boston this Thursday. Sandy Miller asked them to wear their new black OCCYC shirts, since one of the local TV stations was sending a crew to shoot some video for the evening news. "Local Choir to sing the National Anthem at Red Sox game--News at 11!"
The choir sounds great. I know this for a fact, since I'm currently editing the video of the Spring Concert from May 15th, and I've heard their songs over and over and over again. They sound pretty good.
Until next time...
Welcome!
I'm Richard Iredale, dad to Trish and part-time videographer to the OCCYC. Over the past six months or so I also learned how to build this website for the Choir.
I thought it might be kinda fun to write a Blog ("Web Log") of our summer tour to Boston this year. Now normally a Blog on the Internet is arranged so that the most recent entry is at the top. That makes sense for many purposes, but for a running tour commentary it seems to me that there should be a flow from beginning to end, like a book. So the most recent entry on this blog is at the bottom, like a handwritten diary. I've put a link at the top of this page that will get you quickly to the most recent entry.
Anyway, today was the last official day of practice for Choir 3 before leaving for Boston this Thursday. Sandy Miller asked them to wear their new black OCCYC shirts, since one of the local TV stations was sending a crew to shoot some video for the evening news. "Local Choir to sing the National Anthem at Red Sox game--News at 11!"
The choir sounds great. I know this for a fact, since I'm currently editing the video of the Spring Concert from May 15th, and I've heard their songs over and over and over again. They sound pretty good.
Until next time...
This page last updated 2005/07/08
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Self-portrait of the writer hard at work on this Blog
Thursday, 30 June 2005, 12:49pm
Sitting at Gate D5 at PDX, surrounded by 40 or so people wearing little "OCCYC" lanyards and black OCCYC shirts.
Hmmm... The message board says our flight is now expected to depart at 2:23pm, rather than the scheduled 12:55pm. That puts us into SLC nearly an hour and a half late, missing the connecting flight to Boston. Susan DeMars is talking with the Gate Agent, so I'm sure we'll get to Boston eventually. Maybe this could turn into the 2005 Salt Lake City tour?
The Chorale is now practicing the "Beati" song across the common walkway area over at Gate D4. Sounds a little ususual at first, hearing a choir sing a Latin song in an airport terminal, but people around me seem to be enjoying the change. Better than hearing "The white zone is for immediate loading and unloading only--NO parking!" over and over again.
We all managed to get through the security scanners without incident. One portly attendant took particular interest in my beat-up shoes. Maybe they reminded her of the kind of shoes worn by folks with evil intentions. It must have been a letdown to test the cotton swab and discover that my shoes had exactly 0.0 parts per billion of whatever chemical compounds they were searching for... Good thing I wore clean socks.
I'm sitting in a chair right next to a 110v wall outlet, so the laptop is recharging as I type. I can't download the photos from the camera yet, though, because I left the USB adapter cable in my suitcase. Who knows when we'll get to the hotel in Boston, but I'll attach the photos to this page then.
Regarding the flight to Salt Lake City-- I'm keeping my fingers crossed. No matter what happens, though, as long as everyone's safe, there's no downside; just an interesting little blip in the journey.
Sitting at Gate D5 at PDX, surrounded by 40 or so people wearing little "OCCYC" lanyards and black OCCYC shirts.
Hmmm... The message board says our flight is now expected to depart at 2:23pm, rather than the scheduled 12:55pm. That puts us into SLC nearly an hour and a half late, missing the connecting flight to Boston. Susan DeMars is talking with the Gate Agent, so I'm sure we'll get to Boston eventually. Maybe this could turn into the 2005 Salt Lake City tour?
The Chorale is now practicing the "Beati" song across the common walkway area over at Gate D4. Sounds a little ususual at first, hearing a choir sing a Latin song in an airport terminal, but people around me seem to be enjoying the change. Better than hearing "The white zone is for immediate loading and unloading only--NO parking!" over and over again.
We all managed to get through the security scanners without incident. One portly attendant took particular interest in my beat-up shoes. Maybe they reminded her of the kind of shoes worn by folks with evil intentions. It must have been a letdown to test the cotton swab and discover that my shoes had exactly 0.0 parts per billion of whatever chemical compounds they were searching for... Good thing I wore clean socks.
I'm sitting in a chair right next to a 110v wall outlet, so the laptop is recharging as I type. I can't download the photos from the camera yet, though, because I left the USB adapter cable in my suitcase. Who knows when we'll get to the hotel in Boston, but I'll attach the photos to this page then.
Regarding the flight to Salt Lake City-- I'm keeping my fingers crossed. No matter what happens, though, as long as everyone's safe, there's no downside; just an interesting little blip in the journey.
Friday, 1 July 2005, 4:50pm
Whew.
