Joined a Choir!

This week I took a big step in integrating myself into the culture.  I found and joined a men's chorus in the neighboring town of Ybbs (pronounced: ipps).  The choir is the Männergesangversein Ybbs and is nearly 160 years old.  

I was looking around for choirs in the area and sent an email to an address I found for this choir.  It was the email of the former directer but he replied immediately and was extremely excited.  We met for coffee later that day and the following day he drove me to the rehearsal.  The rehearsals take place in a former Gasthaus.  A Gasthaus is basically somewhere between a B&B and a hotel with a restaurant.  

Immediately, it was clear that this was the right choir for me.  It's made up of 25 or so jolly Austrian men who have been signing together for many years.  They love signing and luckily for me....Americans as well.  They were so welcoming that I instantly felt like a member of the group.  The music we sing was a combination of sacred and secular music.  It was all very similar to my men's chorus experiences at St. John's.  Fun music and lots of jokes flying around all the time.  After rehearsal, we pushed the tables together and shared a beer and some food.  I was so thrilled to have found not only a musical opportunity, but a great chance to meet Austrians. 


This last weekend we had a choir retreat in preparation for our upcoming concerts and CD recording.  We rehearsed all day Saturday and Sunday which was a great opportunity for me to learn some of the music and get to know the other members better.  They have a large repertoire since most of the members have been singing with the choir for many years.  We have two concerts in December, one across the Danube from here and one in the Vienna City Hall.  


I am really excited about singing with this choir.  It will be a great experience on many levels!  More to come as our Christmas concerts approach...