An exceptionally well-done job by Glenn Kime (university organist and staff accompanist) for artfully mastering this Baroque organ in only a couple of hours!

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In response to John Stratton’s post earlier today, I’m posting a 10-minute clip from our concert yesterday. You can really hear the expansive acoustics of the Church of the Holy Saviour.

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After many hours of traveling from Hamilton to JFK to Frankfurt, and finally to Prague, we hit the ground running yesterday with many activities. We checked into the Hotel Duo, and then we got on the coach to go to the city centre, where there are many old churches, shops, cafes, and restaurants. We had our first group dinner in a restaurant called Apetit. There we also celebrated Elyse McGrath’s birthday, which was yesterday. And today is Lydia Mesler’s birthday. Tonight is our first concert in the Chuch of the Holy Saviour, also located in the city centre. More updates tomorrow after our concert! Until then, enjoy a few pictures.

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Prague is filled with music. From the sheet music themed jewelry sold on the Charles’ bridge, to the giant metronome monument in the park, the city is infused with its connection to the giants of composition that lived and worked here. It is only fitting that the Colgate University Choral Ensembles initiated our European Concert Tour here.

Our first song was not Dvořák or Brahms, however, but “Happy Birthday” for one of our sopranos, Elyse. Considering we haven’t had a formal rehearsal in Europe yet, we all sounded pretty wonderful!

We are fortunate that everyone arrived with their luggage, and we had no incidents during travel. Everyone is very excited for our first performance tomorrow!!

Check out our photos here!

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On Monday, May 18, members of the Colgate University Chorus and Chamber Singers will depart for a ten-day tour of Central Europe, with performances in Prague, Bratislava, Vienna, and Budapest. This tour is generously supported by the Helen K. Persson Fund for the Performing Arts, the Office of the President, and the Colgate University Department of Music.

The Colgate University Chorus is a large, mixed-voice ensemble that performs a broad range of traditional choral literature, often with an accompanying professional orchestra. The University Chorus is open to all students, faculty, staff, and community members by audition. 49 singers are the ambassadors for the 80-voice University Chorus while on tour of Central Europe. The Chamber Singers is a select student choral ensemble that specializes in the performance of a cappella choral music at the highest level. The members of the 18-voice Chamber Singers are all members of the University Chorus. In addition to performing in concert, the Chamber Singers perform at several university functions, including athletic events and the annual Lessons & Carols service each December.

Touring is one of the most important scholastic activities for choral organizations and the academic institutions they represent. Audiences across central Europe will have the opportunity to hear and meet the bright, talented students of Colgate University. The students, in turn, will have the cultural and musical experience of a lifetime—the opportunity to perform in other societies and cultures, while learning about those cultures and the birthplace of Western art music. The concert tour is a valuable opportunity to experience the historical and cultural context of the music we study, rehearse, and perform at Colgate University. Finally, concert tours bring students together, increasing student interest in choral music and cementing Colgate friendships for a lifetime.

On the tour, the choirs will perform music by composers who have a connection to the cities on our concert tour: Antonín Dvořák, who lived and worked in Prague, our first destination; Johannes Brahms, who spent most of his career in Vienna; and Hungarian composer Franz Liszt, whose music we will perform in Budapest. As part of the tour, the University Chorus and Chamber Singers will also perform in Bratislava, Slovakia.

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We visited the University of Technology and Science (NTNU), specifically the Department of Energy and Process Engineering, as a part of our first full day in Trondheim, Norway.  This department at NTNU focuses on energy production and utilization through both renewable and nonrenewable resource research.  NTNU works in collaboration with SINTEF, the research institution we also visited during our first full day in Trondheim.  If you’ve been following along with our blog posts thus far, you’ll know that the majority of our lectures thus far have focused on specific energy types and technical aspects about these different energies, also similar to the renewable energy class we took during the spring semester at Colgate.  The lecture at the Department of Energy and Process Engineering focused on having hope in current students to solve today’s energy and global warming crises, a welcomed change in focus and a topic that directly addressed our lives as students at Colgate. The lecture began with a quote – “Energy is not just about money and economic growth.  Energy is about the lives of the people on this planet.”  NTNU’s Department of Energy and Process Engineering drives itself with a single question – how can we produce enough clean energy in order to provide for a growing population and to create a sustainable and peaceful society?  According to NTNU, it’s up to us as students.

