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Choir Tours

CANTORES FRANCE TOUR JAN 2002

ChoirSince 1982 I have sung in the liturgical choir, Cantores in Ecclesia. As an outgrowth of my participation in the choir, I have had the privilege to serve as the choir's travel agent and tour manager as well as a singer in the alto section.

Cantores in Ecclesia under Dean Applegate singing Memorial concert to victims of 911, Madeleine Church, Paris. Photo copyright; Donna WienchOver the years, we have had the extraordinary thrill of performing the Masses of Padilla, Faure and Durufle in the cathedrals and churches where the music was actually dedicated and had its premier performance.

Our latest pilgrimage to France took place in January 2002. In the aftermath of 9-11, our trip was in jeopardy, but the determination of the choir under the leadership of our director, Dean Applegate outweighed our fear of terrorism. The highlight of our two week trip was our concert at the Madeleine Church, on the eve of our departure. Among our concert pieces Dean had selected Faure's "Requiem" for the Sunday afternoon concert series as this Requiem was commissioned for this very church where Faure, worked as the "Maitre de Chapelle." The sacred concert had an additional significance. Our concert was dedicated to all those who perished on September 11th.

Musicians often remark that if the rehearsal is lousy then the performance will be inspired. This certainly held true in our case. The rehearsal on the preceding evening to concert was a nightmare. The singing conditions were challenging-a cavernous overly reverberant church which caused us to sing out of sink with the organ while contending with a "ground" of traffic rumblings. The Madeleine Church is in the CENTER of the Place de Madeleine. Not only is there the constant 360 degree circulation around this transformed rail station, there is also the underground vibration from the Paris subway, Le Metro.

Small groupThe day of the concert we dutifully filed in and stood in front of the altar. A well publicized free concert, the pews were packed. After General Kalck, the concert series director, introduced us in French, as one of the best liturgical in the world, his effusive words of praise began to well up in me. For once in my life, I wish I didn't understand a foreign language. A few of us fellow French speaking singers made eye contact, but the down beat brought us back to the task at hand. In one of those rare magical musical moments our individual voices melded into one voice. Faure's Requiem suddenly made sense in this space filled with concert goers. They not only absorbed the excess reverberation, but their collective energy buoyed us. The singers and audience were breathing as one. From the alabaster altar, as we concluded singing "In Paradisum", the final movement of the Requiem, I dared to look into the audiences' faces. TEARS. I immediately flashed back to General Kalck's fax which he sent to us immediately after September 11th, "Tous sont ici bouleverses par cette horrible tragedie criminelle, et les terribles souffrances de nos amis americains. Nous n'oublions pas que nous devons notre liberte aux Etats Unis. Soyez assure de notre tres affectueuse compassion." Translation: We are all moved by this horrible criminal tragedy and the terrible suffering of our American friends. We have not forgotten that we owe our freedom to the United States. We extend to you our very heartfelt compassion.

Although General Kalck's moving letter had sustained and buoyed me through the months of uncertainty prior to our tour's departure, it was only during our performance that I truly felt the world's compassion. Not only Americans, but citizens of many nations, including France, had perished in the World Trade Center. America was no longer an isolated nation, immune to terrorism. We had become world citizens.

Photos by permission of Donna Wiench