Where does one go from there? To a concert of course! And it was equally as powerful. Our boys were on their A game. The cantor of Roa Church was awe-struck at the variety of genres we sang “so magnificently, from Handel to gospel.”

As you can imagine, the most poignant moment of the concert was when we dedicated “Prayer of the Children” to the 68 young Norwegians who lost their lives last July so tragically. The original arrangement has one phrase that has the text of the title in Serbian. We replaced it with the title phrase in Norwegian. The Norwegians are a reserved people, but you could feel a room filled with grateful hearts for us remembering this sad event.

Joint concert with Sølvguttene

We had a ball singing together. We opened the program with “Da Pacem Domine,” followed by “Draw the Circle Wide”, and then Grieg’s “Ave Maris Stella.” What a sublime experience to sing Grieg in Oslo with a Norwegian choir.

Draw the Circle Wide

Mid–program, we did a version of Grieg’s “Brother’s Sing On!” that was a real hoot. The KSB Grads sang verse one in English, the tenors and basses of Sølvguttene sang verse two in Norwegian, and we both sang verse three together in our respective languages. Interesting rhythmic results there. Fun!!!

To Music

At the end of the program, Anne Odland and the director of Sølvguttene sang the solo in “Norge, mit Norge!” as a duet. We also sang the Norwegian wedding march “Bruremarsj fra Gudbrandsdalen.” Then it was the moment of truth. KSB’s turn to sing in Norwegian with no help. I’m happy to report that “Ven Rondane” was received with great delight. It’s an old beloved folk song, which would have been enough to charm our audience. But our apparently (close to…) perfect Norwegian continues to astound our audiences. Thanks Mrs. O!

Old Northwest

We Are the Boys

We ended with what else? “Shosholoza!” Sølvguttene recently completed a concert tour of South Africa and was hosted by Drakensburg Boy’s Choir. So you can imagine what a finale that made.

Fun South African

Oh, actually, the very last song was Verleih ins Frieden, the piece we had sung earlier that day at the Nobel Peace event. A perfect bookend to a concert that began with Da Pacem Dominum. And a perfect end to a profoundly full day. Some tour days are an embarrassment of musical riches, and this was certainly one that will go down in the KSB concert tour history books. And your sons were there!

Olso School Concert

We had a fantastic school concert for elementary students on Friday morning. The boys were in quite good form for so early in the morning and having just arrived the day before. Before we sang in Norwegian, I asked the children to clap in a way that indicated how well we sang in their language. Their applause were thunderous.

Oslo School Concert

There was a second KSB birthday. We sang to him as he conducted, and then we asked if they would sing to our singer. Did they ever! You must picture an entire elementary school of Norwegian children singing their hearts out, complete with the Shosholoza turn around. Very sweet. The receiving lines after the concert were great fun. All of the Norwegian children were intent on shaking hands and doing high fives with all of our boys. We sang South African songs as they processed out with big Norwegian smiles. All were delighted by the connection. Ubuntu!

Ship Musems

From there we went to the Viking Museum. What an awesome thing to be looking at ships that were built in 1400 years ago. We bartered our admission for a short concert, which was performed on a second floor landing looking down over a throng of tourists and directly in front of a Viking ship. It was as if the ship was coming right for us. Cool!

While at the Viking Museum we had sectional rehearsals for our Nobel event pieces. Right in the parking lot! Tourists would stop and listen. While rehearsing the Grads, our “Late Six +1” arrived. Always a happy occasion when the boys are reunited.

Swell

Nelson Mandela

Next stop was the Kon tiki Museum, where we also sang for our supper, and then the Fram museum. Both were very neat, but the Fram especially so. This is the ship that Amundsen sailed to Antarctica on his historic voyage. Obviously, KSB feels a special kinship with Amundsen. When I first asked if we could sing on the deck of the Fram, the director said it would not be possible. But then we sang Ved Rondane for her. She was spellbound by our “perfect Norwegian.”

Ved Rondane

Before you knew it, we were on the Fram singing away. It was a hoot. We sang “Dance Boatman Dance” – of course! Grads too in the falsetto! It was quite surreal, thinking that, surely, Amundsen and his crew sang on that very deck during their journey. To pass the time. To keep morale up. To stay connected to one another in a wonderful, but long, challenging, arduous journey. Tour!

