Over 100 members of the Angel City Chorale traveled to Great Britain mid-July to perform selected works of Christopher Tin. The choir joined forces with Prima Vocal Ensemble of York, as well as Lucis of London.
This tour began as a concept of visionary Sue Fink, ACC’s Artistic Director and creative driving force. Fink worked tirelessly for many months to bring this ambitious tour together.
ACC first traveled to York. This picturesque, medieval town is layered with centuries of history, and is surrounded by a three-mile intact wall, parts of which date back to Roman times. The choir performed in two locations, the York Barbican Centre, and the Royal Hall in Harrogate as a featured concert in the annual Harrogate Music Festival. The Royal Hall was built in 1903, and is bathed in gilded splendor with fabulous acoustics.
It’s hard to put into words the experience of singing Christopher Tin’s music to a whole new audience. Their enthusiasm was infectious, building to standing ovations on both nights. The concerts opened with Sue Fink conducting, featuring selections from “Calling All Dawns” and then moved to a few ACC hits: Africa, Louisiana, and The Promise of Living.
After intermission, Tin took the stage to conduct the entirety of the “The Drop That Contained The Sea”. This fascinating song cycle takes the audience on a musical voyage around the world. At the Royal Hall, the audience was treated to emotional solo performances of the many talented vocalists in the choir. One standout is Waloyo Yamoni, “We Overcome The Wind”, and features Jimmer Bolden and Allie McKay. Christopher Tin’s energetic, triumphant direction had the audience members on their feet cheering.
The group traveled next to London, for a sold out date at Cadogan Hall, with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. RPO is known as one of the best orchestras in the world, but nothing could have prepared the choirs for the moving experience of the performance. The program opened with the debut of two of Christopher Tin’s new works: “Flocks a Mile Wide”, and “Sogno di Volare”, Tin’s theme for the upcoming video game Civilization VI. The first half finished up with excerpts from the Grammy award winning “Calling All Dawns”. The second half was devoted to “The Drop That Contained The Sea”. Christopher Tin and the fantastic orchestra took the vocalists to new heights, and once again, the audience roared to a standing ovation.
Members of the audience came from near and far. A group traveled from Edinburgh, Scotland, to hear Christopher Tin’s music. ACC is continually honored and humbled by those who join us in our passion for this incredible music.
The final stop was at the famous Abbey Road Studios. Angel City Chorale was invited by Christopher Tin to record the vocals for “Sogno di Volare”, for Civilization VI. It was thrilling to simply be in the building, where the Beatles recorded their famous album by the same name, let alone recording a total of three songs. The Tin song title means “Dream of Flight” which he describes as “capturing the essence of exploration”. Its soaring theme in the fabled studio was a fitting wrap up to the successful tour.
