A Cunning Plan

Only three days to go. More than sixhundred people will perform the Poverty Requiem in Fryslân. Thousands will attend. We are going to make it happen!

The Frisian organisation has from the very beginning intended to perform the Requiem with this amount of people. Deep down inside I always doubted they would succeed. Maybe even secretly hoped they wouldn’t. But now it’s true, we have 675 participants. And the first time I can rehearse with this enormous choir is 25 hours for the beginning of the concert on wednesday. How many will sing practiced choir? How many men for the malechoir? Will there be scratch who can sing the middlevoice? Was everyone able to study their parts at home, will they be prepared, what is their level? I haven’t got a clue.

But...
What I do have are two wonderful soloists. And my favourite sound-engineer. Thank heaven Juri will be there with his percussion-guys. And what I do have is 130 adults and 30 children, whom I worked with intensively the last month. Mainly they are members of my own choirs, and they worked so very very hard. Last thursday we all were together, and we sung and sung the piece, and it went very well and it was heartplucking. So they are my anchor, and my faithful helpers during next weeks rehearsals and performance. I trust them to lead and carry and inspire the 500 singers who will join in on tuesday and wednesday. This is my cunning plan.

And what I do have here in Fryslân is this group of great people, who organize this whole project. I can’t fathom how they manage to make it all work. I find myself in the slipstream of their drive.

I’m thinking about all the conductors who were in Amsterdam. I think back a lot on those days, the group we were, the things we learned. Wednesday to come we all will do our thing. It’s amazing, it really feels like a chain. A chain around the whole world. Let’s do each other proud.

Only three days to go. More than sixhundred people will perform the Poverty Requiem in Fryslân. Thousands will attend. We are going to make it happen. Peter is will be there, and Sylvia. And Marrije, Daniel, Helmine and Irheen. I hope we do them proud.

Love, Jildou

(PS: Here's some Frisian Television: http://www1.omropfryslan.nl/Utstjoering_Mist_10.aspx
Click freed 5 oktober)

Getting closer

Pondering

Thursday evening, at the end of another long and exhausting, yet very inspiring day. I'm sitting here in my hotelroom, I lighted some candles, poured a glass of wine, and can't stop pondering about this special project. My thoughts are all over the place, changing rapidly. I feel delighted, scared, blessed, confused, inspired, inadequate, proud, admiring.

Workshop

This was the second day of the workshop, and so far this has been such a fulfilling experience. We are singing the piece. We analyse it. We get tips and hints about the rehearsingprocess. We are led through the score on behalf of what the role of the percussion is in the piece. We discuss it. But most of all we experience it, all of us. All of us, no matter all our different backgrounds, countries, languages, attitudes, practises.

Similarity

Who for heavensake invented this idea that almost every concert will be on the very same day? Why can't I go to Senegal an watch Falou marching the streets with 1000 children. Or to Palestine and see Jumana dance. Listen to the fabulous percussiongroup at Malou's performance on the Phillipines. And, for sure, to be honest, I would love the whole group joining the concert in Fryslân. Feels whole.

Drive

Peter. Marrije. Jouri. Sylvia. Irheen. Daniel. And more. All people with a drive. No fear for starting small, from a scratch. Just believe in your thing, and go from there. With lots of love and persistance and patience and cunning plans. Not knowing where or mainly how it 'll end. Not afraid to get help from whoever you can get it. I see them at work, feeling endless admiration. They inspire me, bring me new views on how to stand in processes like this. It's the combination of softness with willpower that attracts me. Being determined with an open mind.

Fryslân

Also in Fryslân we have a team of amazing people organizing our performance of the Poverty Requiem. Ate, Fred, Sjoerd, Ben, Erica. Next tuesday we have our next meeting, and I can't wait to tell them about these days. Share mutual drives. And maybe concerns as well. I have plenty of them, but since two days they seem to have partly vanished. That is what this workshop does to me.

Sweet dreams

I'm nervous about tomorrow. In the afternoon I'm going to conduct the second part of the requiem, Implosion. I find that the hardest part, and it drives me crazy comprehending it. So far it's the part I feel the least connected with. That's why I choose to do this part in rehearsal, hoping to learn why it scares me. Also tomorrow I'll again try not to cry during the third part. So far I failed. It's terrible.

But first I'll need a good night sleep, so, here endeth my first blog. In later entries I'll write more about the Frisian performance, and the days in Amsterdam yet to come.

Getting Closer

Pondering

Thursday evening, at the end of another long and exhausting, yet very inspiring day. I'm sitting here in my hotelroom, I lighted some candles, poured a glass of wine, and can't stop pondering about this special project. My thoughts are all over the place, changing rapidly. I feel delighted, scared, blessed, confused, inspired, inadequate, proud, admiring.

Workshop

This was the second day of the workshop, and so far this has been such a fulfilling experience. We are singing the piece. We analyse it. We get tips and hints about the rehearsingprocess. We are led through the score on behalf of what the role of the percussion is in the piece. We discuss it. But most of all we experience it, all of us. All of us, no matter all our different backgrounds, countries, languages, attitudes, practises.

Similarity

Who for heavensake invented this idea that almost every concert will be on the very same day? Why can't I go to Senegal an watch Falou marching the streets with 1000 children. Or to Palestine and see Jumana dance. Listen to the fabulous percussiongroup at Malou's performance on the Phillipines. And, for sure, to be honest, I would love the whole group joining the concert in Fryslân. Feels whole.

Drive

Peter. Marrije. Jouri. Sylvia. Irheen. Daniel. And more. All people with a drive. No fear for starting small, from a scratch. Just believe in your thing, and go from there. With lots of love and persistance and patience and cunning plans. Not knowing where or mainly how it 'll end. Not afraid to get help from whoever you can get it. I see them at work, feeling endless admiration. They inspire me, bring me new views on how to stand in processes like this. It's the combination of softness with willpower that attracts me. Being determined with an open mind.

Fryslân

Also in Fryslân we have a team of amazing people organizing our performance of the Poverty Requiem. Ate, Fred, Sjoerd, Ben, Erica. Next tuesday we have our next meeting, and I can't wait to tell them about these days. Share mutual drives. And maybe concerns as well. I have plenty of them, but since two days they seem to have partly vanished. That is what this workshop does to me.

Sweet dreams

I'm nervous about tomorrow. In the afternoon I'm going to conduct the second part of the requiem, Implosion. I find that the hardest part, and it drives me crazy comprehending it. So far it's the part I feel the least connected with. That's why I choose to do this part in rehearsal, hoping to learn why it scares me. Also tomorrow I'll again try not to cry during the third part. So far I failed. It's terrible.

But first I'll need a good night sleep, so, here endeth my first blog. In later entries I'll write more about the Frisian performance, and the days in Amsterdam yet to come.