Thursday-Friday, July 19-20
My Meltdown and the Men’s Choir Festival
It’s hard to
put into words the past 48 hours, but I need to try. So, pour yourself a cold
beverage and sit back. This will be a longer entry, but hopefully worth it!
Somewhere
between Wednesday evening and Thursday morning, I definitely hit “the Ukrainian
wall.” It usually happens here without warning, and I found myself sitting in
the sanctuary of Central Baptist Church in the middle of the night, and sending
out the Facebook “SOS” to which so many of you graciously responded. To feel
the palpable “tsunami” wave of prayer support made we weep, lifted my spirits
and launched me into the past 24 hours. I think it was a combination of 2+
weeks of being here, exhausted from walking around most of Kyiv, added to
missing my dear family, and being unsure of what the coming days would require
of me. So, I just kind of melted down. No regrets or explanations, it just
happens. Thanks again for your support, those of you who knew. Don’t stop
praying!
Thursday
morning was rough, but got better quickly. Our “festival” began with an
afternoon vocal master class with the tenors, translated for me by Serhiy
Bilokin - himself a gifted tenor. It was very well received. Body alignment/posture,
breath, tone and vowels. It never hurts to go back to the foundational truths
of our craft. After that, we headed out on foot for dinner at our favorite “Pusata
Hata” (the Copper Kettle), the Ukrainian version of Old Country Buffet (except
it’s not all-you-can-eat, Slava Bohu). More of the men who were coming from
work came and met us there, until we have 10+ around the table. What fun that
was, and I did not need to know Russian or Ukrainian to know how much
“brother/guy fun” was happening around that table. Interesting how boyish
teasing and “brotherly love” is the same in any language! I suddenly felt at
home in a way I had not yet on this trip.
Following
dinner, we headed back to the church, and started the rehearsal part of our
festival. I sight read some pieces in Russian, including a drop-dead beautiful
men’s piece by Chesnokov that I had never heard before. I am finally starting
to make sense of the Cyrillic alphabet after eight years(!), so this
sight-reading really pushed me to not be afraid of the unknown, and like Nike,
“just do it.” I taught them the Thomas Tallis “If Ye Love Me” (it went well,
but we can still work on our English) and also we also started to work on
Michael Olsen’s transription of “Witness” for men’s voices. This was a bit more
of a challenge. Surprisingly, it was not the jazz style, but all the words that
intimidated them. Believe me, I empathized with them, after all the Russian I
had just slaughtered!
What a group
of men – leaders, movers and shakers in business and in the Ukrainian church
this is! There is Yuri, the sub-bass whom several of us met last May during our
time in Luts’k. (he has a low C# below low C, and I am not exaggerating this. I
heard him sing it.) And, there was Bogdan, the virtuoso trumpet playing-wind band
conductor from Zhitomir; and my dear “twin” Valentin “Valek” – the orphan
child, beautiful bald man with the amazing heart from Dnipropetrovsk. For the
first time, I met Benjamin – the darker-skinned, Georgian-looking lad from
Odessa, with and open heart, huge brown eyes and a smile that could brighten
the dark side of the moon. There was Viktor, the stylishly-elegant, tall man
from Luts’k who had the sweet Mercedes van we rode in when we were there last
week. Ruslan, the earnest, introverted blonde haired, blue-eyed man – is from
Luhans’k, the furthest Ukrainian outpost right on the border with Russia. I
have loved bantering with taller Sasha, the PR guy from Kiev Christian
University, with his impeccable English and impish sense of humor and, I could
go on and on. This is why I am here: relationships, music and worship! SDG
Another
rehearsal Friday morning was also very satisfying. Not only did I lead my songs,
but several other men led individual pieces expertly. This is a Cantus-like
group (you Minnesotans and Cantus lovers will appreciate this) in which nearly
everyone is capable of leading and teaching pieces. Great teamwork. Lunch in
the downstairs dining hall (full of memories past and present) was made up
amazing soup, bread and rice and meat stuffed “garden peppers” – not the red or
green, but beige ones. Smatchno! (delicious) And, of course followed by Chai (tea). As usual, they tried
to serve me “compote” but I declined. Compote is Kool-Aid and innocent looking beverage made out of cherries
and other fruits – like prunes – that are boiled and condensed, then water is
added. Powerful effects. I declined. This has proven wise on other occasions.
After lunch,
I ventured out onto the Metro once again to find the rehearsal hall of the Kiev
Symphony and Chorus where Wes Janzen was rehearsing. I am thoroughly enjoying
these subway excursions – the new paint, lighting, and signage in English help
make this a much more inviting experience. And, you can hardly beat a 25 cent
ride on the subway. A cab would have cost 40 hrivna ($5) and would not have
been as interesting.
I entered
the rehearsal hall, was greeted by Wes Janzen and his associate Vika, the
“czarina” of the KSOC. She runs that room like a drill sergeant who went to
charm school. They were rehearsing for an upcoming trip to Talinn, Estonia. As
I sat down, they launched quietly into F. Melius Christiansen’s arrangement of
Beautiful Savior (sung in English, heavily tinged with Russian) together with
the strings. As they sang that old St. Olaf standard, playing on their Wenger
music stands, I had a true Minnesota moment. Their other repertoire was
significant: two movements from the Haydn Creation
(in Russian, with soloists), two movements from the Bach B Minor Mass (Gloria and Cum Sancto
Spiritu) Psalm 23 of John Rutter,
then after the break Samuel Barber’s Agnus
Dei (Adagio for Strings) and Hallelujah
Chorus from Handel’s Messiah. It was so interesting to hear the Handel in
Ukrainian, and to once again ponder that it’s first performance since Baroque
times was in the early 1990’s just after the fall of Communism. Remarkable. During
the break, I met the principal viola player, who is also a tenured string professor
at the Tchaikovsky Conservatory. What a wonderful man, with such heart and
soul, and a true Ukrainian patriot who appreciated that I spoke to him in
Ukrainian. That’s a kind of big deal here right now. (read about it) I had a
few more small chances to interact with Wes in small breaks in the action, but
then I had to head back for the evening Men’s Chorus rehearsal. We will resume
our conversation Saturday morning.
This
evening’s session was similar to the morning. Several different conductors led
new repertoire, including a snappy arrangement of A Mighty Fortress by our own Oleksandr “Sasha” Korchevniy, which
easily rivals or even surpasses the traditional Glad arrangement. It was a
great evening, followed by some weighty words about the importance of
excellence, and not letting “just good enough be just good enough.” SDG again. This
is so true on both sides of the Atlantic, and the time has never been riper for
it here. A time of standing prayer (I love that tradition) and the men were off
to all parts of the city to find their host families. Time for me to sleep as
well. Thanks for your continued prayers for all of us during this time. Pray
especially that God will provide the funding for these dear saints to come to
the USA in November. I wish I were rich…. (I know, I sound like Tevye).
