The boys of the bass section

Our bass section (Levi, Gabor, Gabriel, Gyergo, Levi, Norbi and Hunor ) are all (or recently have been) singers in the choir of the Kolozsvar Unitarian high school, and it's a joy to have then with us. They sing really well and their low notes give us goosebumps. They make sure we are pronouncing our Hungarian properly, and correct us very kindly. They are fun, friendly thoughtful guys.

And everywhere we go--

They carry the keyboard, from the bus to the performance hall, which usually includes at least one flight of monstrous stairs!

You tube link, with thanks to Marko Laszlo

Marko Laszlo has posted these links to his vid of our concert, the first one is our

entrance, the next one has a large part of oue conceret, and the last one shows our

final song, the Szekely Himnusz, in which the audience joined.

Let your light shine - amerikai unitárius kórus

www.youtube.com

Márkó Laci - képek - Amerikai unitárius kórus - Sepisszentgyörgy, 2011.08.11.

markolaci.hu

Amerikai unitárius kórus - Sepiszentgyörgy, 2011.08.11. - 1. rész

www.youtube.com

Laszlo has posted the entire concert now, in various places! Enjoy!

wild horses can't keep us from singing

This morning we had a quick rehearsal in a park next to our hotel in Szekelyudvarhely--a park dedicated to Hungarian heroes, whose busts listened to our singing. It was a good place to practice because our next performance, later in the morning, would be outdoors at the annual Worldwide Unitarian Gathering.

Soon a small crowd gathered to listen to us. Then a tour bus came and quite a large crowd massed at the entrance to the park. Beth, our director, offered to cut the rehearsal short so that the group could tour the park, but they offered to wait. Our last number is the Szekely Anthem, that Aviva mentioned in her last post-- the one that everyone knows by heart in spite of the fact that it was against the law to sing it, even after the fall of the dictator. Of course many people joined in, and after we were done, the waiting tour group sang it back to us, and we sang again with them.

Maybe one of us has a picture of the park??

The Worldwide Unitarian Gathering featured a worship service, greetings from 2 Bishops that were more like sermons, and lots of entertaining groups such as ours. It kicked off with a brass band, followed by men in traditional Szekely attire, on horseback. It got very exciting when two stallions, standing next to each other, decided to show off. They started kicking each other and rumpussing rather wildly, right in front of where we wee sitting. One of them stepped on Aviva's foot, but fortunately, not hard enough to break anything. Another choir member's back pack got trampled too; the container of yogurt in a ziplock bag was completely smooshed, but the bag is still good.

Wild horses could not deter us; we sang very well, staying in key the whole time, and delighting the audience.

We had plenty of time after singing to shop around for handcrafts and souvenirs, and then on to Marosvasarhely and another concert tomorrow morning.

Our First Concert

On Thursday, Aug. 11 The UU Festival Choir gave our first concert at the Unitarian church in Sepsi Szt. Gyorgy.   It was video taped, and we hope to post a link very soon.

 The concert was an incredible experience.  We sang with joy and with our full hearts.  It felt as if the audience, made up of congregation members was embracing us.  They clapped enthusiastically, going into a rhythmic clapping in between songs that they repeated loudly, over and over again.  They loved our gospel music and our Hungarian songs--one which uses the text of the Edict of Torda (a statement of religious freedom that originated right here in this region), Esti Dahl by Kodaly (which is a song about living in exile), and at the end they  all stood and joined us in the singing of the Szekely Anthem (a Transylvanian anthem that was banned under Communism).  I felt so moved I could hardly sing, and other choir members told me the same thing afterwards.

  There are no words that can describe the joy of singing for such a receptive audience--to share the emotion of the music that doesn't need words, to create something as a whole, as a group that speaks of God, of freedom, of joy and peace, of one-ness.  In addition to the songs already mentioned, we had some sacred harp songs, South African freedom hymns, contemporary pieces, and spirituals. The local minister was just beaming afterwards, when he talked about how the music had "made us all one."  All of us in the choir are from different parts of the US, and our bass section comes from Kolozsvar.  We all have come together at this particular time and place. The audience had never met us before--and yet for this hour we were all one in spirit.  Although there were a few missed notes here and there and spots we could work on--overall, it went beautifully.  As our director, Beth Norton said on the bus afterwards--there were moments when we were singing when she looked around and realized that at the moment there was nowhere on earth that she would rather be.   For a first performance, she said, it was "a triumph".

