Why… exactly, are we going to Croatia?

The Head Family, Rovinj, June 2005

What IS a Choral Symposium?

[If you’d like to skip over my musings, just scroll down to the last section titled, The Punchline.]

This project is the newest iteration of a program that first ran in the summer of 2014. More specifically, that was a conducting symposium with a choir in residence, designed to give young conductors podium time with an accomplished choir while residing in the beautiful region of Provence. That program ran for six years.

Among the various priorities of that program was to provide opportunities for international travel, especially to our undergraduate students, in a setting that would encourage a deeper sense of cultural exchange than you might get from a “blow through Europe” choir tour. The first year, we took 34 singers with four auditioned conductors for a 10-day program.

Over the six years, the program continued to grow to nearly three weeks in duration, one of which was dedicated to performing a major work with a local orchestra, affording the opportunity for Schola singers to join us as well – which they did. (In fact, there are several folks on this trip who participated in the France program. A few of them, several times over.

By the last year, we had well over 100 singers, a faculty of renowned choral conductors, and student conductors auditioning from all over the country. But the program essentially ran its course, and we called the game, which was remarkably fortunate since the next year we were in the midst of a pandemic that would have shuttered the program anyway!

Delaware Choral Scholars: Same Concept, New Mission.

The core group of auditioned singers during the France symposium years took on the name of Delaware Choral Scholars (DCS), consisting of a mix of current students. esteemed alumni, and quite a few singers who saw our advertisements on social media and auditioned in from afar. In fact, had it not been for the pandemic, that group of core singers was set to compete in the Bali International Choral Competition. Suffice it to say, that never happened.

What did happen, albeit a couple years later, was our previous venture to the small, Italianate town of Rovinj, Croatia. Carol and I had first discovered Rovinj with our kids back in 2005, and immediately fell in love with the entire region. So it was a no-brainer to make this our first post-pandemic outing (2022) targeted again to current students and Chorale alumni who were eager to travel again and excited for an opportunity to sing with other people who identified as insatiable choral geeks. Despite a few pop-up COVID cases, the project was a tremendous success, largely due to the charming, walkable layout of the city, the excellent hotel accommodations, and the fabulous rehearsal space replete with fine acoustics and a grand piano.

Here again, the fusion of alumni and our most committed current students resulted in a synergy that would inspire the next phase of DCS when we entered the competition circuit, meeting considerable success in New Zealand, Germany, Spain, and Slovenia.

Back to Our Roots

While it has been exciting to see DCS conquer the world stage, part of the original formula got lost in the sauce. That formula was two fold:

• One of the greatest joys of the France project was creating a multi-generational choral community, providing a high-level choral experience for a large group of singers of varied ability. Given the intense audition process that currently exists for DCS, a lot of really fine singers are frequently left out of both the musical experience and opportunity to travel.
• But the other important element of the France program was essentially a reciprocal arrangement with our current undergraduate students. In short, folks out of college, eager and able to afford a few more creature comforts, would pay a bit more, which would create a balance sheet where we could offer starving college students an opportunity to travel and perform in Europe without it costing them an arm and a leg. The reciprocal part was that nothing bolsters an amateur community-based choir like a few of ranks of enthusiastic voice majors! Win-win!

To that end, this revised formula this time around is something of an experiment. And if it goes well, – which I anticipate it will – I have designs on future iterations in other far-flung locations like the Algarve in Portugal, or Latvia, or even Romania, perhaps. Places just a bit off the beaten track that have the same potential as Rovinj to facilitate a memorable travel and musical experience.

Which takes us back to the title of this post.

Why… exactly are we going to Croatia… to Sing?

Perhaps I’ve grown jaded as life has afforded disproportionate opportunities for travel; sometimes to work, sometimes to play. At some point along the way, the distinction between vacation and playcation came into focus for me. I’m not sure which nomenclature best suits a choral symposium in Croatia, but the defining characteristic of this endeavor is the opportunity to come together each day in this remarkable part of the world and make music of a caliber that most people rarely experience in a lifetime.

As this project has come to fruition, it has become evident that one of the wrinkles we’ll want to address in future iterations is that, in some regards, this is a “working vacation.” That is, depending on whether you consider planting yourself in a chair for a few hours to sing each day to be “work.” (Personally, I’d go just about anyplace in the world for an elevated choral experience, and in fact, do so regularly!)

I say this as we’re working closely with the people on the ground, be they local tour guides, restaurateurs, boat operators, and local hosts to make this week fly by with few hitches as possible.

But here’s the thing…

What makes this both a vacation and playcation, at least for me, is that unlike most of my travel endeavors with singers in tow, this trip lacks the intense pressure of leading a choir into competition on the international stage. Those trips are extremely intense where every minute of every day is mapped out to maximize the impact when it matters the most.

In this case, the musical objectives are no less important, but the day-to-day experiences in rehearsal are actually of greater importance than the resultant performance. Simply the opportunity to come together and sing with so many talented people is what drew us all together in the first place, which is why the rehearsal block is not only the central focus of each day, but also the element of the project that we’ve been most focused on while building a week of memorable experiences.

It goes without saying, despite our deep affinity and amassed experience in travel planning, neither Amy nor i are certified travel agents, nor are the kind people who’ve been helping us on the ground part of the established corporate travel industry. To that end, you’re not likely to experience the same level of service you would on a Viking Cruise or at an All-Inclusive Resort. This is a trip organized by musicians, for musicians, and the people who love them! And while we are doing our best to organize dinners, boat trips, and local tours, the music remains the central focus during the course of our stay.

On the other hand, I am confident that this will be a unique and meaningful experience in a remarkably beautiful place that enlivens all the senses, simply due to the fact that this not just another package deal run by a corporate travel entity.

And while I suspect it’s obvious by now, your enjoyment of this experience will increase exponentially if you simply breath in the fresh sea air each morning and pledge to yourself to roll with the punches.

Boat trip didn’t leave on time? Ah! A better sunset.

We can’t find the lady with the key to the rehearsal room? Woo hoo. A pre-game coffee break.

I wanted salmon and all they had was sea bass? Probably because the chef thought the sea bass was way better.

As my mother-in-law always used to say when Carol and her siblings were growing up, “The only vacation you can count on is the one you just had!” With our kids, we translated that to “Hey! Chill out and enjoy your gelato!” LOL

The Punchline

If you decided to scroll down to this point and get the one liner that you most need to know, this is it.

Each morning, before 8:00 am, there will be a blast that comes out on email, in the WhatsApp thread, and in the Facebook group that will give you a basic outline of that day’s rehearsal, (including playlists so you can organize your scores,) updates related to any organized activities happening that day, and anything else you might need to know about the remaining days of the trip.

While I suspect this is my 40-someteenth international touring project over the past few decades, there are only a few where we’ve had well over 100 people to move through the paces of a week of intense (but enjoyable) rehearsal, while striving to make sure everyone goes home full of musical ear worms, hundreds of photos, and at least as many fabulous memories.

To me, that’s the very essence of travel. Of all my personal possessions, the memories of the places I’ve been and the people I spent my days with there are the most precious of them all.

Bon voyage! See you in Rovinj.

pdh