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The Institute of International Education (IIE) released its Open Doors 2014 data today, and Colgate has again risen on two important lists representing the number of students studying abroad. This news is most welcome as President Jeffrey Herbst and Provost and Dean of the Faculty Douglas Hicks have made study abroad one of several priorities related to globalizing Colgate.

For example, a few weeks ago, the university announced the creation of the Lampert Institute for Civic and Global Affairs at Colgate. Funded through a transformative $2.5 million gift and related challenge by Ed ’62 and Robin Lampert P’10, it features new partnerships in Africa, East Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and South and Central America.

The Lampert gift-and-matching effort will ultimately yield $7.5 million for a growing number of international initiatives.

Colgate’s rise in the IIE ranks is no surprise. Financial aid is now portable to more than 100 approved programs in 50 countries, as well as for Colgate’s own faculty-led study groups.

According to the 2014 report, among all baccalaureate schools in the country, Colgate is:

• #1 in the number of students who participate in “mid-length” (i.e. semester) programs, up from #2 last year;
• #6 in the total number of students who studied abroad in 2012-13, up from #11.

Sixty-one percent of Colgate students study abroad, including those participating in extended study. This semester, students in ECON 239: The Role of Non-Governmental Organizations in Economic Development will travel to Bangladesh.

In spring 2015, students will travel to Greece, South Africa, and Uganda, in courses related to classics, Africana and Latin American studies, and environmental studies, respectively.

Students in ENST 336E: Alternative Energy Research and Implementation carried out extended study in Norway in 2014

“We are globalizing the experience for Colgate students in a variety of ways, including sustained, semester-long study abroad, via Colgate’s study groups and other approved programs,” said Hicks. “We are also very intentional about our on-campus programming, in order to support and extend those experiences for all our students.”

The Institute of International Education is an independent nonprofit resource on international higher education exchange activity into and out of the U.S.

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Beach of the Atlantic Ocean from the Arctic Circle

The finals days of our three-week, estrogen-rich, renewable energy excursion were spent in the northern portion of Norway, above the Arctic Circle. Tromsø greeted us with snowy mountains in all directions and, without interrupting the anomaly of sunny weather we traveled around with, the coldest air we’d felt in awhile. The sight of the ocean under blue skies with the ominous wintery mountains all around was sensory overload enough to snap us out of our travel-induced exhausted and most of us were too excited to stay inside. After various afternoon activities, including discovering the new bus system, visiting souvenir shops in town, and walking along the quartz covered beach collecting shells and sea glass, all 19 of us sat in the dining room of the hotel and devoured a traditional Norwegian meal of meatballs (with a vegetarian version for the large portion of meat skeptics among us), rice, and salad. It was so nice to all enjoy a meal together, not to mention to eat prepared food with neither the worry of converting prices nor excessive dishwashing. Read more

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Our visit to Tromsø, a city located above the Arctic Circle, gave us the unique opportunity to see the famous midnight sun.  The midnight sun is a phenomenon that occurs during the summer months when the Earths tilt causes 24 hours of sunlight above the Arctic Circle. Unfortunately, the preferred method of viewing the midnight sun in Tromsø, by taking a cable car to the top of a nearby mountain, was down for repairs during our visit. Nevertheless, the scenic backdrop behind our hotel provided a great viewing spot, and also a great place to collect shells and sea glass! It was amazing to witness such a distinct and beautiful phenomenon that can be seen in so few places worldwide. Walking around at midnight in bright daylight was also an interesting and fun experience.  Below is a panorama photo I took at around midnight at the coastal area by our hotel!