The ladies from the church provided a tasty meal for us after wards: noodles, chicken slow cooked in a yummy sauce, fresh tomatoes and cucumbers, and of course, "palinka"--which is a Transylvanian moonshine made from plums.  We enjoyed trying out some Hungarian phrases, including "Finom volt!"  It was delicious!

Want to know what's really old? try this Walled Citadel and 1000 year old Unitarian church visit

Friday:

We toured the medieval city Segesvar/Sighisoara.  We used to think 200 years was a long time - this stuff is 500 to 1000 years old. Climbing the hills and staircases added a few years on us as well.

And by the way- talk about timeless... this was the birthplace of Vlad Tepes -( the original Dracula) - he still lives...

But then we visited two Unitarian churches  - one that was about 200 years old and has a Unitarian High School.  Then we get to another Unitarian church in a building constructed in about 1200 AD and has been Unitarian for 450 years... (when the lord of the manor converted to Unitarianism)
Talk about old!   Really amazing - this church is a Unesco heritage site...

So feeling young again - we are on to our second concert and more fun tomorrow
Joann

In which Ruth joins the group and describes the first couple of days

aving spent the past week progressing from Budapest through various Transylvanian towns to visit friends, I arrived in Sinaia by train to join the Festival Choir on Monday evening. Trains are subsidized by the government; I paid 13 RON (about $4.30) to ride for a little over an hour--and another 10 RON got me a 5 minute taxi ride to the hotel.

Sinaia is a picturesque resort in the Carpathians near what used to be the border between Romania and Transylvania. The buildings remind me of what one might see in Bavaria or the Alps --and it turns out there is a reason for that. In the lat 1800's when Walachia and Moldova united to from Romania, they couldn't agree on a leader. So, they sent off to Germany for a proper king.

Within the first 24 hours we had three rehearsals, and two more today. Tomorrow (Wednesday) we will sing through everything and then it's off to Sepsi Szt-Gyorgy, where we have our first concert on Thursday..On Tuesday, in addition to two rehearsals, we had a tour of Peles Castle, the summer palace of the Romanian royal family. In the afternoon free time several of us went up in a gondola to the top of the high mountain, and enjoyed some cooler weather, and seeing a shepherd and his dog with their sheep.

Wednesday: We visited Bran castle, built in the 1400's to overlook the main trade route to the east, on the border between Transylvania and what later became Romania. This facilitated collection of taxes on the merchandise. More recently the castle was given to Queen Marie, whose longing to add Transylvania to Romania's holdings was a factor in getting Woodrow Wilson to support this act in the Treaty of Trianon after WWI.

Bran Castle was also used by Bram Stoker as the setting for Dracula's castle. There is no evidence that Vlad Dracul, aka Vlad Tepes, or Vlad the Impaler, ever visited this place, and I don't know if Bram Stoker did either. But the town gets a bit of a boost from the "Dracula's Castle" tourist attraction. Happily, the castle is pretty much as Marie left it, not at all spooky, but quite charming. There are plenty of Dracula souvenirs in the market outside the castle.

Recently the Romania government returned the castle to the heirs of the earlier owners, who live in NY now and want to sell it--it's going for $160 million if you know anyone interested. I haven't figured out how to download photos into the blog, but I's sure someone will post pictures of Bran Castle and you can see for yourselves whether or not you want to buy it.

After the evening rehearsal some of us went next door to a free concert with works by Brahmns and Tchaikovsky. And then we had supper on our own--I went to t a traditional Romanian restaurant, instead of the pizza and Irish pub options; I thought of you when I heard you can get Guinness at the pub. Anyway for 40 lei including tip and a beer, I had grilled bear meat and mushrooms, potatoes and tomato salad. I just had to try the grilled bear, because I'll probably never get another chance. It was actually very good--tasted a bit like steak marinated in pine needles and juniper berries.

Tomorrow we're off to Brasso and Szt Gyorgy and our first concert! I am having so much fun and I have to say, after practicing just the alto parts all these weeks, the music sounds ever so much better with all four sections. My friend Marko Laci, who took some photos while I was visiting with him and Maria, and posted them on my facebook page, will be videotaping the concert and putting it on You Tube, so in a couple of days you might want to look for UUPCC Festival Choir and see if you can find it.

