What an amazing tour of Asia we had! In spite of the fact that it was the longest trip away from home during this entire 50th GOLD anniversary season, it was surely one of the best ones! Perhaps it was the seven consecutive nights in the same swanky hotel in Tokyo's quieter neighbourhood of Ebisu that helped acclimatise us to a "home away from home"; or the merciful spacing of the concerts throughout the tour, which meant that never did we have more than three concerts in a row - and indeed on a few occasions we had just one concert sandwiched by non-singing days, which by our normal standards is relative luxury! Or perhaps it was the fact that every concert hall on the entire trip was more than excellent, making our singing on stage just that bit easier and more enjoyable. Either way, the tour went by very quickly, everyone was in great spirits throughout and our energy felt limitless and infectious!It was my first time to South Korea, so it was really nice finally to visit Seoul and tick authentic Korean BBQ off the bucket list! I always enjoy being in China as I can't get enough of dumplings and have many European and Asian friends alike who work/have worked there so often get to see them, as well as my connection to Chengdu through my brother's sister. It was also lovely to be back in Taipei at the impressive National Concert Hall, being looked after so well by our local agents at MNA. One of my Taiwanese highlights this time round had to be having tea with the Bishop of Taiwan who is a family friend and who offered me some delicious local lychees and watermelon, while we got through about a litre each of oolong tea!As the resident half-Japanese member of the group, it was a particular joy to see all my colleagues enjoying Japan so much, especially for Chris G and Tim whose last Asia tour it was, and also for Pat whose first time to Japan it was. Of course I've grown up with Japan being (jointly with the UK) at the centre of my life, so being in Japan, speaking Japanese with everyone around us and understanding the local customs and idiosyncrasies goes without thought; therefore to be able to interpret for my colleagues both linguistically and culturally is always a pleasure. Can't wait to return to Japan with the group in 2020! And I'll be there next year too during the KS holidays to further develop KS-Japan relations for the future, as well as to attend and perform at some UK-Japan Music Society events and for various bits of solo tenor work, which is all rather exciting!Anyhow, time now to finish resting up before tour kicks off again tomorrow in Reading and then on to Germany!
What an amazing tour of Asia we had! In spite of the fact that it was the longest trip away from home during this entire 50th GOLD anniversary season, it was surely one of the best ones! Perhaps it was the seven consecutive nights in the same swanky hotel in Tokyo's quieter neighbourhood of Ebisu that helped acclimatise us to a "home away from home"; or the merciful spacing of the concerts throughout the tour, which meant that never did we have more than three concerts in a row - and indeed on a few occasions we had just one concert sandwiched by non-singing days, which by our normal standards is relative luxury! Or perhaps it was the fact that every concert hall on the entire trip was more than excellent, making our singing on stage just that bit easier and more enjoyable. Either way, the tour went by very quickly, everyone was in great spirits throughout and our energy felt limitless and infectious!It was my first time to South Korea, so it was really nice finally to visit Seoul and tick authentic Korean BBQ off the bucket list! I always enjoy being in China as I can't get enough of dumplings and have many European and Asian friends alike who work/have worked there so often get to see them, as well as my connection to Chengdu through my brother's sister. It was also lovely to be back in Taipei at the impressive National Concert Hall, being looked after so well by our local agents at MNA. One of my Taiwanese highlights this time round had to be having tea with the Bishop of Taiwan who is a family friend and who offered me some delicious local lychees and watermelon, while we got through about a litre each of oolong tea!As the resident half-Japanese member of the group, it was a particular joy to see all my colleagues enjoying Japan so much, especially for Chris G and Tim whose last Asia tour it was, and also for Pat whose first time to Japan it was. Of course I've grown up with Japan being (jointly with the UK) at the centre of my life, so being in Japan, speaking Japanese with everyone around us and understanding the local customs and idiosyncrasies goes without thought; therefore to be able to interpret for my colleagues both linguistically and culturally is always a pleasure. Can't wait to return to Japan with the group in 2020! And I'll be there next year too during the KS holidays to further develop KS-Japan relations for the future, as well as to attend and perform at some UK-Japan Music Society events and for various bits of solo tenor work, which is all rather exciting!Anyhow, time now to finish resting up before tour kicks off again tomorrow in Reading and then on to Germany!