Amundsen was also the first to sail the Northwest passage. The ship he sailed on that voyage sits behind the Fram museum. We sang a little snippet of Fitz’ Old Northwest in honor of the journey.

Ships!

The Scream!

Then it was on to the Munch museum. Pictures below. ‘Nuf said!

Munch Museum

Vigeland Take Two

We finished our day with a second stop at Vigeland Park so that the Late Six +1 could experience this breathtaking outdoor museum. Put this on your bucket list – it’s a must see. How wonderful that you’ve made it possible for your sons to check it of theirs at such a young age. It’s always a question as to whether young people can appreciate such art at a young age. I believe our boys do. Especially with the help of the Tour Journal which ensures they know what they’re looking it. Thanks to Martha. She did a breathtaking job with this year’s journal. A real KSB labor of love.

Vigeland Take 2

Homestay Sing Take Two

We sang a second Norwegian piece for our homestays. We were late meeting them. Nothing asks for forgiveness better than boys singing in one’s language. No phone calls from homestays for the second night in a row, so all the boys must be happy and well.

Oh, last night we took Frederik, the director of Sovlguttene out to dinner. A lovely man. Always fun to trade choir stories and to discover that no matter where you are in the world, the joy and challenges of running a boychoir are the same! It was there that we were re-united with Martha, who upon arriving in Norway with me, went right off to Aurland and Bergen to put finishing touches on the itinerary. Another labor of love. Thanks Martha!

On to the Aung San Suu Kyi event. We have no idea what to expect, but it should be quite a nobel adventure! And then our joint concert with Solvguttene, which promises to be wonderful.

June 15th Video Set

The calm before the KSB Norwegian storm!

Here at the Hostel where the staff is staying. Just checked flight status, and the gang will arrive on time. A good omen!

Last night I met our main contact with Solvguttene, Jonas. At 11:30pm! Broad day light! He’s done all the work in organizing the home stays. He says the Norwegian boys are excited to host their American guests. We will return the hospitality in early 2015, or the fall of 2015. Always nice with these sorts of collaborations come full circle.

Apparently two of our boys are going to Andrea Bocelli concert on Saturday night with their hosts. Lucky them. Always the luck of the drawl with the home stays. But every home stay is special in some way – sometimes in obvious ways, and sometimes in more subtle ways. You’ll hear all about it when your sons get home. Or not! Boys tend not to talk about tour right away. That’s why we insist they complete their tour journals. So that you can read all about the tour you made possible!

Off to the airport….

Re-cap of the day

Let’s cut to the chase. Your boys are all well, and are now safe and sound and delivered to their home stays. We had a wonderful time meeting our home stays. We sang for them in Norwegian, much to their delight. The boys were wisked away by their new (Norwegian) mothers and everyone was all smiles, albeit tired ones.

It was quite a full first day! Our first stop was Max Burgers. Thumbs up from the boys.

Arrival and Burgers!

The Ambassador and the employees of the Embassy so enjoyed our mini-performance in the beautiful atrium. They smiled from ear to ear while we sang our National Anthem. Our Norwegian pieces were received especially well. When I turned to the Ambassador to ask him to comment on our Norwegian pronunciation, he replied, “I don’t speak Norwegian.” But, from the reactions of some in the room, it was clear that they were impressed. We presented the Ambassador with the symbol of our city, the LIberty Bell. The inscription on the bell referred to him as “His Excellency.” We weren’t sure that it the right title, and neither was he! But the Ambassador said, “I’ll take it.”

US Embassy in Oslo

From the Embassy we went to the Nobel Center. As celebrities we were admitted gratis and given a VIP tour of the Center. We then did a concert outside the Center. Associated Press and the Chinese media filmed it. That means at least a billion people heard Weeping. Cool.

Nobel Center

From the Nobel Center we headed to Vigeland Park. This required a little talk before arrival. All of the statues are nudes, and so we wanted the boys to prepared to react, observe, and enjoy in the way that sophisticated young men of the world would. The Park is truly stunning. I won’t try to describe it. Hopefully with the pictures you can get a sense of it. We took our fist group photo.

