Day Eight – Concerted Out

OK, first full day in Montreal and what have we done?  Seen a lot of choirs sing seems to be the answer.
 
Breakfasted in the nice hotel restaurant this morning – just like lunch yesterday, the staff have personality, the food is good quality and hot and the bill arrives just as you are about to ask for it.  Then it was a taxi down to the Desjardins to have our ‘Welcome Meeting.’  Martin Brophy, our illustrious chairman, updated us on changes to the programme and answered various questions.  An hour later Brett and I were helping sort CDs and Tour T-shirts ready for the GALA shop, before heading off to see the first Concert Block.
 
The performances by all of the choirs are broken up into blocks, usually three each day in each of two theatres.  Each choir gets half an hour of a particular block allocated to them, subsidiary groups get fifteen minutes.  As delegates you can come and go as you please (provided the theatre has capacity) to see your chosen choirs sing.
 
Highlights of the first block were the Boston GM Chorus, who did a very conservative set until the last number when the whipped off their tuxedo jackets and unrolled their golden gospel smocks underneath and went into a very humorously animated rendition of ‘Down By The Riverside’.  The Washington GMC, who were our hosts at the concert last Thursday, performed their specially commissioned work ‘Changing Hearts’ which told several personal stories in the form of song and was deeply moving.  I hope to find a CD of the work.
 
I took a break after that to, theoretically, take a nap back at the hotel but ended up sorting out updates to my blog and checking out our Kennedy Centre performance online before realising I needed to get a move on to meet Brett & Ping for dinner.
 
When I got back to Place Des Artes, it was raining, Ping’s date (to whom he wanted to introduce us) wasn’t around and dinner seemed to be favoured less than going to the next concert block at 8pm.  In the end this is what we did and, although I didn’t feel much like it, I’m glad I went along.  There were a series of small group performances:  The Potomac Fever group were an acappella subset of the Washington Chorus who did some amusing renditions – one a combination starting with ‘It’s My Party (and I’ll cry if I want to)’ which ofcourse tells about how your boyfriend has just left you.  They segued this into ‘Downtown’ which in the gay context brought laughter and applause.  They also had a cute number telling about how a guy is in love with the Starbucks waiter: “Taylor, the latte boy.”
 
A group called Captain Smartypants did some satyr with ‘The Fundamental’ underlining that fundamentalism is usually dangerous regardless of which religion it is based on.  They also reminded us that some members of the population are Heterosexual and that their rights should be respected to – a sly dig at the almost rabidly pro-gay environment that can exist at events like these.
 
Finally there was Melodiva, a small group of women who sang beautifully and got a standing ovation for their ten-minute long version of ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ entitled ‘Rhapsody of New York’.  All done from memory and with the full melody (and range!) of the original piece.
Before heading home, we had dinner in a noisy, faceless, overpriced dive of a diner purporting to be a restaurant.  I find I’m getting tired of this kind of eating.  I long for a civilised restaurant.  I feel a Victor Meldrew streak coming on again…  Think I’m just too tired after a long day yesterday.  Better go to bed.