If it weren't for

Clare, I wouldn't

be the singer

I am today

Elin Manahan Thomas, soprano (1995-98)

News

USA 'Veni Emmanuel' Tour Blog, Day 4

Date: Wednesday 11 December 2013

Reviews

 

 

Matthew Joyrsz, Junior Organ Scholar

 

Wednesday 11 December 2013 was a good day for Clare Choir.  I had donuts for breakfast and four out of the five prescribed tour aims were met:  1. To shamelessly plug our Veni Emmanuel CD; 2. To eat as much free food as possible; 3. To export football to the US. 4. To survive hours of arduous coach journeys. (Number 5 is to sing in tune – don’t worry, they’re trying their best).

 

These aims were achieved thusly:

 

  1. We did a concert and Graham talked a lot with ample John Rutter name-dropping.  In fact Graham’s concert chat appears to be so effective that we’re running out of CDs to sell (much to the choir’s bemusement).
  2. The concert we did was at a privileged school with lots of food – not a problem for those of us blessed with the metabolism of a mountain goat.
  3. (See below)
  4. Through the sterling work of the DVD monitor (yours truly), entertainment was never far from hand. The brief conflict over whether we should watch ‘White Christmas’ or ‘Lord of the Rings’ was ended quickly by a concise explanation of why the ‘Lord of the Rings’ is better.

 

C.C.C.C.A.F.C (Clare College Chapel Choir Association Football Club) is quickly becoming a dominant force on the Cambridge choir football scene.  Today, we became an intercontinental force to be reckoned with, having delivered a master class to representatives of St Paul’s School, Concord’s first XI.  Having challenged them to a small-scale 5-a-side game (and dispatched them 4-0) they upped the stakes, moving to a bigger pitch and having their varsity ‘soccer’ coach play for them.  Despite our vastly inferior fitness levels we emerged 10-9 victors, largely due to our philosophy of traditional English football (hoofing the ball up field so you don’t have to run too much).  A particular highlight was Chris Loyn’s conversion of a wickedly accurate Jorysz cross, diverted in off the beer belly.  The victorious side was as follows: Booth-Clibborn, Popplewell, Harris, Loyn, Jorysz, all of whom are expecting a full blue on return to Cambridge.

 

Well, that’s all. Ta-ta...