Vigeland Part 1

Our last stop of the day was the Opera House roof. A perfect way to end our fist day. Way too much fresh air on in the Park and the roof to allow the boys to fall asleep. But they certainly were hanging in there by a mere thread, as to be expected.

Opera House in Oslo
They mustered the energy to greet their home stay families with smiles. The very first thing we did was sing Ven Rondane for our hosts. That’s the best way to break the ice and earn some points – points no doubt the boys will need at some point during their stay 🙂

More later…

Hello from the home of the Nobel Peace Prize!

I forgot what a stunningly beautiful city Oslo is! Old Europe with the best of the New World, less crowds and no summer humidity! The boys will love it.

The first thing they’ll do is have an early lunch (or mid-night snack EST) at Oslo’s best hamburger joint – Max’s.

Then it’s on to the US Embassy to sing for Ambassador White and present him with a Liberty Bell in the Embassy’s very cool atrium. When I did the walk thru – direct from the airport! – I was stopped by the first employee I passed. She noticed my logo and is so excited for our visit. (She’s from PA.) It’s a noon time mini-concert so that the Embassy employees can gather at lunch to hear a little taste of home 🙂

From there we will go to the Nobel Peace Center for a VIP tour and then a mini-performance. Media is expected as a run up to Saturday’s event. The city is a buzz with Aung San Suu Kyi’s anticipated arrival twenty one years later after being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. We are listed in the official literature and advertisements along with our very gracious hosts Solvguttene. Everywhere you turn, you see Aung San Suu Kyi’s face, and below it – albeit in small print – Keystone State Boychoir. We’ll take it! Very exciting. Broadway was SO yesterday.

Our visits to the breathtaking Vigeland Sculpture Park and the very cool Opera House roof will take place tomorrow afternoon. The boys will need lots of fresh air to stay awake by that time.

Friday will be Museum(s) day. I just did walk thrus of them all: Viking, Kon-tiki, Fram (!), and Munch. They are all thrilled to welcome us as official participants of the Aung San Suu Kyi festivities on Saturday. We’ll do Sings! at each of them. (Sings! are impromptu mini-mini concerts.) Media may follow us.

While gazing at real Viking Ships (600AD!), and then standing on the Fram (so cool), I couldn’t help but think that our boys are modern day explorers, singing Vikings, if you will. With better manners of course. Hmm… ??? On a good day 😉 Be sure you do your internet homework so you can appreciate what the boys are doing and seeing. Lucky them. Let me guess, in your next your life, you want to come back as your son and sing in KSB! Doesn’t everyone???

As I write this, parents and boys are en route to Penn Charter. By the time you read it parents, you will have said your tearful goodbye to your most treasured possessions and left them in our good care. We will do everything in our power to ensure they have a safe, healthy, life-changing, life-affirming, once in a life time musical adventure. I’m thrilled for them. As with all KSB tours, this experience will change them forever in wonderful ways. Ways that you’ll immediately see upon their return, and in ways that will only reveal themselves over time throughout their lives. Thank you for your sacrifices, leaps of faith and trust to make this opportunity possible for them.

More later…

Oslo Sights

From the Tour Journal by Martha Platt

Norway – Fast Facts and History

Oslo sights

Norway – Fast Facts

Official Name	Kingdom of Norway
Population	4,691,849 (about the same as the population of Philadelphia and the suburban counties)
Area	125,021 Square Miles (about the same as the total area of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Delaware, and Maryland)
Greatest Distance	Lengthwise – 1,089 miles Widthwise – 270 miles
Official Language	Norwegian
Official Currency	Norwegian Krone – $1 = NOK 6
Capital	Oslo
Head of State	King Harald V
Prime Minister	Jens Stoltenberg
Ambassador to US	Wegger Christian Strømmen
Ambassador to Norway	Barry White

 

