Day 2 MoTab Tour, 19 June 2018
My good friend Shawna lives in Orange County here in California. Ironically, at the same time I was heading to Orange County with the Choir she was headed on her latest adventure to India. And thus our paths diverged. However, thanks to the marvel of modern technology, she texted me with a hot tip to visit her favorite spot in Newport Beach.
Fun In The Sun
Facebook told me that today was Choir friend Rebecca’s Birthday! So, Mr. Mo and I invited Rebecca and her tour guest Suzie to join us for a Birthday Beach Adventure!
The Beachcomber
We booked a comfortable LYFT again, and took a 15 minute drive to Crystal Cove State Park. It is a long strech of interconnected coastline and beaches. We were headed to the heart of it all, and tI done at the famous Beachcomber Restaurant.
Eat Here!
It did not disappoint! Wow. Sunny weather, combined with shady outdoor dining, while watching the ocean waves roll in on a golden beach… add great friends and AMAZING food (with crazy huge portions)… Ahhh, it just doesn’t get better than this!
The 4 Musketeers. Notice that 3 of us are wearing the same hat? … All purchased at separate Costco strores (of course! haha)
Outdoor dining, with an ocean view!
Exploring Crystal Cove
This beach has it all…
On one end, a soft sandy beach with perfect access for swimming and body surfing.
On the other end, rocky outcroppings with fascinating tide pools!
We saw lots of crabs, anemones, birds and even a large sea snail.
First Concert
We returned from our lovely morning at Crystal Cove to prepare for our first concert at Segerstrom Center for the Performing Arts.
Mr. Mo and all the other Choir guests were on their own for adventuring and dinner while all the Choir and orchestra members were taken by bus to the venue.
Such a gorgeous hall to sing in!
Since this was our first performance of tour our rehearsal and sound check was particularly intense and thorough.
Dinner Is Served
Afterward, we lined up for a buffet dinner (catered by an amazing local Mexican restaurant that did an epic job feeding delicious food to this many people!)
When you’re in MoTab you get used to being in long lines…
Sing Praise!
It was a great night, and a privilege to sing in such a beautiful hall with such incredible accoustics. Since the Choir is nearly 300 people for this tour we were positioned on 3 levels (orchesta, choir loft and 2nd balcony).
Here’s the photo Mr. Mo took of my side. Can you find me?
The sold-out audience was so warm, and seemed to really appreciate our music. There were 3 encores! 😌
Wednesday night we will perform at Disney Hall in Los Angeles, and on Thursday we must depart our beautiful tropical oasis here and head up the coast for our next grand adventure in San Francisco.
And now it’s way past my bedtime. Thanks for following along! – MoSop
Latter-day Soprano 
Hi Holly,
Many thanks to you and the Choir and Orchestra for a thrilling and exuberant performance last evening at Segerstrom. The first half of the concert was not like anything I had seen from the ensemble before, with no interruptions. Did Maestro take an ice bath at intermission? 53 minutes without a break, how does he do it?! And you enthralled me with my favorite, “Hymn of Praise.” 😊 As I like to say, starts out double-forte and just keeps getting louder!
I was wondering – I noticed you were part of the handbell choir during the bridges in the first half. My question is, what does handbell sheet music look like? Are there 30 or so different parts that are written like percussion parts using a single note where you have to count the rests *very* carefully, or are all the parts presented together on a single folio of sheet music where you have to pick out your particular part, or is there some other format?
Thank you and all the performers for gracing us with your musical gifts. I wish you safe travels and joyous performances on the remainder of the tour.
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Hi Richard! 😊 I’m so glad you were able to attend the concert last night! I love hearing your observations.
1. Yes, I’m convinced our maestro Mack Wiberg was born with super powers. One of them (of many) is definitely the ability to stand on his feet and conduct with unrelenting passion for hours on end….
2. Great question about the bells. Our music is on one sheet just like a choral piece. We highlight our notes, memorize the pattern, and count like crazy.
For example, I play a C7 and C8 bell. As reference, C5 is middle C. So when I am looking at the sheet music I’m looking for my tiny high notes written two and three octaves above middle C. 🎶
I LOVE being a bell ringer! I’ve volunteered to ring bells for all 6 of my tours, and many mini tours, special concerts, and Christmas. 🔔This particular program is especially demanding because we must stand the entire set – which as you have experienced is not for the faint of heart.
Thanks again for your support!
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Hi Holly,
Thank you for your kind reply. I thought that all the handbell notes probably appeared on one set of sheet music, but then I figured that if that were true, then every copy would be like a complete score, at least for the handbell-only pieces. Thanks for clearing that up for me.
Thought you might like to see a video of your colleagues rendering an impromptu session inside the “echo chamber” sculpture on the plaza about an hour before the formal performance last evening: https://www.dropbox.com/s/emojqv9jsoigu4k/20180619_185255.mp4?dl=0 I love how everyone sings with such enthusiasm and spontaneity!
Would love to see a repeat of last night’s full concert, but alas, Disney Concert Hall is sold out tonight. Enjoy the venue, it features superb acoustics and was really built for performances like this.
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