The Choir Arrives

a picture a friend took from our rehearsal this afternoon

Where is the line between audience and stage?

We welcome 10,000 Japanese people to join us in making music together.  13,000 people apply for the honor, 10,000 are chosen with a few thousand seats remaining for the"audience" who will also sing.  Several choirs will join through telecast.  They have all been rehearsing for 3 months in separate choir groupings and are well-prepared, music fully memorized, German pronunciation conquered.

In this stadium of fellow performers, for whom are we performing?  It is at once grand and intimate.  A world brought together by Beethoven and a Japanese vision.