What an amazing tour of Asia we had! In spite of the fact that it was the longest trip away from home during this entire 50th GOLD anniversary season, it was surely one of the best ones! Perhaps it was the seven consecutive nights in the same swanky hotel in Tokyo's quieter neighbourhood of Ebisu that helped acclimatise us to a "home away from home"; or the merciful spacing of the concerts throughout the tour, which meant that never did we have more than three concerts in a row - and indeed on a few occasions we had just one concert sandwiched by non-singing days, which by our normal standards is relative luxury! Or perhaps it was the fact that every concert hall on the entire trip was more than excellent, making our singing on stage just that bit easier and more enjoyable. Either way, the tour went by very quickly, everyone was in great spirits throughout and our energy felt limitless and infectious!It was my first time to South Korea, so it was really nice finally to visit Seoul and tick authentic Korean BBQ off the bucket list! I always enjoy being in China as I can't get enough of dumplings and have many European and Asian friends alike who work/have worked there so often get to see them, as well as my connection to Chengdu through my brother's sister. It was also lovely to be back in Taipei at the impressive National Concert Hall, being looked after so well by our local agents at MNA. One of my Taiwanese highlights this time round had to be having tea with the Bishop of Taiwan who is a family friend and who offered me some delicious local lychees and watermelon, while we got through about a litre each of oolong tea!As the resident half-Japanese member of the group, it was a particular joy to see all my colleagues enjoying Japan so much, especially for Chris G and Tim whose last Asia tour it was, and also for Pat whose first time to Japan it was. Of course I've grown up with Japan being (jointly with the UK) at the centre of my life, so being in Japan, speaking Japanese with everyone around us and understanding the local customs and idiosyncrasies goes without thought; therefore to be able to interpret for my colleagues both linguistically and culturally is always a pleasure. Can't wait to return to Japan with the group in 2020! And I'll be there next year too during the KS holidays to further develop KS-Japan relations for the future, as well as to attend and perform at some UK-Japan Music Society events and for various bits of solo tenor work, which is all rather exciting!Anyhow, time now to finish resting up before tour kicks off again tomorrow in Reading and then on to Germany!
What an amazing tour of Asia we had! In spite of the fact that it was the longest trip away from home during this entire 50th GOLD anniversary season, it was surely one of the best ones! Perhaps it was the seven consecutive nights in the same swanky hotel in Tokyo's quieter neighbourhood of Ebisu that helped acclimatise us to a "home away from home"; or the merciful spacing of the concerts throughout the tour, which meant that never did we have more than three concerts in a row - and indeed on a few occasions we had just one concert sandwiched by non-singing days, which by our normal standards is relative luxury! Or perhaps it was the fact that every concert hall on the entire trip was more than excellent, making our singing on stage just that bit easier and more enjoyable. Either way, the tour went by very quickly, everyone was in great spirits throughout and our energy felt limitless and infectious!It was my first time to South Korea, so it was really nice finally to visit Seoul and tick authentic Korean BBQ off the bucket list! I always enjoy being in China as I can't get enough of dumplings and have many European and Asian friends alike who work/have worked there so often get to see them, as well as my connection to Chengdu through my brother's sister. It was also lovely to be back in Taipei at the impressive National Concert Hall, being looked after so well by our local agents at MNA. One of my Taiwanese highlights this time round had to be having tea with the Bishop of Taiwan who is a family friend and who offered me some delicious local lychees and watermelon, while we got through about a litre each of oolong tea!As the resident half-Japanese member of the group, it was a particular joy to see all my colleagues enjoying Japan so much, especially for Chris G and Tim whose last Asia tour it was, and also for Pat whose first time to Japan it was. Of course I've grown up with Japan being (jointly with the UK) at the centre of my life, so being in Japan, speaking Japanese with everyone around us and understanding the local customs and idiosyncrasies goes without thought; therefore to be able to interpret for my colleagues both linguistically and culturally is always a pleasure. Can't wait to return to Japan with the group in 2020! And I'll be there next year too during the KS holidays to further develop KS-Japan relations for the future, as well as to attend and perform at some UK-Japan Music Society events and for various bits of solo tenor work, which is all rather exciting!Anyhow, time now to finish resting up before tour kicks off again tomorrow in Reading and then on to Germany!
What an amazing tour of Asia we had! In spite of the fact that it was the longest trip away from home during this entire 50th GOLD anniversary season, it was surely one of the best ones! Perhaps it was the seven consecutive nights in the same swanky hotel in Tokyo's quieter neighbourhood of Ebisu that helped acclimatise us to a "home away from home"; or the merciful spacing of the concerts throughout the tour, which meant that never did we have more than three concerts in a row - and indeed on a few occasions we had just one concert sandwiched by non-singing days, which by our normal standards is relative luxury! Or perhaps it was the fact that every concert hall on the entire trip was more than excellent, making our singing on stage just that bit easier and more enjoyable. Either way, the tour went by very quickly, everyone was in great spirits throughout and our energy felt limitless and infectious!It was my first time to South Korea, so it was really nice finally to visit Seoul and tick authentic Korean BBQ off the bucket list! I always enjoy being in China as I can't get enough of dumplings and have many European and Asian friends alike who work/have worked there so often get to see them, as well as my connection to Chengdu through my brother's sister. It was also lovely to be back in Taipei at the impressive National Concert Hall, being looked after so well by our local agents at MNA. One of my Taiwanese highlights this time round had to be having tea with the Bishop of Taiwan who is a family friend and who offered me some delicious local lychees and watermelon, while we got through about a litre each of oolong tea!As the resident half-Japanese member of the group, it was a particular joy to see all my colleagues enjoying Japan so much, especially for Chris G and Tim whose last Asia tour it was, and also for Pat whose first time to Japan it was. Of course I've grown up with Japan being (jointly with the UK) at the centre of my life, so being in Japan, speaking Japanese with everyone around us and understanding the local customs and idiosyncrasies goes without thought; therefore to be able to interpret for my colleagues both linguistically and culturally is always a pleasure. Can't wait to return to Japan with the group in 2020! And I'll be there next year too during the KS holidays to further develop KS-Japan relations for the future, as well as to attend and perform at some UK-Japan Music Society events and for various bits of solo tenor work, which is all rather exciting!Anyhow, time now to finish resting up before tour kicks off again tomorrow in Reading and then on to Germany!