Well, we made it. Our flight from PDX to SLC left about 90 minutes late, but the flight attendant kept telling us all on the intercom that there was a choir group trying to make a tight connection for a flight to Boston, so could everyone else please let them off first? Sure enough, when we arrived at Salt Lake City, we all sprinted off the first plane, raced a few hundred yards down the concourse, and ran into the jetway for the second plane. Delta had held that plane over for about a half hour, so they really took a hit in the "on time" category that night. Still, either that or flying with a plane half-empty, plus hotel accommodations and meals for 40 or so people. So I'm sure even the bean counters at Delta would have to agree they did the right thing.
The bus ride from the airport to the hotel in Back Bay seemed to take nearly as long as the flight. As you probably know, you taxpayers have spent a great deal of tax money on a giant public works project here in Boston called the "Big Dig." It's basically an effort to move the main Interstate freeway that runs through the city underground in order to improve traffic flow. Let's hope so; what a mess it was that night.
After a very short sleep, we all had a nice breakfast here in the hotel, and then a short walk to the Duck Boats. In case you've never heard of these boats, they are leftover WWII amphibious trucks that are equally ungainly on land and water. Each truck is outfitted with maybe 30 seats, a loud PA system, and a driver with equally loud clothing that has been carefully chosen to match the Duck boat color (ours was chartreuse, and our driver had managed to find chartreuse camoflauge clothing. Makes you wonder what kind of jungle the clothing manufacturers had in mind). The drivers came equipped with a good sense of humor also, and we all had a great time both on land and sea. Our driver allowed the kids to take a turn at the wheel out in the Charles River basin, the very same body of water where I capsized as a college student decades ago. Water's a lot cleaner now; back then the infirmary debated whether I needed a tetanus shot after getting back on dry land.
After that we braved the infamous "T" (the subway system) and clanked and creaked our way down four stops to Park Street Station, where we made our way back to the surface and a short walk to the Massachusetts Statehouse. After an informative tour (like someone once said, you really don't want to know how sausage is made or government works--both will turn your stomach) the singers did an brief performance on a wide staircase inside the Statehouse. Great acoustics. I'm sure the leaders portrayed on the ancient paintings on all the walls everywhere would have approved.
Oops--5:15pm. Got to get downstairs quickly for the ride to Fenway Park and the National Anthems. This is going to be fun.
Whew.
Well, we made it. Our flight from PDX to SLC left about 90 minutes late, but the flight attendant kept telling us all on the intercom that there was a choir group trying to make a tight connection for a flight to Boston, so could everyone else please let them off first? Sure enough, when we arrived at Salt Lake City, we all sprinted off the first plane, raced a few hundred yards down the concourse, and ran into the jetway for the second plane. Delta had held that plane over for about a half hour, so they really took a hit in the "on time" category that night. Still, either that or flying with a plane half-empty, plus hotel accommodations and meals for 40 or so people. So I'm sure even the bean counters at Delta would have to agree they did the right thing.
The bus ride from the airport to the hotel in Back Bay seemed to take nearly as long as the flight. As you probably know, you taxpayers have spent a great deal of tax money on a giant public works project here in Boston called the "Big Dig." It's basically an effort to move the main Interstate freeway that runs through the city underground in order to improve traffic flow. Let's hope so; what a mess it was that night.
After a very short sleep, we all had a nice breakfast here in the hotel, and then a short walk to the Duck Boats. In case you've never heard of these boats, they are leftover WWII amphibious trucks that are equally ungainly on land and water. Each truck is outfitted with maybe 30 seats, a loud PA system, and a driver with equally loud clothing that has been carefully chosen to match the Duck boat color (ours was chartreuse, and our driver had managed to find chartreuse camoflauge clothing. Makes you wonder what kind of jungle the clothing manufacturers had in mind). The drivers came equipped with a good sense of humor also, and we all had a great time both on land and sea. Our driver allowed the kids to take a turn at the wheel out in the Charles River basin, the very same body of water where I capsized as a college student decades ago. Water's a lot cleaner now; back then the infirmary debated whether I needed a tetanus shot after getting back on dry land.
After that we braved the infamous "T" (the subway system) and clanked and creaked our way down four stops to Park Street Station, where we made our way back to the surface and a short walk to the Massachusetts Statehouse. After an informative tour (like someone once said, you really don't want to know how sausage is made or government works--both will turn your stomach) the singers did an brief performance on a wide staircase inside the Statehouse. Great acoustics. I'm sure the leaders portrayed on the ancient paintings on all the walls everywhere would have approved.
Oops--5:15pm. Got to get downstairs quickly for the ride to Fenway Park and the National Anthems. This is going to be fun.
Friday, 1 July 2005, 11:30pm
What an amazing spectacle. We arrived at Fenway Park and after the requisite waiting here and there we were issued official-looking wristbands and escorted onto the hallowed ground behind home plate. And there they left us for another hour, or so it seemed. As gametime approached the home plate area got more crowded with various dignitaries and honorees for this or that. Finally it was our turn. I cringed when the stadium announcer said "Please welcome the Youth Chorale", thinking, gee, there are no doubt lots of "Youth Chorales" around the Boston metro area. But then he must have realized the oversight and mentioned us as the "Lake Oswego Oregon Youth Chorale."
