Departure Day
Tuesday,
July 17
Well,
everyone flew out of Kyiv today.... except for me. No worries, though! It was planned that way. I will be staying on for another week+, fully wearing my hat as board
member of Music in World Cultures, and so my posts from this point on will be
regarding my “bonus” week in Ukraine.
I said good bye to all my fellow Evanglion-ers as they boarded the big
beautiful white Mercedes bus with the really comfortable seats and great interior,
icy cold A/C (which we all wished we could have driven around Ukraine).
I had a
small bit of perezhevanya myself last
night – in the hustle and bustle of finishing the concert, taking pictures,
putting things away and being shooed out of the Conservatory, I left my garment
bag containing my day clothes and my cell phone in the dressing room backstage.
A small thing, but for a while it was a bit stressful to figure out what to do
with the phone, and how to inactivate it. Thankfully, I was able to connect
with my wife Heidi via FaceTime on my iPad and tell her what I needed to have
done. Thanks, Heidi! Eventually, I began to think positively about it: If I found it, we could reactivate it,
and all would be well. Were it to
have been stolen, I would have considered it “God’s will” that I should get an
iPhone. A win-win!
Vitaliy
drove me to the Tchaikovsky Conservatory
in his car, and we were met by the Director as we entered the side door. He had been present in 2006 when we sang our
joint concert with the Conservatory Choir up in the organ hall on the top
floor. That was when Oleksandr Tarasenko was their conductor. This Conservatory
Director is also one of their main conducting teachers, and a very kind and
generous man. I greeted him in Ukrainian, and to my great surprise he bowed to
me and called me “maestro.” And, I think he sincerely meant it! That doesn’t happen
very often (try NEVER), if you know what I mean! I might just stay here, and
never come back!! (Just kidding, family…) We went backstage, and sure enough, there it
was, just where I had left it. Big relief. Vitaliy then
drove me to Central Baptist or the Shschekavits’ka Church. I am all settled in
and cozy now in Room #35 for the next week plus. Got connected to WiFi, which
is better than most of the hotels where we stayed. I remember the days of
agonizingly slow dial-up, and the real veterans remember not having any way of
communicating whatsoever with home and family, loved ones. So, I do not take
this for granted in any way whatsoever. That I could be checked into my room,
and online within 10 minutes is remarkable. But, it is this contact with the other
half of the world that makes being here more bearable.
Here in this
place, I have really everything I need. Comfy bed, private bath, windows that
open (natural Ukrainian A/C), a room fan, and bottled water across the hall. It’s
a balmy 72 degrees, breezy with blue skies here in Kyiv today, and a beautiful
day to launch Chapter 2 of my Ukrainian Adventure. After an hour nap, I was
more than ready to venture out for afternoon Chai (tea). I wandered down the
block behind the church, to find an Italian restaurant called Sorrento. There I
sat in their breezy outdoor patio, reading my book and enjoying a fresh Caprese
salad, Italian bread and lemon-mint iced tea. Almost heaven, Kyiv style.
Many of you
are asking me what comes next in my Ukrainian Adventure? No vacation, that’s
for sure. I want to be used extensively during my time here, and I have made
that clear. Tonight (Tuesday), there is a worship service in the church, which
will be followed by dinner with Serhiy and Vitaliy, and we will discuss the events
of the week. Tomorrow I will meet with Wes Janzen, principal conductor of the
Kiev Symphony Orchestra and Chorus [KSOC] to discuss future collaborations. Wes
and I have been friends since 1987 when he shadowed Dale and the Dale Warland
Singers during our “year of Penderecki” where we sang the St. Luke Passion, and
other pieces. Wes is on the faculty at Trinity Western University in Vancouver,
B.C. and is a gifted conductor and a believer with a tender heart. We both love
Ukraine. He flew into Kyiv yesterday, and attended our concert at the
Conservatory last night. It was good to see him! We want to dream and imagine
what the future looks like, with collaborations and projects to build the
Kingdom here in Ukraine and beyond.
Later on
Wednesday evening, we will travel out of central Kyiv to one of the churches
where I will work with a Youth Choir, and we will talk seriously about the need
for a high view of excellence in church music. Apparently, in this particular
church, this is being debated. Prayer would be appreciated. SDG will play a
large role. Thursday-Saturday, there is a men’s chorus mini-festival and individual
conducting master classes, and the men’s choir will be involved in worship on
Sunday. Next Monday-Wednesday there will be rehearsals of the Kyiv Youth Choir
which will be preparing for a large Baptist congress in August. This will be jointly
led by Serhiy and Vitaliy, so I am looking forward to observing their work and
cheering them on. You can bet they will try to get me to conduct something.
Enough for
now. Grateful to God for great weather and the Son shining down on all of this.
Slava Bohu.
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