Where in the world is Grandpa Doryl?...Mongolia

So my sisters have been playing this game on there blogs and I decided to jump in. My dad is a world traveler...he's rarely in the states these days. We have a hard time remembering where he is...China? Mongolia? Europe somewhere? Anyway, he is great about sending us pictures and stories about all of his adventures. Thanks for keeping in touch dad! We love you!

Hello everyone!!!

It has been a very hectic time with a piano/saxophone duo followed immediately by the vocal performance group (winners of the Lynam Competition at UNCG). At the end of their performance tour, we spent some time in Tongliao, a small city (ca. 500,000 population) in Inner Mongolia (Chinese Mongolia) at the School of Music at the Inner Mongolia University for the Nationalities in Tongliao.

Wow!!! What enthusiasm!!! I really wished you could have been there! I think this was quite possibly the first concert of Western opera music ever in Tongliao. Some of the students at the university's School of Music study Western voice...but it is done in a vacuum, without any chance to experience live performances of the music. So our opera director answered questions, taught master classes, gave a lecture to very eager crowds of students and teachers. The recital hall/theater was completely packed for the concert! Our group did a varied program: opera's greatest hits...arias, duets, quartets from Marriage of Figaro, Lakme, Carmen, Pearl Fishers, La Boheme, etc...with a couple of show tunes ("It's a Grand Night for Singing" and "You'll Never Walk Alone") and a couple of Chinese pieces thrown in ("Jasmine Flower" and the Beijing Olympics song). It was a real hit! But for us, it was just as thrilling to hear local Mongolian music!!

The after-the-concert dinner with the School of Music leaders, performers and other teachers was a wonderful and unexpectedly wild event. At least 2 dozen different dishes of delicious Mongolian food around a huge, round table seating more than 20 people. (Including probably the best leg-of-lamb I have ever tasted in my life!!!)

I have returned to Dalian (via Bejing). I go to Shanghai again before I return to the US. I miss all of you!! I can hardly wait to see how all the kids are growing. I have been able to keep up a bit by looking at your blogs... THANKS!!

Dad