The choir had made a previous recording of both national anthems a few weeks earlier and had shipped them off to the Fenway Park people. I guess when you're dealing with an audience of 30,000 people you want to minimize as many potential foulups as possible. Since they already had the recording of the anthems, it wouldn't be a total catastrophe if the microphone down on the field went dead. "O Canada" sounded great, and the sellout crowd responded enthusiastically. A few seconds of applause, and "The Star-spangled Banner" choir recording began to play, and once again, the live choir joined right in.
Again, a very good rendition. Towards the end of the song, the choir sings "O'er the land... of.... the.... freeeeeee........" Some of the singers go for the high note, and a lump appears in my throat. The crowd starts literally screaming with approval....
"....And the hooommmmeee..... of the..... BRAAAAVVVVEEEE!"
The sellout crowd goes absolutely nuts.
No kidding. You really had to be there.
Well, after that, everyone was walking on air, and no one (except Dennis Lawrence, a Boston native) really minded too much that the actual game was a disaster for the Sox, 15-2.
About the 6th inning I'm standing in the back near one of the exit ramps. A middle-aged dad with his young son walks up to Sandy and says, "I want you to know that I've never heard a better National Anthem sung anywhere. It was just wonderful."
And it was.
What an amazing spectacle. We arrived at Fenway Park and after the requisite waiting here and there we were issued official-looking wristbands and escorted onto the hallowed ground behind home plate. And there they left us for another hour, or so it seemed. As gametime approached the home plate area got more crowded with various dignitaries and honorees for this or that. Finally it was our turn. I cringed when the stadium announcer said "Please welcome the Youth Chorale", thinking, gee, there are no doubt lots of "Youth Chorales" around the Boston metro area. But then he must have realized the oversight and mentioned us as the "Lake Oswego Oregon Youth Chorale."
The choir had made a previous recording of both national anthems a few weeks earlier and had shipped them off to the Fenway Park people. I guess when you're dealing with an audience of 30,000 people you want to minimize as many potential foulups as possible. Since they already had the recording of the anthems, it wouldn't be a total catastrophe if the microphone down on the field went dead. "O Canada" sounded great, and the sellout crowd responded enthusiastically. A few seconds of applause, and "The Star-spangled Banner" choir recording began to play, and once again, the live choir joined right in.
Again, a very good rendition. Towards the end of the song, the choir sings "O'er the land... of.... the.... freeeeeee........" Some of the singers go for the high note, and a lump appears in my throat. The crowd starts literally screaming with approval....
"....And the hooommmmeee..... of the..... BRAAAAVVVVEEEE!"
The sellout crowd goes absolutely nuts.
No kidding. You really had to be there.
Well, after that, everyone was walking on air, and no one (except Dennis Lawrence, a Boston native) really minded too much that the actual game was a disaster for the Sox, 15-2.
About the 6th inning I'm standing in the back near one of the exit ramps. A middle-aged dad with his young son walks up to Sandy and says, "I want you to know that I've never heard a better National Anthem sung anywhere. It was just wonderful."
And it was.
Click here to go to the most recent entry
Sunday, 3 July 2005, 10:42pm
A Guide to Speaking Boston
You might think that since Boston is a part of the United States, then they would speak English. You would be wrong.
It's not that they DON'T speak English; you can generally understand them. It's just that it takes a little extra bit of brain power to translate into normal English.
So here is a 2-minute lesson on speaking Boston:
Some simple ones:
"Boston" = BAAH' STIN
"Harvard" = HAH' VID
"Concord" (nearby town) = CAN' KID
"Worcester" (another town) = WUH' STIH
"Soup" = CHOW' DUH
Now for some two-word combos:
"Quincy Market" = QUINZY MAH' KIT
"Martha's Vineyard" = MATHAS VIN' YID
Got it? Good.
Now repeat after me:
YE KAHNT PAHK YAH CAH IN HAHVID YAHD AFTAH DAHK.
Very good! At this point, you can now probably understand Teddy Kennedy on C-SPAN. Maybe not the cab drivers.
A Guide to Speaking Boston
You might think that since Boston is a part of the United States, then they would speak English. You would be wrong.
It's not that they DON'T speak English; you can generally understand them. It's just that it takes a little extra bit of brain power to translate into normal English.
So here is a 2-minute lesson on speaking Boston:
Some simple ones:
"Boston" = BAAH' STIN
"Harvard" = HAH' VID
"Concord" (nearby town) = CAN' KID
"Worcester" (another town) = WUH' STIH
"Soup" = CHOW' DUH
Now for some two-word combos:
"Quincy Market" = QUINZY MAH' KIT
"Martha's Vineyard" = MATHAS VIN' YID
Got it? Good.
Now repeat after me:
YE KAHNT PAHK YAH CAH IN HAHVID YAHD AFTAH DAHK.
Very good! At this point, you can now probably understand Teddy Kennedy on C-SPAN. Maybe not the cab drivers.
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