June 11

Casting Crowns Recording Session

The boys had a wonderful time in their recording session for the upcoming holiday album by the contemporary Grammy and Dove award-winning artists Casting Crowns.  Mark Hall - lead singer of the group - was joined by recording engineers from Nashville for what proved to be a long but certainly fun afternoon of recording background vocals for a touching arrangement of "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day."  While this was certainly a new experience for most of our choristers, they adjusted well to the demands of studio-syle recording versus our typical live performance.  Following the session, Mark was very generous with the time he spent meeting with the boys, sigining autographs, and talking with them about his love for his faith and for music.

June 21

Departure; travel to Memphis; concert in Hernando, MS

What a great first day we’ve had!  We actually were able to leave about twenty minutes early from Brainerd United Methodist Church in Chattanooga (aka “CBC Central”…).  As these first two days will likely prove to be two of our most difficult, with lots of travel and intense evening performances, I am very hopeful for a good start.  We got through Disney’s Cars before stopping in Nashville for a lunch stop.  The boys did an excellent job of keeping us on time during meal and rest stops, and we quickly found our way to our hotel in Memphis. 

We spent just enough time in our hotel to find our rooms and change into our black-and-white in preparation for our evening performance.  We sang tonight at the beautiful Hernando United Methodist Church in Hernando, Mississippi, where a very warm, appreciative, and god-sized crowd had assembled to hear our first concert of the trip.  The boys sounded in great voice – perhaps the week off really helped!  The guys were sharp and precise, and sounded very confident in the great space.

Following the concert, we were pleased to meet many audience members who were very kind and complimentary of the boys.  Several local choir directors from area schools and church musicians were present, including Geoff Ward, director of the Memphis Boychoir.  This event provided us with a great start to our trip.  We settled in quickly and quietly to our hotel following the performance, as our bodies were still in Eastern time, while our hotel was in Central!

June 22

Shreveport, LA

Day two got off to another great start as we left the hotel some ten minutes ahead of our planned departure time.  This was our second consecutive morning of substantial travel, from our hotel in Memphis to Shreveport, Louisiana.  The drive was broken up, though, by a great lunch visit to the Purple Cow, a fun diner experience I Little Rock, Arkansas. This eclectic eatery treated our boys to some of the finest cheeseburgers and largest chili dogs one can find.

We arrived on the beautiful campus of Centenary College in Shreveport at around 3:30pm, where we were met by David Hobson, Director of the Centenary College Choir.  This picturesque school was a certain treats for our guys, with its impressive buildings and impressive trees.  Our warm-up in the Brown Chapel on campus was awesome!  This building was made for singing – the perfect acoustic for voices.  The boys’ sound seemed to float in this great room.  After some great local pizza for dinner, the boys gave one of the most stirring tour performances in recent histories.  The Holocaust pieces were particularly touching, as the guys sang with particular sensitivity and warmth. 

Following the concert, we could barely leave with all of the audience members and well-wishers who wanted to meet the guys. It was very nice of them all!  After a short time, we finally made our way back to our hotel for a good night’s rest.

June 23

Dallas, TX

Monday was a blast for our guys. The morning started with another early start and a great “joke of the day” by one of our choristers (there is a daily contest for the “joke of the day,” as well as Clean Room awards and other prizes for good deeds – this is a great bunch!).  We made or way to Dallas, TX from Shreveport, LA.  The guys all let out a strong “Yee-Haw!” when we crossed the border into the Lone Star State. 

We pulled into the Scottish Rite Children’s Hospital at about noon where we were treated to an incredibly lavish lunch in the hospital’s solarium.  We received a very nice welcome from the volunteer coordinator at the hospital, who told us all about its mission of serving children with bone and birth defects, developmental conditions, and learning disabilities.  Our boys were captivated with the place, and we couldn’t wait to see the place.  We performed just after noon in the main lobby area of the hospital, where several people had gathered to hear the performance.  The guys did another wonderful job, and we were greeted warmly by everyone present.  Following the performance, we were given a guided tour of the hospital, which was a truly fascinating experience.  The boys saw patient treatment facilities, prosthetics labs, the hospital’s media operations, and several other fascinating aspects of the hospital.  As we left, the hospital was very ind to give all of the kids ball caps and popcorn!

