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Page 14 THE HERALD Wednesday Jane 13 me Choir members royally entertained in Holland By BILL HYDE Herald Special Going Dutch for Georgetown and choir members means a warm generous and superbly well organized people for whom No the recent visit to Holland the 106 people from the two choirs were Impressed touched and royally entertained by members of the hosting Mennchoor The friendships which were forged over the ten days of meals parties problem means Just that During local visits and singing were glorious The trip had three com ponents Being pampered tourists was the first component The hosts made the tourist feel at home from the beginning They ferried their guests from home to bus stop and returned often late at to pick up their charges The touring was interspersed with a very full musical program so the organiza tion to get two bus loads to the same place from homes within a 50km radius of was substantial Each hosting family had a critical path plan with precise time schedules over which they pored every night There were no hitches and even substantial changes were updated almost im mediately with a revision The scheduling allowed the Canadian visitors to see the blaze of color tulips and azelias al in full bloom at the Keukenhof the Old Dutch Village at and the countryside in short trips with hosts on Sundays and holidays The windmills were everywhere helping to keep the- polder reclaimed land free and adding the water medium to so many Dutch landscapes The second component was the sound The medieval churches trap sound and swill it around like wine tasters but then echo it back in 3 to second lags Its a challenge for conductor and organist which once mastered gives that cathedral sound with its infinite variety of tones and volume The choir sung four concerts and had a day of recording in St Jons Kerk Restoration vintage Concert stages were shared with the local Mannenchoor usually our hosts from The very kind Dutch were most responsive even- standing and applauding as the Canadian choir entered The final number in each concert was a set ting of The Wilhelmus and Oh Canada by our own Willemvan The choristers were never far from tears as the au dience joined in the singing and raised the noise level by another 100 decibels The singing became a reinforce ment and a bridge for the third component lets call it heart The Canadian choir took the up the hili from Arnheim at Grosbeek and visited the Canadian Cemetery It is a quiet majestic place where the graves stand like sentinels guarding the of the place The focal point is the cross which quietly embraces the fallen The choir placed the Legions wreath and stood awed by the sadness even the year gap The blooms again were reminders that the victims were in the spring of their lives when they were cut down the worst time to die but the best time to honor their memory The wise and proud Dutch caught by history between large countries take no chances Their Remembrance Day May is followed by the Celebration of Liberation on May The Remem brance Day services were ecumenical and for the visiting Canadians said easily in Dutch and English as though language could never be a barrier or a hur dle The congregation then filed quietly to the local cemetery where many Allied fighting men were buried Amid the blossoms and peeking tulips the Last Post Reveille echoed tingly around the cemetery The next day the flags were moved to full staff and the celebra tions started The festivities celebrated youth and the potential for growth in converting informa tion for use It was a good time celebrated nationally with ser vices and music to keep memories fresh in the minds of those who liv ed through those sad days and those who must know them from the tears of their parents and grandparents Its a good way of carrying on an important tradition and a powerful stimulant for the choirs as Canadians wrestle with their own divisions The Georgetown Choral Society recently toured Holland laying wreath at the Canadian cemetery Here four past and current presidents of the Georgetown Choral Society Paulette ThlbeauK Bar bara Koszler Fan Oldaker and BUI Hyde take a leisure break at nheim Village Photo submitted WHATS FAST Campbell House Gallery