Greetings from Sinaia, Romania

For the past several days we have been staying in the beautiful mountain resort town of Sinaia. The area is reminiscent of Bavaria--with craggy mountain peaks and castles, and wooden houses with flower boxes.  
 Our choir has been practicing a lot and we sound FANTASTIC!  Tomorrow we will leave here and travel into Transylvania, where we will have our first concert in a village at a Unitarian church tomorrow evening.

We've also done some day trips to see a couple of castles.  The castle we saw yesterday was built by King Carol, who came here to rule from Germany.  Today we saw "Dracula's castle", the one that inspired the Dracula novel--and had a fun tour there.   We've had warm, sunny weather--but today turned cool and rainy.  The gloomy weather was actually perfect for visiting Dracula's castle. 

Aviva

Check us out at the castle

Tuesday Aug 9 - We were guests of King Carroll at Peles Castle. Must be all that singing makes us look regal! 3 rehearsals in 2 day but all lots of fun. Tomorrow 2 more rehearsals - and an even more famous castle tour!  Ruth, Aviva, Mary and Joann

Greetings from Bucharest!

We saw an amazing Romanian folk music concert last night with virtuosic fiddling and pan piping, and a mallet instrument that looks like a cross between a dulcimer and a keyboard called a cimbalom.  Also folk dancers spinning in white embroidered dresses.  Very exciting. 

About one third of our choir is gathered here for a "pre-trip" exploration of the city--including Aviva, Mary, and yesterday we were delighted to be reunited with Joann.  Our hotel is  in a huge, beautiful park by a lake graced with willows.  It is well-loved by the locals--lots of biking, jogging, strolling, etc.  Today we went into the city and saw a lot of the major sites--including an interesting museum about Romanian village life.  Much of the older part of Bucharest was destroyed--first by an earthquake, and then mowed down by the Communist dictator Ceaucescu who built a lot of ugly, modern apartments and an outrageous palace for himself that is the world's second largest building.   One of the highlights was visiting the square where much of the Romanian revolution took place when the people overthrew Communism in the 1990's.  

 

Tomorrow afternoon we will head for the mountain resort town of Sinaia, where the whole choir (about 35 people) will gather for the first time.We will spend the next three days rehearsing and preparing for our concerts in the Unitarian villages of Transylvania. 

On my way

As I make my way across Transylvania, visiting old friends, I see many ways in which people are working together creatively, to improve their communities and their lives. I look forward to seeing my fellow Chapel Hill singers in a few days, and to making new friends as well.

Joanne--thanks for setting up this blog!

Beginning the Journey

"The Unitarian Universalist Partner Church Council is organizing a musical pilgrimage to Transylvania & Budapest to explore and experience the historic roots of Unitarianism, and connect with our co-religionists through the universal language of music."

When this flyer came to our email, four of us from the Chapel Hill Community Church UU jumped at the chance to take the trip. Ruth Gibson, Mary LeMay and Aviva Enoch and Joann Haggerty have all been in the Community Church choirs. In addition, Ruth had already visited Romania and looks forward to visiting friends there. Mary LeMay looks forward to learning 3 new languages: Hungarian, Romanian and Czech, Aviva Enoch is our great accompanist and superb musician and Joann looks forward to all of it - the adventure, making music and the UU pilgrimage (minus the assumption of learning all the languages.)

Here is our Community Church of Chapel Hill UU which wished us well last Sunday. 

• 
  

And here is Our Itinerary for the Journey: Future posts will have actual photos.