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Great food with great friends; our last night in Norway was filled with laughs and full bellies at Emma’s Dream Kitchen (Emma’s Drømmekjøkken). The restaurant, located in the center of the Tromsø downtown area, was elaborately decorated with old-fashioned Norwegian paintings and even some newer ones as well to give the restaurant a Scandinavian feel. Our private third floor room was ornamented with a carriage of porcelain dolls, which gave the space a fun and youthful impression. Read more

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Frozen yogurt and paninis in hand, our group rode the Troms county bus some steep kilometres up from the Tromsø city center to the University of Tromsø’s Geophysical Observatory, located on the highest point of Trømsoya island. From the bus stop, it was a quick stroll by the glistening Prestvannet lake. With the early June sun warming our backs, we approached the red bricked building all smiles and ready to learn of ongoing research on arctic solar technology.

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Today was spent on a train ride from Bergen to Oslo, for a total journey of 308 miles spanning over 7 hours. The trip was incredibly scenic, meandering through snow-covered mountains and winding rivers. This particular stretch of rail is the highest mainland railway in Northern Europe, with a peak elevation of 4,058 ft above sea level.

We were fortunate enough to be seated directly behind the café cart, making it convenient to go get a hotdog around lunchtime. Other than that, I spent the ride alternating between sleeping and listening to episodes of the Harmontown podcast while staring out the window. All in all, it was a very pleasant trip.

Norwegian Countryside

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Our schedule for today brought us to the Bergen dealership for Tesla Motors, an American company that exclusively manufactures and sells cars that run soley on electricity. Electric cars are much more popular in Norway than in the U.S., largely due to the many federal incentives that have been put in place in recent years. Some such incentives include no sales tax, exemption from having to pay highway tolls, and free rides on the numerous ferry services that exist throughout the fjords and all along the coast of Norway.

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Edvard Grieg, a prolific Romantic era composer, was from the city of Bergen. He is well know for his Peer Gynt Suite which includes the famous movements “In the Hall of the Mountain King” and “Morning Mood.” We went for a tour of his home where he lived with his wife Nina until his death in 1907. The house was partially designed by Grieg himself and it reflects many Norwegian traditions in its decorations.  The tour of the inside of the home was only the downstairs portion, since Nina had expressed that she thought it would be innappropriate for people to visit the portion of the house where they slept. After leaving the home we explored the land around his home and visited the grave of his wife and him. We spent some time relaxing out on the rocks by the fjord that his house overlooks, and ended our visit by listening to a few of his pieces. If you don’t think you’ve heard of him before, here is a link to “In the Hall of the Mountain King.” I am sure you will recognize it! http://youtube.com/watch?v=dRpzxKsSEZg

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We were able to visit Christian Michaelson Research (CMR) Institute, located in a lovely neighborhood of Bergen, Norway. The institution is owned by the University of Bergen and performs gas and renewables research with its 175 employees. We were served an amazing lunch in the company cafeteria, and was able to attend a lecture given by four employees. Two of the lecturers, Annette Stephansen and Vegard Laukhammer, spoke about offshore wind and hydrogen power, respectively. Read more

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After the long, but equally beautiful journey to Bergen, we have finally arrived!!! Bergen is unique in comparison to other cities visited in that it allows one to experience a modern city without denying the opportunity to roam through living history. The historical feel of the city remains intact in addition to all the perks of a larger modern city.

While in Bergen, the group decided that a walking tour of the city would be a great way to gain a better sense of this beautiful city. With that in mind, we set out to learn more about Bergen accompanied by our helpful tour guide Erica. The tour of Bergen provided information including the historical significances of many of the buildings that remain in use today. The walking tour lead us through the Hanseatic wharf Bryggen, the Fish Market, and the Royal Palace. The tour also took the group by several souvenir shops that were a huge hit amongst the group following the tour. Following the tour and a short exploration of the Bryggen area that hosted the souvenir shops, the group went on to visit CMR to learn more about Renewable Energy Projects around Norway.

The small alley, formerly known as the Hanseatic wharf Bryggen.

