Touring with Oasis Chorale in the Pacific Northwest is a true feast for the soul. As a friend of one choir member observed, we are indeed “breathing rarified air.” These days are filled with beautiful music, wonderful people, and stunning scenery, all of which call us to worship the Creator of all good gifts.
Our Sunday evening concert in the performance hall at Linn-Benton Community College brought together a variety of people from the surrounding community. There we experienced great warmth in two ways. The heat inside the performance hall did not enhance our concert, but the warmth of our audience’s appreciation and hospitality more than compensated for that small discomfort. “I am in awe. I have never heard anything like this,” was the remark of one listener. Audience member Urie Sharp said, “I have one word for your concert: worshipful.” It gives us renewed energy for our work of music-making when we hear from people who have connected deeply with the music.
Monday was a day off for rest and sightseeing. I had never seen the Pacific Coast before, and it did not disappoint. We spent the afternoon at Cape Lookout State Park, where many of us took a muddy but gloriously exhilarating hike on a trail that afforded spectacular ocean views. We also enjoyed the lovely beach area in various ways: exploring the cliffs and little caves, walking along the shore, finding a spot to sit and soak in the beauty, or (for a few of our number) briefly jumping into the frigid waves.
A day spent enjoying the glories of creation reminds us that creation praises God. “Awake, Awake to Love and Work,” one of our concert pieces, speaks of this, and it invites us with these lines:
“Come let thy voice be one with theirs,
Shout with their shout of praise.”
Rosalie Beiler
Alto 2
