Choral Conference in Hastings

As you might guess from the title of our post, Tom was invited to speak at the national choral conference, run by the New Zealand Choral Federation. As the conference was taking place near Napier, a beautiful area not too far away from Taupo, we decided to make a family trip of it. The conference was actually fun for all of us. The boys did sit through (and sing some) of a large all-conference rehearsal of the Durufle Requiem and we all heard lots of choral music. Of course, Tom attended the conference every day and the boys and I took some breaks.

We revisited the Aquarium in Napier, one of our favorite spots nearby. We said hello to our penguin friends (see previous post about our penguin petting experience.) I forgot to bring our camera.

We also visited the movie theater in a nearby town which was very fun. We saw How to Tame your Dragon 2. Here are some pre-movie photos.

Meanwhile, Tom was in classrooms like this one, leading discussion about various issues having to do with conducting, rehearsing, and programming. We did attend one talk.

The boys initially were quite interested.

You can guess what happened over time.

Still, we had no doubts about our favorite conference presenter. We flashed out letters during his talk to give him an extra burst of confidence. I'm sure he appreciated that thoughtful gesture.

Aidan was pleasantly surprised to see that the choral venue was well prepared for his visit. They had overlooked a small detail on his crest, but he was willing to forgive the small oversight.

They really were pretty much always so well behaved.

Here we are, waiting for Tom to address the whole conference. He is making some notes.

Here he is, speaking. He was great!

Meanwhile, we had some engagements of our own, back at the motel. Can you find the boys here?

They are not allowed to do this at home - please do not share these photos with the Amici Motel in the Napier area.

Back at the conference again, Aidan was so pleased to find all the details present on the wooden carving of his crest in the auditorium.

One last moment relaxing on stage before we leave the conference. 

The conference was small and informal, which allowed the boys and me to come and go as we pleased and even participate, as you can see above. It was really fun to see Tom in this context. We all felt very lucky to be able to share in the experience.