We then traveled to Adventure Landing, a cool entertainment venue with unlimited miniature golf, LaserTag, and a choice of arcade games. The boys had a great time golfing (Mr. Oakes tied for first on one round….not to bad, but I think the boys let me win!).  After a pizza buffet, we made our way to our hotel.

June 24

San Antonio, TX

Tuesday was a blast!  We made our way to San Antonio after a short time on the bus, and were dropped off right in front of the Alamo.  We made our way into the historic structure and were all impressed with the well-preserved historic structure, which we learned is vital to the “Texas Spirit.”  We then made our way to the Buckhorn Saloon, a historic San Antonio structure which houses the Texas Ranger museum.  We were all thrilled to see that some of Mrs. Wilson’s relatives – former Texas Rangers – were include in the exhibits – what a homecoming! 

After a burger buffet lunch, we explored San Antonio and the Riverwalk in our small groups.  Some groups chose to shop for gifts, others chose to take in the sights, while others settled into a nice café to enjoy soft drinks or ice cream along the river.  We then went to the famous Mi Tierra restaurant for our dinner.  This well-known eatery makes some of the most authentic Mexican food ever created “north of the border,” and the boys enjoyed a smattering of tacos, enchiladas, and other tasty creations.  After dinner, we took the fantastic downtown river cruise, where our entire group had the luxury of its own boat.  The boat guide was smart and entertaining, and we enjoyed learning about the city’s history through this special, unique, and fun way, especially since the cruis started at 7:30pm, just after the hot sun had set.

Following the boat cruise, we made our way to the very nice (“high falootin’” according to one of the choir members) Hotel Mamosa for a good night’s sleep.  We are excited to stay in the same place for two nights!

June 25

Austin, TX

"Don't Mess with Texas"....well, that's what they say!  Today was a great day, as the boys had the opportunity to take in a lot of informaiton about this wonderful state and its impressive history. After another gourmet breakfast at our hotel (including a make-your-own omelet buffet...we have some future chefs in our midst!), we traveled along to Austin, where our first stop was the Lydon B. Johnson Presidential Library on the campus of the Univeristy of Texas ("Hook 'em Horns" country!).  We then made our way to a much-anticipated stop - the original County Line BBQ.  This famous BBQ joint was tabbed as the best barbecue in Texas by both the Food Network and President Bush himself.  Yum!

Following the County Line BBQ, we made our way to the Bob Bullock Texas State History Musuem located near the state capitol.  This new and interactive museum featured several impressive displays about the state's history, famous pioneers, the space program, and other imporant aspects of the "Texas Spirit."  We viewed a wonderful movie on the story of Texas from its founding to its future which featured several "surprises" (I'll let your kids tell you about that!).

After leaving the museum, we made our way to our evening concert venue.  St. Michael's Episcopal Church is a beautiful venue, and the boys sang one of their very best performances of the trip.  They were warmly welcomed by the audience, and were fed a fantastic meal. 

June 26

Houston, TX

"Houston...this is Tranquility Base..the Chattanooga Boys Choir has landed!"

We left from San Antonio after another gourmet breakfast at our hotel.  We bid farewell to the Alamo and made our way to Houston - what a cool town!  We started out at the Houston Space Center, where our boys got a first-hand look at space exploration and the United States' history with the race to the moon and beyond.  There were several interactive activites, museum-style displays, movies, and demonstrations that were very fun to watch.  Boys had the opprtutniy to practice landing a space shuttle in the flight simulator and to see just how fun living in space really is...even the toilets are fascinating!  The astronaut ice cream also proved to be quite popular among the boys.

After an afternoon thunderstorm, we made our way to our hotel, and then left for the big ball game!  We arrived at Minute Maid Park in plenty of time to catch all f the big Astros vs. Rangers game, an in-state, interleague rivalry which included several All-Stars on the field.  The Astros proved to be unwelcome hosts, as they got off to a quick lead before finishing with a 7-2 win.  The ballpark was phenomenal, and with the moveable roof in the closed position, it was a very comfortable environment in which to watch the game.  Chili-cheese hot dogs, steak fajitas, and ice cream sundaes served in replica batting helmets were featured among the myriad of ballpark fare.  Depsite some heavy traffic leaving the ballpark, we got in at a pretty good time to rest up for tomorrow's travels.

