Europe 1965

Essay written by Marcia Munn and Jane Harger. 1965

Having completed a twenty-two day concert tour of Europe with the All-Ohio Youth Choir, we know there are numerous things we shall always remember.

Possibly the brightest spot in our memories will be the fire engine red blazers we wore. The sight of one of us was enough to draw a crowd. Imagine what 125 “redcoats" did!

Our tour began by spending a day at the New York World’s Fair. We were welcomed enthusiastically at the United States Pavilion where we performed three times. Sometime after our first performance, all the flags at the Fair were lowered to half-mast. We were later informed that Adlai Stevenson had died. Many fairgoers gathered at the Pavilion to confirm the sad news. We remember how sad the entire choir felt during our second concert.

Finally, the great day arrived and we were off with suitcases, flightbags, and camera bags. Most of us were too excited to rest so we entertained our TWA jet crew by singing to them.

As we traveled across Europe we had only six formal scheduled concerts, But we loved to sing and because of this love we sang everywhere. Our choir sang in subways, trains, airplanes, museums, townhalls, cityhalls, churches, cathedrals, hotels, and on town squares. Much to the amazement of Americans and Europeans alike, we even sang when we walked down the street Of all, the places we performed, formally or informally, we shall always remember certain specific ones.

Our first view of a European City, the people, and their habits was in Paris, France. In Paris our 125 voices filled the huge cathedral of Notre Dame. The sound was so magnificent that the onlookers as well as the choir members were in tears. The spine-tingling feeling we sensed while hearing the harmonious chords echo against the huge stone arches was beyond imagination. Prior to our departure for London we sang “Shalom” from the Broadway musical “Milk and Honey for our Parisian friends.

Arriving in London, we sang "God Save the Queen" as we went through customs. We shall never forget the customs men dropping baggage when they heard the first strains of their national anthem so that they could stand at attention. Immediately following the anthem’s conclusion we were ‘mobbed” by Englanders trying to read our blazer emblems which were the Seal of the State of Ohio. They loved our jokes about the redcoats.

Our big concert in London was the next evening at Golder's Green Hippodrome. The Hippodrome was a huge auditorium with so many tiers of seats that many of us wondered whether that many Englanders would be present to fill them. As the curtain rose we viewed a sea of faces and no vacant seats. The enthusiasm each of us shared in singing spread into the audience. The charity of the evening was The Finchley Committee of the British Empire Cancer Campaign for Research. Our performance that evening was an absolute triumph. Afterwards, we attended a formal reception in our honor hosted by the mayor.

The European audiences are either co dissatisfied or very pleased about a performance. We were thrilled at each of our concerts as they applauded thunderously, whistled loudly, and stamped enthusiastically. When we finally had to conclude our concerts we were met outside our stage doors by autograph seekers, congratulatory handshakes, and by people who just wanted to thank us for a delightful evening.

Our next concert, sung in Brandewyn Hall at Swansea, Wales, was another sellout. The concert hail was just as grand as the Hippodrome and, to our delight and partial dismay, accoustically perfect. This meant that any mistake would be easily noticed. Our choirmaster, Mr. Glenville Davies Thomas of Zanesville, was born in the Welsh village of Ystradgynlais. The afternoon of our concert we were welcomed at a tea by the mayor and the Rotary Association. Prior to the trip and before our arrival in Swansea the choir was reminded that Welsh singers are the best in the world. With all these factors fresh in our minds, the anguish and tension that mounted within us was unbelievable. Yet, we proved ourselves again and sang encore after encore in response to the zealous applauding and stamping of feet.

During the concert the choir sang a religious song in honor of Mr. Thomas father, a Welshman, who had recently expired. As the strains of “Jesus, I Live to Thee” began, tears appeared on the serene face of one girl as she remembered that Wales was Mr. Thomas first homeland and the native land of his father. As the song concluded, emotion could be seen in each choir member’s face and also in the faces in the audience. A standing ovation followed, thanking Mr. Thomas for bringing such a remarkable choir from Ohio, the greatest state in the USA, to the people of Wales.

