Chicago

So...went to the Lyric Opera today to see Eugene Onegin by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky. It was a fantastic way to spend a day in Chicago and take in a marvelous 3 hours of Romantic Era Chromaticism. I recieved the offer to go at 11:15 and boarded a charter bus leaving for Chi-Town at 11:30, nothing like last minute decision making and a free 3 hours of entertainment. How weird is a plot which ends with the two lovers not being together and not being dead in a Shakesperian fashion either? The woodwinds and horn were absolutely phenominal as well as the bass and lead woman.

I noted while watching the super-titles that opera moves extremely slowly, as I already knew from years ago, but that I am also capable of understanding the underlying thematic musical development as it applies to the libretto. 5 minutes were taken to ponder how two men who were once best friends could be dueling to the death in a somber and moving duet. However, equally "silly" was the aria during which day turned to night and back to day in the span of about 7 minutes. It is great to listen to something and realize that 5 years of education has not been for nothing, but rather that I have learned much, maybe I am actually becoming prepared to enter the professional career path I have chosen.

Other important news from that trip includes:

Starbucks tastes better in Chicago.
Coach buses are capable of making U-turns on an interstate when bus drivers miss exits while on their cell phones.
Valparaiso students are content with lunch at McDonalds while in Chicago for 50 minutes prior to taking in something as high brow as an opera (a fact which I greeted with much disdain on my walk to Starbucks).
Appropriate dress to the Lyric includes, but is not limited to, jeans and a t-shirt, Suit and Tie, a tuxedo, jeans with sportcoat and turtleneck, and even a rather fancy gown and waaaayyyy too much perfume.

That is all.

DSSotD:

When confronted with the need to pull a U-ey on the interstate, ponder a comparison between Starbucks and McDonalds to a somber tune for at least 5 minutes, but dress however you wish.

Oh Susanna

No complaints about my day except the amount of sleep I got or didn't get, take your pick. I finally got to have a trumpet quartet rehearsal and I practiced my guitar. I can now play about 8 songs in the strum and sing method, haha. The new trumpet solo is working out quite well. Kristin and I watched Men of Honor tonight...it was a good flick, somewhat slow moving at times perhaps, but it was the right choice for tonight.

Brett's coming into Valpo tomorrow, who else is excited...that's right, we're all excited. It's time for a weekend of drinking, bad basketball, and the pace the room and snap your fingers technique.

And now, quickly, to the main subject at hand. I had the opportunity to watch some Chinese musicians here for a concert being put on tomorrow night rehearsing in Deusenburg Recital Hall today. They were practicing some Chinese cultural music, but then out of nowhere they started playing things like Oh Susanna and Yankee Doodle. A guy who is going to sing with them was asking us the lyrics of Yankee Doodle, haha, quite funny. Hearing instruments such as the Erhu wail away on American folk music was quite hilarious. Tremendously talented musicians, just silly music. It was kind of fun to get to see all these instruments up close. I'm definitely hitting up the Confucious Institute concert in the chapel tomorrow evening to see them perform.

DSSotD:

Men of Honor play Oh Susanna on chinese instruments to celebrate Brett's return to Valparaiso, but I tend to just play the guitar and sing Yankee Doodle so what does that make me?