Sunday, May 22 – Christian Hayden, junior bass, music education major
Greetings, family, friends, and followers of the Drake Choir! I’m writing today on behalf of the choir to give a little update from my perspective of our time here on our international tour! I think it’s safe to say that the choir has warmed up to Rīga, the capital city of Latvijas (that’s Latvia to all of you Americans), and the city we have spent our first leg of the tour in. There are a few things here that have reminded me of home:
- The hospitality and generosity of our tour guides, concert hosts, and general population in Rīga
- The exciting nightlife and attractions
- The T.G.I Friday’s we came across
(Before I continue, a note to my mother: No, I didn’t eat at T.G.I Friday’s, and yes I’m staying safe and walking in groups!)
Rīga was founded in 1201, and it is safe to say that my concept of “old” is not the concept of old that Europeans have! (When I think of old, my mind centers on that loaf of bread sitting in the back of my pantry that’s been there since 2004. I’m kidding. 2009.) Our hotel (which is Albert Einstein themed, because he was born here! Kidding again, he was born in Germany. But you all believed me for a second. Pay attention in school.) is right in the middle of the Art Nouveau district and is within walking distance from the center of Rīga, properly named the Old Town.
So far, the choir has sung in two beautiful churches. We sang a 6pm Saturday night concert at St. John’s and contributed music to a 12pm Sunday church service at the Rīga Dome Cathedral, a Lutheran church founded in 1211. Both churches were beautiful, but the Dome Cathedral was one of the most aurally striking places I have ever sung. The sound we produced echoed for at least 5 seconds after every chord we sang! If you’re reading this, I’m sure you have a family member/friend/person you are stalking in the choir so you can check their Facebook for pictures of these churches. We have all taken approximately 5 million pictures so far! This is my first time in another country (I went to Mexico for a day but it was on a Carnival Cruise so I don’t really count it), and everywhere we go I have had my head on a swivel to take everything in.
On Sunday afternoon, the choir was treated to a tour of the Latvian Ethonographic Open Air Museum, which was a Living History Farms-type of museum. We toured old wooden houses, churches, and windmills in a forest on the outskirts of Rīga and learned all about how Latvians used to live in the 18th and 19th centuries. We all also were eaten alive by mosquitos. Mosquitos season begins early in Europe, apparently!
I am having an unforgettable time here with the choir. These are memories that will last a lifetime with friends I will never forget. I hope you keep checking back for more updates of our tour!
Līdz nākamajai reizei, (Until next time)
Sunday, May 22 – Krista Petersen, junior alto, biology major
The sun in Riga rises much earlier than we did today. Jill Morgan, my roommate, and I woke around 9am to enjoy the large breakfast provided by Hotel Albert. We then returned to the room to get ready for our performance at the 12pm service at Riga Cathedral. Going into this performance, we were given two pieces of information: the order of service and the fact that the Dome Cathedral had a 12 second reverb (it is actually about 4). As a choral singer, I was greatly looking forward to the sounds we were about to produce and hear in this space.
It took us a few minutes to be dropped off by the coaches in the Dome Square. On the way there Seth Hammond, Rob Jedlicka, and Alex Tillinghast entertained me and themselves through testing their skills of recognizing and singing various intervals, as any choral singer would! I was excited to recognize the architectural work on the buildings of Albert iela, or Albert street, as we made our way to Old Town.
We came into our short 40 minute rehearsal before the service began with focused minds. We all knew that quick thinking and quick adjustments would lead to a quick and effective rehearsal. There were risers set up for us in the balcony, where we rehearsed for the first time with our organist. However, before this rehearsal I couldn’t help but admire Riga Cathedral. The walls were plain white (they were once ornately decorated, but were stripped of elaborate features during the Reformation), but huge white pillars supported arches of brick above. There was wooden scaffolding hiding the wall behind the choir, which was painted with German scripture. What stuck out to me most was the intricate stained glass throughout the cathedral, lit by the strong Latvian sun.
As we began our rehearsal my auditory sense took over my visual sense. We began by rehearsing Os justi meditabitor sapientiam. It was soon apparent that the long reverb would be a gift to not only us, but the Latvians who came to the service. Even more exciting and electrifying were the sounds produced by the organ that has played in this Cathedral for over 130 years.
We soon learned, after our rehearsal was complete, that this Cathedral was founded in 1211 by the same Bishop Albert that Albert iela was named after. The Riga Cathedral is the largest worship place in the three Baltic states, but is constantly evolving. Most of the inside reflects the plain style of worship centers brought about by the Reformation. As Dr. ABC said, this is a living space, constantly changing to reflect people’s changing tastes. This is reflected in the German scripture, the plain white walls, and the windows without stained-glass, which were destroyed by a bomb in 1944.
During the service, we heard liturgy in Latvian, observed two baptisms, and shared a holy space with Latvians who were sharing their country with us. I remember the strong Latvian sun shining through the topmost windows in the cathedral. This light shone on a few of my fellow alti and reflected off of their pearl chains. I saw them close their eyes and listen to the Latvian voices reverberate throughout the cathedral, just as ours had, and just as many generations of voices had before we were born.
Jill Morgan and I had a quick lunch of fresh Latvian bread, cheese, and dried apricots before getting ready for our expedition to the Latvian open-air museum. We were overjoyed to be reunited with our tour guide, George. He gave us a quick overview of this museum on the way. It was established in 1924 and records traditional Latvian life of over 200 years ago. As a nation under oppression for the majority of their history, this museum provided a pillar for the new, free Latvian society. Looking towards the past enlightened the society in their search for self-identification.
We first entered a church that was over 200 years old. It was transported to this museum piece by piece and put back together on site. It looked quite plain from the outside, but once stepping inside the low doorway, it was impossible not to notice the ceiling painted with Baroque angels playing various musical instruments. George gave us an example of the typical way hymns would have been sung in the church (the peasants were illiterate so a cantor would line out each bit of the hymn and the congregation would repeat it) and allowed us to respond to his call. Once again, our voices were able to join the generations of voices that had previously sung in this rural Sistine Chapel over the past 200 years.
We next entered a traditional family home, typically housing up to 15 members of an extended family. It was within this room that George taught us of Ligo, or the summer solstice celebration. He did this through placing a traditional oak leaf crown upon his head and singing one of over 200,000 Latvian folks tunes for us. It was clear to me at this point how vital music and singing were to Latvian culture.
We ended the tour by visiting a sauna and a windmill, which led us to a beautiful Latvian lake. We all enjoyed the warm Latvian sun while watching the water lap on the shore. Before our meeting time, Sami Peick, Charles Porter, Nathan Jacobson, Nate Mohrhauser, and I went to explore more of the museum and the surrounding woods. Soon it was time to return to Old Town for our last night in Riga.
After a long day of singing and learning, we were ready for dinner! Jenny Bjoin, Amanda Lauritsen, Allison Richter, Jill Morgan, and I went to dinner at a small restaurant where we were able to sit outside and enjoy the high Latvian sun in the early evening. We explored the city for the last time and ended up stopping in a chocolate store, where we enjoyed dessert and each other’s company.
As I am writing this I am sitting at Hotel Albert’s open-air balcony, overlooking the city of Riga and the setting sun. I am so grateful that I am not only able to share this trip with my colleagues in the Drake choir, but also the kind and appreciative Latvians whom I have met.
I have greatly enjoyed their strong culture, love for music, and open arms to us as American tourists. As the tour continues, I can only hope the sun shines as brightly in Estonia as it does in Latvia!