News

USA Tour September 2014

Day 1

For once the coach was not leaving for the airport at 3am so the choir practically had a lie-in, meeting Graham and his blue suede shoes in time for brunch. Many members of the choir took advantage of the fact that it is somehow acceptable to have a drink before 12 in the airport so were seen enjoying G&Ts and champagne breakfasts. Going through security our dodgy-looking choir administrator was pulled aside for an extra security check but thankfully his Brummy charm worked a treat and we all made it onto the plane.

To the delight of the younger members of the choir, the US legal drinking age was not implemented so despite Graham’s suggestion that we should protect ‘la voce’ we all took full advantage of the plentiful supply of beverages – although the mixture of alcohol and severe turbulence proved too much for one unfortunate soprano….

During the flight we started to accustom ourselves to the Southern accent (“would you like some liiiiiiime with that?”) but apparently G&T is not such a familiar abbreviation for our Southern friends: a couple of choir members were presented with a small bottle of gin and a cup of tea, to their confusion. In case you are wondering, it’s not a good combination. Unfortunately the entertainment system was a bit temperamental for the first few hours so the new counter-tenor sitting with us was educated in the joys of Glamour magazine – a great introduction to the front row.

We had a lovely welcome at the airport and made our way to All Saints Episcopal Church to meet our homestays. Many members of the choir were starting to fade but were under strict instructions from the Boss (G-Rozzle) so stay awake until at least 10pm (3am UK time!) so spent some time getting to know their homestays and eating delicious food before collapsing into bed.

Sophie Woodhead (Dec Sop 3) and Henny Box (Dec Alto 2)