A Brief History of Norway Norway is one of the most peaceful countries on earth, but it hasn’t always been that way, starting with the great geological shifts and ice ages that formed some of the most majestic scenery on the planet earth. The landscape of the fjords was carved during the ice age, a long-term decrease in the temperature of the Earth’s surface and atmosphere, resulting in an expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. (Continued on the next page) As the great glaciers of the last Ice Age retreated about 10,000 years ago, living things moved northward, especially along the seacoast. The earliest Norwegians probably arrived from Central Asia to fish and hunt in the area now called Finnmark, in the far northern part of Norway, east of Tromsø, where they probably evolved into the Sami people. A few thousand years later, people moved north from Germany into central and southern Norway and became the people we call Norwegians. They all originally depended on fishing and hunting, and by 1,500 BC, farming, too. Norwegians first enter the world stage during the Viking Age, when they put together their sailing skills, their supply of iron for weapons, their need for new land and their spirit of adventure and gave their name to this era of European history. From the writings of Snorri Sturlson, preserved in Viking settlements in Iceland, we know that the first king of Norway was Harald Hårfager (Fairhair) who became ruler of a united Norway in the 870’s. The Vikings believed in many gods, especially Odin and Thor, but eventually the Vikings who settled in Christian countries converted and brought Christianity back to Norway. King Olaf I was the first Christian king, and built the first church around 995. It was his son Olaf II who succeeded in converting his country, and who is remembered as St. Olaf. As the Viking Age ended, Norway experienced a cultural awakening where money was spent to build churches and cathedrals, and the creation of a wealthy upper class. Foreign trade grew first with Britain and then with Germany. Bergen emerged as a center for trade with German merchant cities who had combined into an organization called the Hanseatic League, trading German corn for Norwegian fish. German merchants grew more and more powerful, threatening to cut off the supply of corn if they did not get their way. In the end, Norwegians needed corn more than Germans needed fish. In the late 14th century, the Black Plague radically altered Norway, killing between 50 – 70% of the population, across all walks of life, from peasants and laborers to wealthy merchants. As the country struggled to recover, through marriages between Danish and Norwegian royalty, a union was formed between Denmark, Norway and Sweden in 1397. For the next 400+ years, Norway entered a time known as the 400-year Night, as all of the kingdom’s royal, intellectual and administrative power and nearly all of Norway’s wealth was centered in Copenhagen, Denmark until 1814. After the Napoleonic Wars the union with Denmark was dissolved in 1814, and for a short time Norway again became an independent nation, and was even drawing up its own constitution. However Norway was forced into a union with Sweden – in a way as an independent nation, but with a common king and joint foreign policy. This was a hard time for Norwegians. In 1825, a group of Norwegian Quakers emigrated to America to escape religious persecution. In the coming decades 750,000 Norwegians emigrated to North America looking for more productive farmland and better opportunities. Throughout Europe a spirit of nationalism emerged during the 19th century, and Norway was no exception, particularly in the arts. Violin virtuoso Ole Bull was inspired by this nationalism, and in addition to encouraging the talent of young Edvard Grieg, he co-founded Det Norske Theater in Bergen, the first theater where actors spoke Norwegian rather than Danish. In addition to Grieg, the work of playwright Henrik Ibsen and painter Edvard Munch presented the world with an insight into Norway. In 1905 the union of Norway and Sweden was dissolved, and the Norwegian people chose its own monarch: King Haakon VII. During the 20th century, Norway sought to stay out of the two World Wars with a foreign policy of neutrality. Though Norway declared itself neutral at the outbreak of World War II, Germany invaded, and the country was occupied for the duration of the war. The years following World War II were lean years, and there was a debate if the country would become part of the Soviet Union. In the 1960s, oil was discovered in the North Sea, transforming Norway from one of the poorest nations in Europe to one of the richest.

Portraits of the boys taken during the tour…

Link to pics in the set: Portraits – Tour 2011

We’re on a flight to Johannesburg. Mrs. Case and her gang must be on en route to Philadelphia by this time. Lucky them. It’s a looooooooong flight home. But there’s no other way to get there, so it must be done.

Last night we had a wonderful concert at the Rondebosch Prepartory Boys School. We were hosted by the elementary school, so we were treated to a performance by their younger singers. Very charming and good singers for their young ages. There had to be hundreds of them. Would be a great recruitment school for KSB, but the commute could prove difficult.