In each European city we visited the tourist sites, enjoyed the delectable European food, and received an education as well. We represented the people of Ohio and were sent to Europe as “Singing Ambassadors of Goodwill” from Governor James A. Rhodes. We had never known the friendliness extended to us or experienced the wonderful welcome from so many kinds of people.

After crossing the Channel we arrived in the colorful city of Amsterdam, Netherlands. Here we sang at the Dam and on the Town Square in front of the Royal Palace. Once again we met the mayor who gave us more information to add to our fast growing collection.

West Berlin left us with the impression of being in the United States again. Their cinemas and large indoor shopping center reminded us of our large American cities.

East Berlin was the only place we didn’t sing. Everyone was far too depressed by the grimness and deadness of the city to even think about singing. As we returned to West Berlin through “Checkpoint Charlie” we started singing "Don't Fence Me In". We also sang in West Berlin near the new section of the Kaiser Wilhelm Church, The older, bombed-out section stands nearby.

We were pleased to see another sellout concert in Zurich because officials estimate that over eighty per cent of the people take their vacation at this time of the year. We were surprised to discover that Switzerland had selected a new national anthem only a few weeks before our arrival. Of course, we didn’t know the words and, unfortunately, neither did the audience, except for one man. We must admit that he sang a wonderful solo with the accompaniment of our pianists. The proceeds from this concert went to an orphanage. A group of us also sang in Basel, Switzerland for the Rotary Club.

Our ancient history was rev:iewedin the city of Rome. We saw the Colosseum, the ancient ruins of the Forum, the catacombs, and Saint Peters Square. We had never realized the grandeur and dignity of  Saint Peter’s Cathedral. One could sense the sacred feeling we were experiencing as we walked about Vatican City.

On our last evening in Rome we all met by a large fountain and just started singing. A large crowd of interested people gathered in no time. Such a traffic jam was formed that police were called for assistance. We left before they arrived. After walking for many blocks we found that our chaperones had led us to the American Embassy. Once behind its gate, we sang all our patriotic numbers. Again, a large crowd appeared from nowhere. We must have been quite a spectacle in our red jackets. We doubt that the I S. Army guards will have such an unusual evening again for a while.

In Madrid we had two opportunities to show our ambassadorship. The first was at the Valley of the Fallen. Dedicated to Spanish Civil War soldiers from both sides, the cathedral here was carved into a mountain side. For long moments our final notes of “I-fosanna” echoed against the stone walls. As we listened to the echo we remember thinking how proud we were of being Americans.

That evening we sang at the renowned Festival of Spain. Famous people have performed in the festival each year. This outdoor concert was a distinct challenge because ninety per cent of our audience spoke no English. Once again the All-Ohio Youth Choir made all Americans proud. A small group of us were also selected to sing for the Spanish radio.

We proved to the Europeans that we were proud of America and our government in the only way we knew how, by singing. Our audiences were always pleased to hear that each choir member paid his own way and that all receipts were given to charity.

The last country we toured was Portugal. We found Lisbon to be a clean and beautiful city overlooking the Tagus River. Our singing here was dedicated to our chaperones and guides as well as our choirmaster.

The morning of our departure we sang in our hotel at the foot of the wide, circular stairs where the sound could ascend. People from all the floors looked over the railing. As Mr. Thomas stood on the stairs above us we remember a little girl touching his arm and asking if we would sing “God Bless America”. We sang it for her and, as she stood upon the stairs above our choirmaster, she began crying. Tears came into our eyes too.

While riding to the Lisbon airport we remember one girl saying, “Music is the international language.” Between tears and sniffles we all echoed the same sincere thought.

Later we sang at the airport before flying home to the greatest country of all - — the United States. These are only a few of the many incidents that we and every member of the All-Ohio Youth Choir will never forget.