Holland, here we come...

First swell haircuts with Artur!

May 25, 2007
I have to admit something here. I am home now, writing this final installment of the blog from my own desk, looking out at the great trees and the night stars of Point Reyes. The tour is over, but of course I am still thinking about all the aspects of it. Toward the end, it went so quickly, I couldn’t keep up with writing all that was happening. I may be writing for some days now that I am home and memories occur to me or come back in dreams.
Holland, dear, darling, lovely Holland. No matter how often I go there, I am reminded always of the quirky, open, wacky, sometimes rigid nature of Dutch people. I love this culture and all that has happened here creatively because of the culture and the collaborations from all over the world. It is evident everywhere.
We begin by Janne and I getting our hair cut at Kinky in Amsterdam by Artur. I love this guy. So tall, handsome, kinky and so great with hair. We have a great afternoon on the Harlemmerstraat before catching the train to Rotterdam.

Rotterdam
We are working at the Conservatory in Rotteredam. Moni and Nicoline arranged this. The only way to get enough funding was to put the singers from the various departments together. So our students were from the jazz, world music and music theater departments. That meant we worked with about 80 singers that day. It was intense. The voicestras were electric, like lifting the roof off the room. Such good singers with great training and fire! More ethnic diversity than in the other schools and that brings on more fire. We had a wonderful day with hardly a breath left at the end. And of course another concert to do in the evening. We had a lovely meal with some of the staff so that helped to shift gears. The hall where we did the concert was an amazing architectural achievement on the edge of an old building that now has new life and lots of music in it.
Rotterdam has great architecture and very proud of it. We loved being there and wish those students great musical futures and hope to meet again. Please be in contact as time goes by. You were enormously inspiring. Keep on!

Amsterdam
Amsterdam feels like my home away from home. Many friends, such a charming city, great coffee and art and those bikes. Oh how I love to ride through that city. Fortunately Janne was very excited to ride as well so we had great times getting around. She got lost when she first went on her own, but that seems to be a necessary part of meeting Amsterdam. Joey and David loved it there as well. It was a great place to end the tour as the energy is very strong there.
Nicoline and her sister Margreet organized 52 students to work with us at the Crea in the center of Amsterdam Friday evening through Sunday afternoon. We did large group Voicestras and small sessions divided in thirds so each of us got a chance to work in a more intimate way with this strong group of singers. Many of them were familiar to me from other years. Some of them have become dear friends like Ineke and Martine, Wies, Hugo, Kees, Henk, Marian, Anne Mieke and on and on. What a rush of pleasure to walk in the room and see all of you gathered together to sing. The Voicestras were very charged. We did a 3 hour session on Friday and Sunday singing without stopping. It was magnificent. We all felt the power of it.
Then of course we did the concert in the evening. Oh my, how much energy we all gave to make that happen. It was in a grand church on the Harlemmerstraat. Very beautiful and the acoustics worked great with the help of our sound guy for all of Holland, Roger. He did a great job for us. The evening was powerful and by the end, I think the 3 of us felt completely full with the whole tour. Fortunately Martine came and improvised/danced with us. Nicoline sang the 23rd Psalm with us and all the singers came up and we made more Voicestras.
By the end, the three of us stood in a circle together and held each other for a long time just feeling all we have been through on this tour, how good it has been and how much we love to make music together.
Deeeeep gratitude to all who helped make it possible.
Next morning we jump up and head for the airport. Janne, David and I fly together, Joey later in the day. Some passport confusion aided enormously by Nicoline and dear Angelique and we make it to the plane.
Here a sad note that David’s mom, Lucy who has been very ill in the last years, died on May 21 as we were flying home. Please put her in your prayers and your music.
From California, from Boston to Ascona, Tilburg, Munich, Mannheim, Rotterdam and Amsterdam. We send our love and gratitude for all.
May the music flourish and heal forever. May we return to one another and grow more music very soon.
Hope to see some of you in Europe this summer with Voicestra. Look on this website for cities and dates.
Mighty blessings. Ache Ache. A ho. Amama ua noa.
Big music love to you all.
More to come,
Rhiannon and We Be 3