Student Blog: Twins on Tour
Day 4: Alexandria, VA to Washington D.C.
by Quinn McRae '12
For being on a Therma-Rest® on the floor, I slept great. Mollie Landers, Catawba grad and seminary student lent her house to seven of us. There was enough room for us to be comfortable and I really didn't mind the floor because it meant I could put my feet closer to the fireplace. Also, this house was literally 20 steps away from the church where we performed. Convenient. And bless her heart, she got up in the morning and bought freshly-made bagels for us.
After last night's concert at Rock Spring Congregational United Church of Christ, a gentleman said, "Your choir has just provided me the most pleasurable hour and a half of my life." He was 90 years old and was himself a collegiate musician. Rock Spring also had us join them for their 11 o'clock morning service and I must say it was refreshing to not be the stars of the show, but just to be helping others praise Him, the inspiration for most of our music.
After the usual emptying of the luggage and robe rooms in the church/loading of the bus it was only a short trip to the Washington National Cathedral, a veritable Episcopal fortress with a long, expansive sanctuary, breathtaking architecture and acoustic resonance like 'whoa'. We were the choral prelude of their 4 o'clock service and were asked to help out with a few hymns throughout the service because, as the verger said, Episcopals don't sing in church. The Cathedral had its own choir composed of just men and boys which was beautiful to listen to. What an experience! And to make things even better, one of the songs we had been singing for the whole tour finally clicked. The intro of the song, "Hallelujah!" by William David Brown, which had been the bane of the tenors' existence since six months ago when we learned the song, was explained in a way that made sense. The heavens parted.
So after our beautiful prelude and the service, we were free to have fun around Washington D.C. Now, before we actually did the service, I had these high hopes that we could find a place to ice skate. Alas, when we got back to the hotel (Sheraton — Crystal City) I was way tired. So, to my good fortune, a group of undecided people were meeting in the lobby. It was, I would say, an awesome bunch, and one that avoided the usual cliques. After an expedition to find the nearest ATM that accepted everyone's card, we were off to the Metro. One of the members of Team Awesome, Michael Procton — Super Bass and sharp-witted humorist extraordinaire — had a friend who went to school near D.C. and had a recommendation for dinner. We successfully navigated the Metro and the letters and numbers of the streets
to get to District Chophouse & Brewery. 10 singers. 2 and a half hours. A $300 bill. FUN. The
meal was fantastic, all the meats were cooked exactly as we requested. Zach [McRae] and I split a filet mignon with mashed potatoes and the soup du jour — a Maryland clam chowder. Scrumptrulescent, indeed.
After din-din, we split up into two groups, one of which strolled along the sidewalk until they found a place to shoot some pool. The rest of us started back to the hotel, caught up on what our roommates had done that night, and got some much needed rest. Such a memorable night! And there were many more stories yet unheard. (that's a hint, singers; please send in some other stories)
Until next time...
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