Garnet Singers departed campus on May 14, the last day of final exams, though many students still had work to wrap up for the semester. Nonetheless, spirits were high for the journey, and when we arrived in Heathrow on the morning of May 15 we didn’t let sleepiness or jet lag get in the way!
The group made our way to the Aldgate area to leave our things at the hotel before venturing out to see the sights on a lovely (if brisk!) London spring day. The group took advantage of the free time to acclimate and visit landmarks like the Tower of London, Shakespeare’s Globe, and Borough Market.
View of The Shard (photo by Nathan) [A London street with the tall Shard skyscraper in the background and numerous cars, double-decker buses, and businesses in the foreground]
Students at the Tower of London (photo by Hannah) [Several members of Garnet Singers standing and smiling for a photo with a castle in the background]
Chaperones at the Tower Bridge (photo by Colette) [Three chaperones standing and smiling on a bridge with a tower in the background]
In the evening, Garnet Singers gathered at the gorgeous St Martin-in-the-Fields Church at Trafalgar Square to watch a beautiful and inspiring performance by ORA Singers, a fantastic professional choir. On the program was a fascinating set of pieces called The Lost Words by composer James Burton, a musical setting of several “Spell Songs” on texts by Robert Macfarlane. These whimsical pieces are each based on a nature word that was removed from a British children’s dictionary based on lack of use. Garnet Singers got a kick out of hearing lines like “oh newt, you are too cute!” and “ever dreamed of being otter?” sung impeccably, although, for sleep-deprived and jet-lagged Swatties, the transporting effect of these spells was certainly potent!
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