Victory in Schorndorf!!!

Sehr Gut!!! What a great day and evening we have had in Schorndorf today! We began our morning with very delicious breakfasts with our host families, who also packed us up with lunches and snacks for the day. Once our host families dropped us off back at our bus, our first stop together as a choir was at the Mercedes Benz Museum. It was a self guided tour which lasted 1-2 hours depending on how fast you moved through the exhibits. There were some very fascinating things to learn, but even I grew weary quickly, and the only thing on my mind was lunch and kaffee!
Half of us had a nice lunch at a Croation restaurant, and the other half went on to see the Ludwigsburg Castle. Eventually we all met up at the castle and had a little tour. I say little, but by that I mean we saw 63 rooms out of over 400, and walked over a mile, just inside the palace walls. It was a bit long, very beatiful, but I think most people were pretty tired by the time we got back to the bus.
It was then time to go to our first concert! We had a very nice crowd, very appreciative, and we sang very well. We will sing our better in our future concerts, but this was a great warmup. After the concert, we again met up with our host families and went out to celebrate the Germany vs Portugal game of football. Never have I seen such an energetic scene! People of all ages filled the streets with German flags, shirts, hats, facepaint, you name it! If you think Superbowl is crazy, THINK AGAIN! These people love their football! We were fortunate enough to see a victory for Germany, and then things really got crazy! Several of us tried our best to blend in by boucing through the chaotic streets, screaming at the top of our lungs (with proper breath support, of course) and singing various German songs that we just made up the words for! It was great fun!
Now we have just returned to our host family's houses for our last night with them. Tomorrow we will meet the mayor of Schorndorf before we depart for Tübigen. We have another concert tomorrow night, so it will be another busy day. Since we are leaving normal houses and we will be in hostels from now on, it is difficult to say if I will be back again tomorrow night for another update, but i will try. Also, i have some photos... hopefully they will uplaod successfully.
Anyway, all for tonight. I am very tired. Gute Nacht all you faithful readers! Und tschüss!!





Brice

Our first night in Schorndorf

Well readers, we made it! Safe and sound and only one bag was lost! (Poor Anna Sietz...) Upon arrival there were many sleepy faces. Wir sind sehr müde! (We are very tired, for all you non German-speakers)

Our first stop today was the very beautiful, picturesque city of Heidleberg. We made a quick stop at the water closets for 0,30 euros before making our way through a castle tour and quick lunch stop. I personally avoided the sun as much as possible (seeing as my nose is majorly burned from OSU´s graduation) but the weather was superb! The city is very much a place for tourists, but the view is unforgettable. Students were free to roam the old college streets and discover for themselves the quant atmosphere that Heidleberg has to offer. There truly is something for everyone to love in this city.

From Heidleberg we travelled about 2 hours on bus to meet our host families. I cannont speak for the rest of the group, but I think Andrew and I have the best host family possible. They have been incredibly friendly, hospitable, and generous. After a delicious home-cooked meal, Larissa (our host´s daughter) took us out for a grand tour of the enchanted little city of Schorndorf, and an eveing with local young adults at a sports bar where we had Fanta, bier, and watched the beloved game of football.

More tomorrow as time allows and once our jet lag has worn off. We are all anxious for our first concert tomorrow night, though we will be competing with the European Cup game of Germany vs. Portugal. Hopefully we will havce an audience, although we would sing the same either way.

Gute Nacht!

Brice and Andrew

'twas the night before departure...

Greetings to all you bloggers, Chamber Choir fans, family members, friends, and anyone else left behind. I can't believe we are finally leaving, but ready or not, here we go! As I anticipate the morning that is quickly approaching, my biggest concern is, "what am i forgetting?" However, judging by the shear bulk of my bag(s), I'd say I got it all!

We depart from PDX tomorrow at 1:05pm, however, we start our waiting at 10am, as we like to make sure that we are not leaving anyone behind and because we know that large groups move slowly. This morning I spent a significant amount of time loading movies and new music onto my ipod, so hopefully I will be well entertained during our long periods of waiting. One of the movies is "Meet the Spartans." Anyone seen that? Looks pretty funny to me! But, I will let you know in a future blog...

This is my 4th time to Europe with a big group, but still I get nervous. You just never know quite what to expect. But I have no doubt everything will go off without a hitch! We have a great group this year, a challenging and engaging set of music, and the best leadership we could ever ask for with Dr Zielke and Nikki as our guides. Lets hope Germany is ready for what's coming, 'cause it's on! and we are bringing the heat!!

Thanks in advance for taking the time to follow us along on our journeys. I look forward to updating you all again shortly, from the other side of the world!

all the best,

Brice Cloyd
OSU Chamber Choir President '07-'08

Welcome to the OSU Chamber's Travel Blog!

Visit this site to read updates of our summer travel to Southern Germany, including reports on concerts, reflections by students, and the day to day excitement that is the OSU Chamber Choir On Tour!

The tour begins on June 17, but before we go, we get to sing for our favorite audience: Corvallis. Join us for the President's Concert on Saturday, June 7 at the First United Methodist Church, at 7:30 pm. The concert will feature "How a Little Girl Danced," the premiere of a new work by Grammy nominated composer Tomas Svoboda. It features OSU percussion professor Dr. Robert Brudvig on marimba, as well as soprano Alexis Smith and baritone Nickolai Strommer. The evening will also include a new gospel composition--not even published yet--by nationally recognized Paul Caldwell and Sean Ivory.

It's an evening of music that you will not forget.

Admission: $10 adults
Students: free