The Cardinal Singers had free time this morning before another evening rehearsal, and we made the most of it with a group trip to Korea’s Blue House. As you may guess from the name, the Blue House is Korea’s White House, and it has served as the presidential residence and office since 1948 with one brief interruption. In 2022, former president Yoon Suk Yeol moved the presidential offices to the Ministry of Defense building and the Blue House grounds became a public park and museum. However, after Yoon Suk Yeol was impeached and a special election was held (the election was the day before we arrived), President Lee Jae-myung was elected and plans to return the presidential offices and residency to the Blue House this year. The Blue House grounds were as gorgeous as the buildings themselves, and despite having modern amenities the buildings are constructed in a traditional Korean style reminiscent of the Joseon Dynasty. In fact, the Blue House is built on the former grounds of the royal garden, which may explain the beautiful surrounding landscape.
After we finished walking the grounds, we went as a group to a Michelin-recognized dumpling restaurant that was wonderful, and Dr. Ahn’s parents graciously covered the meal for us. Throughout our entire tour, the hospitality of our Korean choir members’ friends and family has blessed us tenfold, with gifts, covered meals, and warm greetings helping us to feel welcome and appreciated. Once the lunch was done we had some free time until we headed to our rehearsal. The rehearsal ran from 6:30-10:00 again, and even though it was as physically exhausting as the previous night, Haydn’s Nelson Mass and Bruckner’s Te Deum are masterpieces that are impossible to tire of singing. Our concert is tomorrow evening, and I can’t wait to perform them in what will be my final performance as a Cardinal Singer. Thank you for reading!
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