Aloha means goodbye and hello

Aloha Hawaii!
It is safe to say that we have had a wonderful time here. Today we started off the day by singing Happy Birthday to Abby D (we sang to her again at dinner). First stop was the Rain Forest Zoo. The Siberian tiger, frogs, birds and foliage were a hit. And did you know that Kona Nightingales are actually donkeys?

Next a quick lunch stop, then on to Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. We viewed the Kilauea Crater from two different vantage points, taking LOTS of photos. Our wonderfully informative bus driver John took us down the Chain of Craters Road, which crosses huge lava flows from the 1960's and 70's. John has been leading bus tours for over 30 years and had some great stories to tell. There was the time in the 1980's when he and a tour group were stranded due to a crack in the road caused by an earthquake! Luckily there were no earthquakes in the park today. The girls really enjoyed walking out onto the old lava flows and taking more pictures. John showed us one lava formation that some people think looks like the head of Pele, the goddess of volcanoes. Our final stop in Volcanoes park was a walk through the Thurston Lava Tube, which is buried in the middle of a rain forest.

After returning to the hotel we had dinner in the restaurant overlooking Hilo Bay and Mauna Kea, followed by a birthday cake for Abby. Our final evening meeting was filled with emotion, which would not have been the case had this not been an extraordinary tour, with an amazing group of young women, outstanding chaperones, and the leadership and artistry of Beth Ann and Erik.

We are sad to say goodbye, but can't wait to say hello tomorrow evening at Sea-Tac.

Aloha!

Happy 4th of July!

What a kick, to sit on the grass outside the Hilo Hawaiian Hotel and watch 4th of July fireworks over Coconut Island!

Greetings from Hilo, on this our second to the last full day of the tour. This morning our Vivace singers were all up, packed, dressed and at the bus by 7:55 am, ahead of our 8:00 departure time! Our first drive was only 15 minutes, to the Lutheran Church of Honolulu, where Erik Floan was the substitute organist for three months in 2003, and where Kristi Seifert's cousin is a member of the choir. It was like one big "ohana." This was Vivace's last musical presentation of the tour, and it brought all of the chaperones (and one of the staff members) to tears. The musical growth that happens on a concert tour like this is remarkable and moving. At least one member of the congregation asked when we were planning on returning to Honolulu. Another asked if we practiced every day!

Following a wonderful potluck lunch which included various flavors of mochi, papaya and chicken katzu, it was off to the airport for our short flight to Hilo. Afternoon activities included time in the hotel pool (at the edge of the Hilo Bay) and a walk to a nearby beach. The setting here is beautiful, and the fireworks were outstanding. Quite a memorable 4th of July for all of us.

Hanging Loose in Waikiki

Our last full day in Waikiki was a "free day." No concerts or full group scheduled activities, but we managed to stay busy! One group spent the morning at the Honolulu Zoo. One group went to High Tea in the afternoon, while another attended an opera presented by the Hawaii Youth Opera Chorus. And we still had time for the beach and shopping. I heard about the giraffes and hippos at the zoo, and the amazing asparagus soup at high tea. The youth opera included references to Pali, Pearl Harbor, King Kamehameha, and other other pieces of Hawaiian history that our choristers would not have known about prior to this trip. And the beach once again did not disappoint.

While Beth Ann was writing her blog entry last night, I was reflecting on some of the images that I wanted to share from our day yesterday. Faces flushed from the climb up Diamond Head, running to the Shave Ice truck at the bottom of the hill. The whole choir singing to the staff at the scuba shack at Hanauma Bay (who had just given us a 30% discount on our snorkeling rental in return for a song!). The excitement of the girls running out of the water and telling us about the sea turtle they just saw. The crazy wind at the Pali Lookout, and all the pictures the girls tried to take while dealing with it. The rainbow on our way back in to Honolulu. The setting of our concert - windows behind the girls looking out toward the water. During the concert a longboarder went past, and a beautiful flock of birds flew by over the water.

Tomorrow morning we sing at the Lutheran Church of Honolulu before flying to Hilo. Happy 4th of July to all. More tomorrow evening!

New Heights and New Depths for Vivace

Aloha from day 4 of Vivace's Hawaii tour! Today was full of wonderfully contrasting experiences and challenges. We began the day hiking Diamond Head. It was a hot, demanding hike, but a gorgeous view at the top. After hiking back down, many of us rewarded ourselves with shaved ice.

Then we went to Hanauma Bay to explore the depths of the coral reef. Actually, the water was fairly shallow, but the beauty of this nature preserve was profound. Coral, gorgeous sand and water, experienced snorklers to help the novices, and countless fish from many species made our time at Hanauma Bay rewarding and memorable.

Pali lookout was our next stop. The incredibly strong wind took our breath away. Our tour bus driver, Cousin Dwight, told us that this was the sight of an important battle in Hawaiian history. As the legend goes, some warriors feared capture and tried to commit suicide instead by jumping off the cliff at Pali. The wind was so strong, however, that it blew them back up, returning them to the battle where they died warriors' deaths. Not nearly so dramatic an end - it just gave us very bad hair.

So, on to the evening concert site we went. Calvary by the Sea is literally on the edge of the beach, as you can see in the pictures. Our audience not only heard great music, but enjoyed the backdrop of sunset on the ocean. Vivace has truly reached new heights of musicianship on this tour. The music is so much a part of these singers that it shows more and more in their faces and in their bodies - a little casual movement to "Run Children Run", more overt physical expression in "Oye", and in every piece, faces reflecting the depth of emotion and understanding of the texts. This is an exceptional group of young women, bonded together in this exceptional experience.

Our hosts invited us back any time. Our driver was astounded that these young women - sweaty, goofy, salty and wind blown - could produce such varied and beautiful music. Our audience, though small, was moved by the performance. We returned to our hotel lifted to new heights.

More later, Beth Ann

Turtles and Beaches and Polynesian Culture

Tonight's post will be short - we didn't get back to our hotel until 10:30, after another wonderful day. We visited the Dole Plantation - we loved the pineapple garden and the pineapple whip. Then up to the North Shore and a quick stop at Turtle Beach, where we got lucky and saw a giant sea turtle coming out of the water! Our driver, Dwight, said that they usually don't come onto shore until the afternoon. Then we were on to Waimea Bay for swimming, before our final stop of the day at the Polynesian Cultural Center. I'll try to remember to include more details tomorrow, but in the meantime enjoy the photos from today's adventures.

A Most Amazing Day

Where to begin? How about with the music. Karl Bachman, Director of Music at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church (the location of Vivace's concert this evening) said to Beth Ann after the performance, "This was exceptional on so many levels." Yes, our Vivace singers gave not one but TWO exceptional performances today, the evening concert at Our Redeemer and a lunchtime concert at St Andrew's Cathedral in downtown Honolulu. They sounded divine in both!

In addition to the music, our entire day was "exceptional on so many levels." We learned about Hawaiian history through our tour of the I'olani Palace. We traveled to Pearl Harbor, took a boat to the Arizona Memorial and learned about a more somber piece of US History. One group of girls found red and white flowers on the ground and tossed them into the blue water of the harbor, symbolizing the red, white and blue of the US flag and the red and white of the Japanese flag. Before tonight's concert Beth Ann asked the girls to share things that they saw today that were beautiful, and things they saw today that were moving. I could be up all night listing just a few of their answers. This is a remarkable group of young women, and we continue to have a wonderful time.

At the close the the concert this evening, members of the Our Redeemer Choir came forward and gave lei's to each of the performers. Mahalo to all!