10 days, four countries, 150 singers, a lot of planning
By Marc Shulgold 
| August 19, 2009 | 11:01 AM
Colorado Symphony Chorus conductor Duain Wolfe acknowledges his soloists, center, and chorus after a performance of Verdi's "Requiem" in Vienna. (Photo by Andre Havard)
If married couples celebrate an anniversary with an overseas trip, why can’t a choir? Such was the reasoning — more or less — that inspired conductor Duain Wolfe to take his Colorado Symphony Chorus to Eastern Europe this summer to celebrate its 25th anniversary.
“It was all Duain’s idea,” chorus manager Eric Israelson said.
All well and good. Everyone understood that this would be no simple project. The devil is in the details: What about the cost? It’s pretty pricey for a group of 150 singers (plus family and friends) to traipse off to Europe. Where would they perform? And if they sang a full-blown work for chorus and orchestra — which they intended — where would they find an orchestra?
Wolfe was not concerned about such matters, the chorus manager reported. “He told us (Israelson and assistant manager Barbara Porter), ‘You’ve got to manage it.’ We had never toured further than festivals at Aspen, Vail and the Grand Tetons. But we decided we could arrange this on our own.”
The CSO Chorus received much-needed help from Hugh Davies at Washington-state-based ACFEA tour consultants, who had worked with Wolfe’s other touring contingent, the Colorado Children’s Chorale.
In December 2006, Israelson got the ball rolling on what would become a wildly successful 10-day swing through Hungary, Austria and the Czech Republic. Early in 2007, plans for the tour were announced to the singers, whose excitement was quickly tempered by the news that each traveler would have to raise $4,000.
“We didn’t want to impact (the finances of) the Colorado Symphony,” Israelson noted.
To help those unable to come up with the cash, a fund was started, fed by some generous chorus members. The dates were set: June 29-Aug. 9. Hotels were booked, with an emphasis on luxury accommodations. Choosing the repertory proved an easy decision: Wolfe and company were already scheduled to end the CSO’s 2008-09 season with Verdi’s “Requiem,” a work that the chorus considers its best show-off piece. Wolfe would conduct, with preparation help from associate director Mary Louise Burke. Concert dates were set up with host organizations in Budapest, Vienna and Prague.
As a bonus, a fourth performance was added in conjunction with the Smetana Opera Festival in Litomysl, a town east of Prague that is the birthplace of the festival’s namesake. The number of traveling choristers was estimated at 150 (out of 300 total membership), although 158 ended up making the trip. The entire group, along with another 100 family members and friends, were booked aboard three separate flights.
As it turned out, this venture required a lot of faith on both sides: The CSO Chorus had to hire orchestras and four soloists (soprano, mezzo, tenor, bass) on “hearsay,” without benefit of audition, Israelson said. And some of the European promoters had little or no first-hand knowledge of the chorus’s quality of music-making.
In its history, the group has established a solid reputation, so there were no fears about the reception in Europe. The big question revolved around the competency of the soloists and orchestra waiting at each European venue.
As it turned out, the results were mostly good, if not consistently so. Wolfe and company received an unexpected bonus, thanks to the Smetana festival, which provided hotel, meals and an orchestra that ended up playing at three of the four venues. And those crucial soloists? Israelson gave a little chuckle.
“The mezzo was terrific. But the soprano … well, she has an important exposed high note early on, and she simply didn’t take it. I guess she was afraid. So, at that critical moment, we had a soprano in the chorus sing it — it was like an angel appearing out of nowhere.”
Each of the four performances drew full houses, Israelson reported. Most memorable was the Vienna concert, which took place in the famed 11th century St. Stephen’s Cathedral, where Mozart was married and where his body was delivered for burial. Although no reviews were written, “the presenters were very impressed — they all want us back,” the chorus manager said.
The group is contemplating another tour timed to its 30th anniversary in 2014. Meanwhile, it’s back to work. Next up is the Aspen Music Festival’s season-ending performance on Aug. 23. The program? Verdi’s “Requiem” once again — conducted by Leonard Slatkin. Among the soloists is the renowned soprano Twyla Robinson, who will, one assumes, manage to hit that exposed high note.
austria, classical music, colorado symphony chorus, czech republic, duain wolfe, eric israelson, hungary