June 27

New Orleans...Day 1

We got a great start and then hit some pretty ominous-loking weather on our journey from Houston to New Orleans.  However, our wonderful bus driver Shelton guided us through safely and efficiently.  We arrived to our incredibly luxurious hotel on Canal Street just after 4:00pm- this is a really nice place!  We had some time to enjoy our new-found luxury before heading to the first festival choir rehearsal at 7:00.

The first rehearsal - always a higly anticipated event - went quite well.  After figuring out part assignments, seating charts, and the like, the choirs were introduced to the clinicians for the concert.  Cheryl Dupont, director of the New Orleans Children's Chorus, and Paul Caldwell, one of our choristers' favorite composers, led a wonderful first rehearsal.  The choir includes singers from choirs in Colorado, California, Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey.  It has been great to see our boys make friends from these groups from all around the country, and it is always good to see how other groups work.

Since our original dinner plans were scrapped due to more inclement weather, we had a late-night pizza party with the guys, and all went to bed full and happy after a great first day in New Orleans.

June 28

New Orleans...Day 2

Laissez les temps roulez..."Let the Good Times Roll!"

We started today with another Festival Choir rehearsal.   Everyone seemed well-rested and very comfortable with the new setting, and so the music really flowed!  As we sang two of the seven festival pieces as a part of our earlier tour concerts, it has been very enriching to see how the pieces are different with an additional 200 voices.  It was another great rehearsal, and the clinicians seem very pleased with the choirs' effort in rehearsals and prior preparation of the music.  Our rehearsal time back in Chattanooga as certainly paid off!

The rehearsal ended at noon, and then we headed out for lunch at the Riverwalk area along the water.  There is a very large food court there with all sorts of choices there, but I was very glad to see that several boys decided to try the local fare of PoBoy Sandwiches, jumbalya, muffaletta sandwiches, and the like.   The Riverwalk also featured several shops where the boys started to fill up there souveneir bags with New Orleans items. 

We then made our way to New Orleans' popular Aquarium of the Americas.  Being from Chattanooga, we do consider ourselves aquarium experts, but this aquarium had lots to offer with its exhibits and marine life.  The penguins and otters were fun to watch, and the large shark mouth proved to be a popular picture spot.  Folowing the exhibits the boys viewed a very intersting film in the IMAX Theater on the effects of Hurricane Katrina and the ensuing recovery effort.  It was a very powerful film, and I was glad for the insight and understanding that it brought our boys about this area and its wonderful people.

Our last stop for the evening was the Hard Rock Cafe.  The boys had a great time chowing down on burgers, ribs, and all other sorts of yummy meals amidst a backdrop of rock n' roll memorabilia.  The HRC staff even opened up the second floor to our boys where they could view more amazing rock music artificacts - very cool!

June 29

New Orleans...Day 3

We are really enjoying this city!  We started today with a CBC-only rehearsal, as we practiced our solo pieces for tomorrow night's festival concert.  Following the rehearsal, we broke up into small groups to explore the city.  Several groups toured the Frecnch Quarter, the French Market, and the waterfront.  Though it started out pretty hot this morning, the boys somehow seemed to find cooll in the air-conditioned stores!  The art peddlers in front of the St. Louis Cathedral proved to be a popular spot, as did the historic Cafe du Monde.  

After lunch (most groups took in a bite at the food court in the historic old Jackson's Brewery building), the boys made their way to another festival choir rehearsal from 2:00p-5:00p.  The combined choir is really sounding very good, and I am very pleased with how well this difficult literature has really come together.

Our evening was a load of Cajn-style fun!  The festival organizers arranged for all of the choirs to have New Orleans style dinner and dancing at Michaul's Restaurant.  The jambalya, red beans and rice, and bread pudding offerings were a wonderfully authentic - and filling - meal.  Following dinner, we were treated to cajun dancing lessons, including instruction in the "Cajun Jitterbug" - a popular couples dance somewhere between the fox trot and the swing!  A contest was held with couples pairing up from all the different choirs, and I was thrilled to see so many of our guys jump in to the mix.  A couple of our guys - Greg and Drew - made their way into the very final round!

The evening was capped with a nice walk back to our hotel...the weather has cooled considerably since this morning, and this leisurely stroll proves to be the perfect ending to a busy day!