We dedicated “Prayer of the Children” to the children who lost their lives in Norway. An incomprehensible tragedy.

This concert was a Grad only performance. In part because half of our trebles went home, and also because this was part of the traditional “Grad night” at the end of tour. We recorded this concert as well so for a keepsake for the Grads. They were a huge hit. The juxtaposition of the young South African boys singing with our oldes boys made for the perfect compliment. We ended with “I Need You To Survive.” Hearing these little guys sing their heart out, with their British accent was a hoot and made for a magical moment.

This morning we did two school concerts. The first was at Rondebosch, and the second was at a township school. At both schools, our singers delighted their audience. But the second was, of course, the most moving. Within the span of an hour the boys went from singing for the privileged to singing for (and with!) the impoverished. I’m so pleased that this was the last musical moment of our concert tour to South Africa. Making music with people who have so little and, at the same time, give so much. In this way, we were the privileged.

The Grads dashed off for an exclusively-Grad lunch and the trebles spent a little time doing some last minute shopping. Then it was off to the airport.

Thirty-nine thousand feet in the air, with this journey almost behind us, my mind is already racing of the journeys ahead. The launch of a new season, B1K!, ACDA in February (President Day’s Weekend – mark your calendars), and our next international concert tour. But I’m reminded of what Nelson Mandela wrote at the end of “Long Walk to Freedom.”

“I have walked that long road to freedom. I have tried not to falter; I have made missteps along the way. But I have discovered the secret that after climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb. I have taken a moment here to rest, to steal a view of the glorious vista that surrounds me, to look back on the distance I have come. But I can only rest for a moment, for with freedom comes responsibility, and I dare not linger, for my long walk is not yet ended.”

Of course KSB’s accomplishments are not as significant as Madiba’s accomplishment of peace and equality in South Africa. Yet, I’m sure he would applaud us for, in our own small but important way, making the world a better place like he did. The KSB experience builds character, develops discipline, nurtures brotherhood, fosters sensitivity, celebrates diversity, all in the name of achieving something beautiful and sharing it with others. The boys, through their song, touches people and inspires them to appreciate and even create beauty in their own lives. KSB stands for everything Nelson Mandela stands for. And I trust he would say to each and everyone of them, job well done. Keep singing, keep reaching, keep spreading the joy, keep creating community through song. Ubuntu!

Happy Birthday, Madiba! Thank you for your life, your struggle, your perseverance. Thank you for giving us a sense of purpose as we sang our way through your new South Africa. Thank you for being a hero, and calling each one of us to be one too.

And a final thank you to you the parents who sacrificed much, and took that leap of faith to put in our care your most precious treasure – your child.

Until next tour…

“The lack of human dignity experienced by Africans is a direct result of the policy of white supremacy. White supremacy implies black inferiority. Legislation designed to preserve white supremacy entrenches this notion. Menial tasks in South Africa are invariably performed by Africans. When anything has to be carried or cleaned the white man looks around for an African to do it for him, whether the African is employed by him or not….

Poverty and the breakdown of family life have secondary effects. Children wander about the streets of the townships because they have no schools to go to, or no money to enable them to go to school, or no parents at home to see that they go to school, because both parents (if there be two) have to work to keep the family alive. This leads to a breakdown in moral standards, to an alarming rise in illegitimacy and to growing violence, which erupts, not only politically, but everywhere…
Africans want a share in the whole of South Africa; they want security and a stake in society. Above all, we want equal political rights, because without them our disabilities will be permanent, I know this sounds revolutionary to the whites in this country, because the majority of voters will be Africans. This makes the white man fear democracy…

This then is what the ANC is fighting for. Their struggle is truly a national one. It is a struggle of the African people, inspired by their own suffering, and their own experience. It is a struggle for the right to live.

I had been reading my speech, and at this point I placed my papers on the defense table, and turned to face the judge. The courtroom became extremely quiet. I did not take my eyes off Justice de Wet as I spoke from memory the final words:

During my lifetime I have dedicated myself to this struggle of the African people I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”