HGC Foundation

Hello All!

I write to you today from a desolate stretch of I-5 between San Francisco and Los Angeles (and the euphemistically named "Golden" Hills rather than burnt grass).  Despite the image out the window, the Glee Club is in great spirits and riding high after a wonderful visit to San Francisco!  We were fortunate to have alumni such as Brent Blackaby and Larry Hyunh working on our behalf in the Bay Area, the results were spectacular.

Our trip to Napa Valley was a wonderful way to start out our time in the area, although our plane arrived late and we had to call off one of the winery tours.  Nevertheless, the trip was successful both for those interested in purchasing wine and those who just wanted to explore quaint Napa Valley towns.  Afterwards we simply came back into the city and dispersed to our wonderful hosts.

The next day was a bit of an adventure overall.  It started with a rehearsal in the sanctuary of Grace Cathedral, one of the biggest echo chambers you will ever perform in.  Jim was patient with the acoustic and the group quickly became accustomed to the unique performance space.  We had the afternoon and early evening free for exploring the city and, from the stories I've heard, the guys made excellent use of their time.  For my part, I had some fantastic sushi for the first time and found an amazing place for homemade (chocolate) truffles.

Upon returning to the Cathedral, the Glee Club put on one of the best concerts of this tour.  Although the group had been unfocused earlier in the day, the sight of an absolutely packed audience and dozens of HGC Ties really got the group engaged.  The football songs were a bit of a mess in the acoustic at the end, but the Glee and Good Humour was more than evident in any case and left the audience on it's feet two times over.

Yesterday was another free day to explore San Francisco that, from all accounts, was again appreciated for the exploration and for the sleeping time.  It was followed up in the evening by a fantastic dinner for HGC and HGC Alumni in the Bay area that lasted for quite a few hours.  After much song (and, infamously, much drinking), the group got back on the bus to go to our hosts and the clean-up from the wonderful meal and reception got under way.  I will not bore or bother you with stories of what happened after the event, but needless to say the Glee Club will have much to remember and talk about from our stop here.

I would also like to wish you all a belated "Happy Harvard Glee Club Day" from June 24th - the day of our concert.  The Mayor of San Francisco granted our organization a wonderful honor in proclaiming that for us, and one that really sums up the great time we had in San Francisco.

We are now off to LA and the major (monetary) concert on this tour at Walt Disney Concert Hall.  I look forward to updating you after we complete our concert, but I would encourage you all to tune into two major interviews that will be running before then!  If you log on to the live stream from KUSC tomorrow night at 9:00pm PST and on KPCC Saturday afternoon at 12:00pm PST, you will hear two major interviews and programs focusing on HGC that complement the 6 or 7 major newspaper articles covering our WDCH concert.

Best Wishes!

Kelby