Jess Moore '13, on beer, pretzels, and a YGC guy:
Well, the Glee Club survived Munich! True, the (locally brewed) beer flowed freely and we learned just how loud 80 people can get, but at least we know how to have a good time. Our brief tryst with the city of Munich began with a rehearsal at LMU, which in my mind stands for Large Munich University, with the Harvard Radcliffe Collegium. Afterward, we were led through the English Gardens to a beer garden. There was a large clearing filled with picnic tables and a low-lying building where beer and “portions” of food (one “portion” or ribs was an entire pig, as a Harvard tablemate found out the hard way) were sold. We were taught the etiquette of beer gardens:
- You may bring your own food, in a picnic style, but there is often food to buy as well
- You may NOT bring your own beverages, not even water, as this is where the brewery makes its money
- The breweries making money is important because they pay for the beer garden.
The next day, we took a bus tour around the city and learned a bit about it. We were shown the BMW headquarters that is shaped like four cylinders, the adjacent BMW world where your new car comes down in a glass elevator, Olympic Park from the last summer Olympics held here, and then disembarked at Nymphenburg. Nymphenburg, or Palace of Nymphs, was the summer palace of the Bavarian monarchy from the 1600s through the end of the monarchy in 1918, and it was beautiful. We frolicked on the grass surrounding the canal and harassed the domesticated swans. Our tour then continued through the city; we learned about everything from Ludwig II’s obsession with Wagner to the history of Oktoberfest. The city definitely offers a diverse array of entertainment possibilities. In the words of Andrea, our local guide, “We sell ourselves as if nobody is working here; we are all dancing and yodeling in leiderhosen!”
Speaking of leiderhosen, we saw a lot of it later that night at our concert. The LMU students in their choir, though not singing with us, showed up to our concert in various types of traditional dress in an attempt to convince us (successfully) that this was a normal thing to wear on any occasion. Well played, LMU. You really had us going there. Of course, our own Sam Sanders turned the joke on them when she bought her own traditional garb and rocked it. Pranks aside, our concert was a great success. The concert hall was beautiful, with a golden mosaic reminiscent of the Gold Room in Sweden where the Nobel Prize ceremony is held that we saw earlier on tour. The Harvard Radcliffe Collegium performed their set first, followed by our set. The concert ended with two joint pieces all ~100 of us crowded together on the steps.
The real star of that night, however, was Jacob Levine. The one-time winner of Best Pep Talk Ever Created, here he is to tell you about the night in his own words:
(to the tune of "American Pie")
A long, long time ago,
Back in mid-September,
I was trying to fight the senior blues.
I wanted my last year at Yale
To be the best one without fail,
But I had no idea what to do.
I told my friends of my intentions
And they came back with great suggestions:
Some said I should start thinking
‘Bout 7-day-a-week drinking.
But the words that made most sense to me
Came from my best friends in TD:
They told me to join YGC.
The rest is history.
Oh my, my, I’m a Yale Glee Club guy.
I’m in love with Jeffrey Douma and think Sean’s pretty fly.
Though my time is short, I swear I’ll try not to cry
When it’s time to say my final goodbyes…
Time to say my final goodbyes.
Did you know that Yale Glee Club
Is an institution filled with love?
No lie, at first I didn’t see.
But then we finally went on winter tour
And it wasn’t long at all before
This little glee club felt a lot like family.
Well, Chicago was a total ball
Though, what I did I can’t quite recall.
But one thing’s crystal clear:
Someone was belting Cs in my ear.
...
And I was singing…
My, my, I’m a Yale Glee Club guy.
I’m in love with Jeffrey Douma and think Sean’s pretty fly.
Though my time is short, I swear I’ll try not to cry
When it’s time to say my final goodbyes…
Time to say my final goodbyes.
Now the past 6 months have been so much fun!
We tore up Carnegie with blazin’ guns
And Vaughn Williams we enacted flawlessly.
And though “Partition” made me wanna die
I finally saw the beauty deep inside,
Though I’m still haunted by the words: “not so easy.”
Oh, reunion was a blast, of course.
Alumni showed up with such force
The halls of Woolsey rang
When City Song we sang.
And who could forget YGC outreach?
We raised our voices for Tony Leach
As New Haven kids he tried to teach
That day in history.
And we were singing…
My, my, I’m a Yale Glee Club guy.
I’m in love with Jeffrey Douma and think Sean’s pretty fly.
Though my time is short, I swear I’ll try not to cry
When it’s time to say my final goodbyes…
Time to say my final goodbyes.
I guess that brings us to summer tour,
Where I’ve learned so much I never knew before,
Like bears in Sweden love a crowd.
In Germany we drank cheap beer
And shared our laughter and good cheer,
Though often we were just a touch too loud.
In Prague we toured the local bars
While some of us checked out ERs.
Now France and Turkey beckon.
The ending’s near, I reckon.
And the two men I admire most,
To them I raise this final toast:
To say we’re lucky is no boast.
You’ll go down in history.
We’ll be singing…
My, my, I’m a Yale Glee Club guy.
I’m in love with Jeffrey Douma and think Sean’s pretty fly.
Though my time is short, I swear I’ll try not to cry
When it’s time to say my final goodbyes…
And bid farewell with BCY.