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On Wednesday, following the walking tour of Bergen, the group and I ventured onto another tram for a visit to the CMR office to learn more about Renewable Energy in Norway. There we received a fabulous lunch and listened to presentations from 4 speakers about different forms of renewable energy and their implications throughout Norway. The four topics of discussion included Carbon Capture and Storage, Geothermal Energy, Offshore Wind, and Hydrogen power. Of the four, I took a great interest in CCS and Geothermal Energy. Both Geothermal and CCS are topics discussed in class prior to our visit to Norway, so I really appreciated having the opportunity to learn of actual research and projects taking place in both areas.

This is a picture of the CMR flag.

The presentation for CCS was given by Charlotte Krafft, and began with a brief description of CCS and why it is a beneficial process for Norway. She also went on to liste some of the efforts being made by Norway to become a greener country and ultimately achieve their goal of keeping climate change below 2°C. CCS is the process of depositing carbon removed from the atmosphere into a reservoir. Initially CO2 was stored on a temporary basis, but a more permanent storage has been more recently developed with its overall purpose being to prevent atmospheric and marine accumulations of greenhouse gases. Without CCS’  removal of CO2 from the areas that  are likely polluted by greenhouse gases, we face a huge challenge in confronting the issue of climate change;however, Charlotte expressed optimism in Norway’s ability to use and further develop their CCS potential. This includes more access to storage locations as well as storage materials that lack the risks associated with the materials used for the more temporary forms of storage. CMR is currently focused on developing new technologies that will allow for permanent storage of CO2. Ideal developments will also be leak proof, which will greatly eliminate the worry of stored CO2 escaping back into the atmosphere. CMR is also seeking solutions for challenges associated with subsurface saline aquifers, reservoirs, ocean water, aging oil fields, and other carbon sinks on captured CO2 from large point sources such as fossil fuel power plants. The subsurface aquifers received much attention in the presentation, and it was explained that aquifers are a body of saturated rocks that allows easy flow of water. Aquifers have to be both permeable and porous, and include rock types such as sandstone, conglomerate, fractured limestone, and unconsolidated sand and gravel. The speaker stressed the importance of developments in regards to the aquifers because they are a key player in the storage process as a result of their being the entity doing the actual storing of CO2, so it is of the most benefit that the properties mentioned above, that contribute to the proper functioning of the aquifer are the same properties that will lead to the permanent storage of CO2 without the risk of leaks. A large amount of money has been allotted for CMR’s further exploration for permanent means of storage. In addition to CCS, we received a presentation on Geothermal Energy in Norway from Kirsti Midttøme, she discussed the usages of the energy stored in bedrock and ground water and how it can be used to supply a sustainable source of energy to house and buildings. This energy also has the ability to be used for both heating and cooling.  Realizing the Geothermal Energy is available in Norway and nearly anywhere, it is puzzling that such a small percentage of Norway’s renewables is made up of Geothermal, but future goals and research are in affect to ensure the continued growth of Geothermal’s role as a competitive renewable. Some of these goals include gaining an understanding of the geothermal properties of typical Norwegian rocks, groundwater seepage, geotechnical condition in relation to establishing geothermal works, and an actual estimate for the amount of energy able to be extracted. Norway’s expertise in oil and gas industry has provided them the opportunity to contribute to the international geothermal business. CMR works to complement other associations and partners by monitoring and testing various concepts and solutions.

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Medieval features within the church

This morning we left our lovely hotel in Sogndal to visit the stave church in Kaupanger nearby. A stave church is a medieval wooden Christian church, often situated uphill from surrounding farm area. They are usually dedicated to a particular saint; this particular one is dedicated to Olav and was built in 1140. They are called stave churches because of large wooden poles used to hold the structure up. They are held in place by a grid of stones within the ground. Read more

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View of fjord from tourist boat.

Today we embarked on an expedition from Sogndal to Bergen, where we went out of our way to see more of the extraordinary Norwegian landscapes.  Overall, our entire trip consisted of a bus, a boat, another bus, two different trains, and a short walk to our hostel in Bergen.

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