The chorus spent a lot of rehearsal time this semester with a work by the composer Dvorak, who spent much of his time living and composing in Prague. After our first night’s sleep in Europe, chorus members (experiencing various degrees of jet lag) spent the morning touring a museum dedicated to Dvorak, seeing things like his composing desk, his piano, and the robes he wore to accept an honorary doctorate from Cambridge.
In the meantime, Dr. Endris spent some time with the European healthcare system to address a case of tonsillitis. He was sent back to the hotel with antibiotics for some rest, and our accompanist did a wonderful job leading us through rehearsal in his absence. Thankfully, Dr. Endris was able to recover enough to rejoin us and conduct the concert. Our audience started arriving very early, and eventually over 170 people had arrived to listen to our performance that mixed American and Czech composers. The choir’s voices echoed through The Church of the Holy Saviour, which was a new experience for us compared to our Colgate Memorial Chapel back home. Afterwards, several attendees shared their own memories of learning to sing Dvorak’s music in their own school days, and their appreciation that a group of Colgate students both carries on that tradition and was able to share it with them now.
We still have one more day in the Czech Republic, but we’re already looking forward to the next concert in Bratislava, Slovakia.