Today began our 10-day concert tour of New England. Spirits seemed high as we loaded the world's largest set of handbells and handchimes into the bus today; the energy was largely feeding off the excitement of last year's cross-country tour that we hope to follow up with more positive memories, but I must give due credit to Mark Laseter's jubilant cartwheeling demonstrations. There was also an eagerness to put our new military-grade bell cases (with rolling wheels!) to the test, which Ray proudly loaded into the cargo bays of our Stout bus; how many hours of tetris were required for him to gain this skill I cannot say, but he certainly deserves a patent. Perhaps in a few years they'll design cases with 2hp engines for ease of transportation?
It is no secret that the members of Westminster's Handbell Choir travel in luxury; after the usual amusing series of wisecracks from Rich Shaw, our esteemed driver, our small ranks can spread out among the plush seats; fort-building would be a possibility but hasn't been attempted yet as far as I know. Luggage is consolidated near the front, creating a formidable wall between the ensemble and our fearless leaders, Kathy Ebling-Shaw and Ryan Dalton.
Our first stop was the First Congregational Church in Ridgefield, CT, approximately 2.5 hours from Princeton. As we neared the church we passed many lovely modern-but-quasi-colonial homes with well-kept yards; the church building itself was a gray stone structure that looked much fresher than one would guess considering its 1888 construction. As indicated by the sign, the congregation gathered in 1714, so it is a great honor to be invited to give a concert during their tri-centennial celebration. We were greeted by Edwin Taylor, the church's Director of Music, who graduated from Westminster with degrees in sacred music and organ performance. He began by congratulating us on our involvement in the commencement activities of the day prior. He regularly attends the graduation ceremony, he told us, for a renewal of his sense of calling to his profession. The ministry at FCC seems to be thriving. Services that morning celebrated the involvement of the various choirs of the parish, and our performance was to be the "cherry on the sundae" (or did he mean Sunday?). My host for the night described Edwin as a great mobilizer and leader for the musical life of the church, and held much esteem for his ability to engage the youth and involve them in the music-making.
After a rehearsal, dinner was held across the street at a lovely home that may have just as well been a museum; two pianos (one of them a Blütner from Leipzig) and a harp were found in what was the location of a variety of in-home recitals and entertainment. I was immediately reminded of the taste and attention to detail found in the rooms of a Viennese palace. There was no shortage of decor in the other rooms; artwork, flower displays, and meticulously arranged furniture met the eye at every turn. Another Westminster alumni, Rosemary, ensured we were well-fed prior to our performance, providing delicious sandwich wraps and pasta salads which we enjoyed on the back patio.
After a time of centering with Kathy, our Director and Conductor, we filed into the sanctuary at 7:30pm to begin our program, entitled Tintinnabulation (Edgar Allen Poe's term). The centerpiece of our first half was an arrangement of Handel's Passacaglia, followed by a composition of the same name by the modern composer Kevin McChesney. A passacaglia is a musical dance form often containing a repeating bass line with variations above. The second half is marked by two original compositions written by members of choir, Ian Good and Sarah Palermo, with Ian's piece featuring our own Meaghan Metzger on flute. Thanks to Mr. Taylor's publicizing, our audience was comprised of many handbell ringers who enthusiastically received our performance and displayed curiosity about our larger aluminum bells.
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