Monday, Aug 8 – PM gather OTP Bucharest airport. Please schedule your arrival no later than 4:30pm EET. Transfer to motor coach for 2 1/2 hour drive to Carpathian resort town of Sinaia. Group welcom reception/ dinner & orientation. Overnight Hotel Alpin Cota 1400**** (D)

Tuesday, Aug 9 – Morning introductions & rehearsal session followed by guided tour of Peles Castle summer home of Romanian Royal Family. Group lunch in Sinaia with free time to shop and stroll before returning to the hotel for afternoon rehearsal. Group dinner & overnight Hotel Alpin Cota 1400****.(BLD)

Wednesday, Aug 10 – Morning rehearsal session. Day trip to Bran to tour Bran Castle – aka “Dracula’s

castle – and shop for tasteless souvenirs. Group lunch before returning to Sinaia for afternoon rehearsal session. Free evening – dinner on your own. Overnight Hotel Alpin Cota 1400**** (BL)

Thursday, Aug 11- Morning rehearsal before departing for Sepsiszentgyorgy/Sfantu Gheorghe. En route we tour the Black Church, the largest neo-gothic cathedral in Romania and home to the largest Oriental rug collection outside of Istanbul. Free time to stroll picturesque pedestrian Brasso/Brasov city center.

Lunch on your own before continuing on to Sepsiszentgyorgy for rehearsal and evening concert in church which houses the largest Unitarian congregation in the world. Dinner/reception hosted by Unitarian Women’s League before departing for 2 hour drive to Szekelyudvarhely for overnight.  Overnight Szekelyudvarhely – Hotel Kukullo*** (BD)

Friday, Aug 12 – Morning rehearsal before departing for day trip to tour the frescoed Unitarian church at

Szekelyderzs (a UNESCO World Heritage site) before continuing on to the medieval walled city of

Segesvar/Sighisoara – the purported birthplace of Vlad Tepes. Group lunch. Orientation session in

citadel (a UNESCO World Heritage site) followed by fee time to explore the city and visit the sites of your choice. Early evening return to Szekelyudvarhely for free evening & down time. Dinner on your own. Overnight Hotel Kukullo*** (BL)

Saturday, Aug 13 – Morning rehearsal prior to departure for Worldwide Unitarian Gathering. Service,

celebrations, folk dancing & musical concert by Festival choir and others. Picnic lunch/cook-out at Szejkefurdo before continuing on to Marosvasarhely/TG-Mures. Shopping stop en route in “pottery village” of Korond. Dinner & overnight – Marosvasarhely – Hotel Concordia****(BLD)

Sunday, Aug 14 – Sleep – in. 11am Services and concert performance at Marosvasarhely Unitarian

Church. Lunch reception afterward with minister and members of congregation. Afternoon walking tour of historic city center with visits to the Teleki Library, Hungary’s first public library, and the spectacular Art Nouveau Cultural Palace. Afternoon downtime. Group dinner at Hungarian csarda with traditional gypsy band. Overnight Marosvasarhely – Hotel Concordia****.(BLD)

Monday, Aug 15 – Departure for Kolozsvar/Cluj after breakfast. En route we visit the Alabaster Village of Meszko made famous by the book of the same name to hear the story of Ferenc Balazs and see the jewel-box church he designed and painted himself. Group lunch. Afterward we stop in Torda to see “The Church of the Edict”. Early evening arrival in Kolozsvar. Dinner & overnight Kolozsvar – Victoria Hotel*** (BLD)

Tuesday, Aug 16 – Morning choir rehearsal followed by visits to 1st Church & Unitarian HQ building.

Choice of free time in Kolozsvar or hike/picnic lunch in scenic Torda Gorge. Evening concert 1^st Unitarian Church Kolozsvar with dinner/reception afterward in Unitarian Bishop’s residence. Overnight Kolozsvar – Hotel Victoria*** (BLD)

Wednesday, Aug 17 – Travel day. Morning departure for Budapest. Traditional Hungarian guyas lunch after crossing the border. Group dinner & overnight Budapest – Hotel Belvedere**** (BLD).

Thursday, Aug 18 – AM guided bus & walking tour of Budapest highlights – Castle Hill, Hero’s Square, & Jewish Quarter. Group lunch at 1st Unitarian Church followed by rehearsal session. Free evening in Budapest to take in a concert or folklore show. Dinner on your own. Overnight Budapest – Hotel Belvedere****. (BL)

Friday, Aug 19 –. Morning orientation with UUPCC staff followed by free day in Budapest to visit the museum of your choice and indulge yourself in one of the city’s famous thermal spas. Lunch on your own. Evening concert at 1st Unitarian Church. Farewell Danube dinner cruise. Overnight Budapest – Hotel Belvedere**** (BD)

Saturday Aug 20 – End of large choir tour and Ruth, Mary Aviva and Joann take the train to Prague for another adventure