Friday, January 6 STUDENT JOURNAL

Ely and Cambridge – by Jennie DeMott, senior soprano
Our third day in England began much the same as the others....on the bus. The long ride to Ely this morning was, unfortunately, not quite as fascinating as the drive to Bath. We were primarily on the English motorway (interstate). It was a three hour drive, which left plenty of time for much needed sleep.
This seemed to shorten the time, and we arrived in the cold city of Ely quickly. Luckily, we happened to arrive on a nice day. We even had sunshine!! Ely cathedral loomed in the distance, the main visual attraction of the city. We had quite a hike to the cathedral, though it was worth it being able to see part of the city. I am amazed by these small English cities. They are quaint without being decayed. They make you feel so comfortable, even as a foreigner.
Ely cathedral is the most beautiful we have seen. My breath was taken away as I walked in. Though still in similar architectural styles as the others, the ornamentations present here were so much more advanced. It was stunning. We did not actually sing in the sanctuary, though, but rather the Lady Chapel, a small room off to the side dedicated to Mary. My first impression of the room was that it was very tall and bright. I found this encouraging....maybe it would incorporate those feelings into our singing... and it did. So did the acoustics, which are wonderfully resonant. We had an absolutely wonderful concert here. I feel we have finally found our voice as an ensemble.
The most exciting thing about the concert was the reaction of the choir members. It was wonderful for us to sing in that marvelous space and we reveled in the magic. We were so excited afterwards and it translated into the best of the day.
Our energy continued through the trip into Cambridge. St. John’s College Chapel was just as impressive as anything else we’ve seen, although more warm than the Lady Chapel. It was great to see David Hill again. I’d worked with him when he was at Drake a few years ago and and he was the same as I remembered. Evensong with him was very relaxed, which was nice, since it’s still new to us.
I was very pleased with both performances today. I feel that we’re finally trusting ourselves enough to take risks. I hope this continues for the rest of the tour.