Dr. Eric Conway:
Given the
extreme travel day of yesterday (waking-up at 3:30 AM, traveling to a
different country, and then performing two concerts) we asked our guide
if we could amend the schedule. Originally, the schedule had a 2 1/2
hour drive to Nizwa, the birthplace of Islam in the Sultanate of Oman,
and site of a famous 7th century fort. This would mean over 5 hours of
travel on a bus for the day. We were able to rearrange three
activities: one group could leave at 9:30 AM if they were interested in
going to a beautiful Omani beach, or another group go to a local Omani
mall for an opportunity to pick up items not available in the States, or
the third group could simply sleep in until we left for the day at
12:30 PM. Needless to say most of the group stayed in the hotel to rest
for the important concert in Muscat.
We left
our hotel at 12:30 PM to travel for a group lunch at a restaurant named
Kargeen cafe. Once again we ate at another buffet featuring typical
Omani cuisine. The setting of the restaurant was very beautiful and we
enjoyed great conversation over the meal.
After
lunch, we had a thirty minute drive to our concert location, Al Bustan
Palace Ritz Carton Hotel in Muscat. This Ritz Carlton was not a
five-star, but a six-star hotel! This is the hotel where kings and
queens stay when they visit Muscat. We sang in the main open space of
the hotel. The United States Ambassador to Oman, Great C. Holtz,
arranged this concert. She invited at least 100 guests to this concert,
who apparently all showed-up.
The lobby of a
hotel does not sound like an attractive venue, and to be honest, I was
initially perplexed why we where singing in this space. However, this is
the most opulent hotel in the country. The acoustics, although rather
reverberant, where quite attractive for our music. When we were singing
in the space, one could hear a pin drop. Occasionally you would hear
the cry of little children who where thoroughly enthralled with whatever
they thought they were seeing for the first time. The US Ambassador
said that this was a perfect gift of music to the Omani people. She
said that during the music she experienced the entire gamut of human
emotion through our music. She spoke to the directly to the choir while
taking a photo with the group, and invited us back to sing at the
country's premier venue in Oman, the Oman Opera House. She said that
she would work fervently to make sure that we would return to Muscat for
a much larger audience!
After the concert, we
returned to the hotel to relax. Many went out to the various
restaurants in the area. Many simply went to the Olympic-size pool
where the temperature of the water was "perfect". Tomorrow will be a
day of surveying the main sites of the country, after these three
concerts in two days in Muscat.
Eric
P.S.
Please see email below from someone who attended our concert last night
at the American School in Muscat who "can't stop smiling today" after
hearing our choir!
******************
Eric Conway, D.M.A.
Fine and Performing Arts Department, Chair
Morgan State University
Email from Audience Member
From: Jean Mainland
From: Jean Mainland
Subject: Hi - will MSU choir perform in Dubai?
Date: May 23, 2014 at 9:23:49 AM EDT
Dear Dr. Conway,
I
was fortunate to be one of the audience at your choir's concert last
night at the American School in Muscat and can't stop smiling today - it
was tremendously moving and inspirational - thanks to you and every
member of the choir! I'm an American (an ESL lecturer at Sultan Qaboos
University) and haven't felt so proud of my country in long time - such
talent and dedication and beauty! Even my British and New Zealand
colleagues said they wanted to be American after that glorious rendition
of America the Beautiful! I was in tears. And to see Muslim members
of the audience standing and clapping and cheering that Gospel song at
the end was a testament in itself. Bless you all!
I wonder if
the choir could return to sing at the Royal Opera House in Muscat and
maybe even a small concert at SQU? Perhaps the choir could perform with
HM Sultan Qaboo's Royal Symphony Orchestra or another orchestra?
Hmmm....
I'm recommending my friends in the UAE to go to your
concerts there. I know about the Abu Dhabi performances, but I think
you also mention going to Dubai as well. However, I can't find any
information online about a Dubai concert. If you get a chance to read
this and respond, I'd be so grateful.
Thank you all again for the glorious music and best wishes for continued success!
Kind regards,
(Ms.) Jean Mainland
Comment by email:
Dear Mr. Zick, Thank you for sharing this post with me! The photos are perfect and I was surprised and honored to see my email message to Dr. Conway included. I will never forget that wonderful concert and hope the choir can return to Oman some day. Kind regards, Jean Mainland
Comment by email:
Dear Mr. Zick, Thank you for sharing this post with me! The photos are perfect and I was surprised and honored to see my email message to Dr. Conway included. I will never forget that wonderful concert and hope the choir can return to Oman some day. Kind regards, Jean Mainland
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