What an amazing tour of Asia we had! In spite of the fact that it was the longest trip away from home during this entire 50th GOLD anniversary season, it was surely one of the best ones! Perhaps it was the seven consecutive nights in the same swanky hotel in Tokyo's quieter neighbourhood of Ebisu that helped acclimatise us to a "home away from home"; or the merciful spacing of the concerts throughout the tour, which meant that never did we have more than three concerts in a row - and indeed on a few occasions we had just one concert sandwiched by non-singing days, which by our normal standards is relative luxury! Or perhaps it was the fact that every concert hall on the entire trip was more than excellent, making our singing on stage just that bit easier and more enjoyable. Either way, the tour went by very quickly, everyone was in great spirits throughout and our energy felt limitless and infectious!It was my first time to South Korea, so it was really nice finally to visit Seoul and tick authentic Korean BBQ off the bucket list! I always enjoy being in China as I can't get enough of dumplings and have many European and Asian friends alike who work/have worked there so often get to see them, as well as my connection to Chengdu through my brother's sister. It was also lovely to be back in Taipei at the impressive National Concert Hall, being looked after so well by our local agents at MNA. One of my Taiwanese highlights this time round had to be having tea with the Bishop of Taiwan who is a family friend and who offered me some delicious local lychees and watermelon, while we got through about a litre each of oolong tea!As the resident half-Japanese member of the group, it was a particular joy to see all my colleagues enjoying Japan so much, especially for Chris G and Tim whose last Asia tour it was, and also for Pat whose first time to Japan it was. Of course I've grown up with Japan being (jointly with the UK) at the centre of my life, so being in Japan, speaking Japanese with everyone around us and understanding the local customs and idiosyncrasies goes without thought; therefore to be able to interpret for my colleagues both linguistically and culturally is always a pleasure. Can't wait to return to Japan with the group in 2020! And I'll be there next year too during the KS holidays to further develop KS-Japan relations for the future, as well as to attend and perform at some UK-Japan Music Society events and for various bits of solo tenor work, which is all rather exciting!Anyhow, time now to finish resting up before tour kicks off again tomorrow in Reading and then on to Germany!
What an amazing tour of Asia we had! In spite of the fact that it was the longest trip away from home during this entire 50th GOLD anniversary season, it was surely one of the best ones! Perhaps it was the seven consecutive nights in the same swanky hotel in Tokyo's quieter neighbourhood of Ebisu that helped acclimatise us to a "home away from home"; or the merciful spacing of the concerts throughout the tour, which meant that never did we have more than three concerts in a row - and indeed on a few occasions we had just one concert sandwiched by non-singing days, which by our normal standards is relative luxury! Or perhaps it was the fact that every concert hall on the entire trip was more than excellent, making our singing on stage just that bit easier and more enjoyable. Either way, the tour went by very quickly, everyone was in great spirits throughout and our energy felt limitless and infectious!It was my first time to South Korea, so it was really nice finally to visit Seoul and tick authentic Korean BBQ off the bucket list! I always enjoy being in China as I can't get enough of dumplings and have many European and Asian friends alike who work/have worked there so often get to see them, as well as my connection to Chengdu through my brother's sister. It was also lovely to be back in Taipei at the impressive National Concert Hall, being looked after so well by our local agents at MNA. One of my Taiwanese highlights this time round had to be having tea with the Bishop of Taiwan who is a family friend and who offered me some delicious local lychees and watermelon, while we got through about a litre each of oolong tea!As the resident half-Japanese member of the group, it was a particular joy to see all my colleagues enjoying Japan so much, especially for Chris G and Tim whose last Asia tour it was, and also for Pat whose first time to Japan it was. Of course I've grown up with Japan being (jointly with the UK) at the centre of my life, so being in Japan, speaking Japanese with everyone around us and understanding the local customs and idiosyncrasies goes without thought; therefore to be able to interpret for my colleagues both linguistically and culturally is always a pleasure. Can't wait to return to Japan with the group in 2020! And I'll be there next year too during the KS holidays to further develop KS-Japan relations for the future, as well as to attend and perform at some UK-Japan Music Society events and for various bits of solo tenor work, which is all rather exciting!Anyhow, time now to finish resting up before tour kicks off again tomorrow in Reading and then on to Germany!
