Spring break has arrived, and I'm getting caught up on various tasks at work and at home, including posting on the blog. Woohoo!
Like Honor, I am taking advantage of some of the cool things to do in my new city. This past weekend, and friend and I went to the opera at WSU, and we saw a performance of Il Viaggio a Rheims by Rossini. It was fabulous! Funny, visually and mentally stimulating, wonderful acting and singing. The English translation of the Italian lyrics was projected onto a screen above the performers. I think I like the opera, and I definitely need to make a point of attending at least one event on campus each semester. Last year, I attended an a cappella choir performance (fabulous!), and this past summer Trent and I attended an outdoor bluegrass concert at the Ulrich Museum.
Yesterday, a friend introduced me to the Nifty Nuthouse in downtown Wichita, and I definitely plan to go back. I got some Chicago-style popcorn (cheddar and carmel--yummy!), ultimate malt balls, and some butter toffee pecans. So, so good.
And, last but not least, I'm actually involved in an upcoming performance that I'm both excited and nervous about. My church choir (College Hill United Methodist Church) is performing John Rutter's Requiem on Palm Sunday (April 1). A lot of it is in Latin, and it's one of the hardest selections of music that I've ever encountered; even the experienced musicians in the choir agree that it's difficult. It definitely challenges my brain and my ego, as I fumble over the pronunciations and the notes.
Here's a selection from the Requiem. It starts getting good at about 2:15:
My folks will be down in Wichita that weekend to see the performance with Trent. Anyone else is welcome to come too. We can have brunch at our house afterward.
Hope to see you all in Emporia on April 7 for some Easter Egg hunting. Perhaps Jacob, Isaiah, Mya, and Hudson will receive more instructions from the Easter Bunny (The Easter Bunny says "Dance!").
Getting physical
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Training sessions have been going really well these past few weeks. I
swim, lift, and run on my own (or with the masters swim team) during the
week, and o...
12 years ago
3 comments:
A lot of interesting musical events happen in Wichita. Did you enjoy the bluegrass festival? I don't recall an opera being performed on the ESU campus while I attended school here. The Italian opera sounds very entertaining. The upcoming Requiem performance is an amazing challange. Talk about difficult. The music is stunning. You really know how to stretch the boundaries Katie. One more reason we are proud of you. Easter will soon be here. It is hard to believe the year is going by so quickly. Singing The Requiem will give the Easter celebration much more meaning. Suffering and then rebirth. Despair and then hope. Sometimes music captures the scope of our spiritural state better than any other medium. Once again, we are proud of you.
Beth is on vacation this week. On Monday afternoon Beth and I went to the Granada chocolate shop here in Emporia. Fudge is sold there, as well as chocolates and truffles. A concoction of popcorn mixed with milk chocolate is also sold there. It is addictive and has become my favorite special treat. It is a treat I need to vigorously avoid if I want to still fit in my clothes.
It sounds like Wichita is a good fit for you and Trent. I enjoyed reading your post. Woohoo!
Spring in Wichita sounds like fun...sounds, tastes, time with friends.
The selection from Requiem is lovely....I am looking forward to hearing your choir perform this beautiful piece....for anyone who wishes to attend, Katie's church is a very friendly down to earth place full of welcoming people....think about a Palm Sunday trip to Wichita....and brunch on the patio of their home.
Love ya,
ellen ellis
Thanks for all your encouragement, Honor and Mom. :-)
Honor, the Granada chocolate shop sounds delightful; I'm so impressed by the cool things happening in E-town. The chocolate popcorn does sound addictive; small treats do a body good periodically. It's just hard to not keep going back to the treat when you know it's readily available. :-)
I agree that music often communicates feelings/emotions/spirituality better than other forms. It can be so uplifting--even sad songs.
I'm glad Beth is on vacation this week and that you're spending some fun time together. Is Peter on spring break too? What fun!
Oh, the blue grass concert was fun. Trent came over to campus after I got done teaching summer school on a Thursday evening in July. He brought Eloise, since it was an outdoor concert, and we all laid on a blanket and listened to the music. KMUW, the local NPR station, sponsored it. Good stuff.
And my mom is right -- you're all welcome to visit on April 1 (or anytime you want). As you may have read in a previous post, my church is very welcoming and laid back. The services aren't very crowded, and you can get away with wearing jeans and a nice top.
I'm not sure that our patio will be completed by then ... for those of you who don't know, Trent jack-hammered the concrete patio a couple weeks ago, and we're in the process (with all this rain) of removing the concrete. Then, we're going to take all the bricks from the backyard (there are close to 1,000 of them) and rebuild the patio out of brick. It's kind of a mess right now, but there's plenty of space in the house for a get-together for anyone who'd like to join us on April 1.
Love to you all!
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