China? Yeah, right.

That was my reaction when told in January, 2007 that ROS was invited to participate in the Festival, and that they would take me along as "quality control" person for any broadcasts or recordings. At the time, I thought there'd be a, maybe, 25% chance this would actually happen. But the chorus's development director wasn't kidding. We're going!

Hurtles were many. While not totally sanguine, our intrepid fund-raiser was predicting that our transportation costs would be minimal. Heck, this town does tons of business in China, and led by Kodak and Zerox, manufacturers would be anxious to sign on as sponsors of a venerable Rochester institution and their dashing music director as they carry the standard half way around the globe as official guests of the Ministry of Culture. Right?

Not particularly. There's the small matter of a possible economic meltdown that has snapped shut those deep pockets. There's also the fact that people like George Eastman no longer exist. But timing was a factor, too. The runaway fuel costs delayed airline quotes for months and held up the fund raising. I guess you can't ask for money when you don't know how much to ask for.

So, instead of traveling on corporate dimes, singers and guests had to cough up their own shekels. Four long ones. We're hoping for one big matching grant to come through, but were told tonight we might have to lay down some more to cover the bill till that money comes through. Jeez!

And then there's the schedule. Between the earthquake and Tibetan protests, we've had two major appearances canceled - the Great Wall and the Forbidden City. We may get to visit those places, but not for performances. I think one of those shows will happen elsewhere but, like many other details, we probably won't know until we get there. We'll also have to see if the recently announced ban on vehicular traffic affects our itinerary.

What did Erik say? "This will be a chance to practice your flexibility."

Anyway, if you'd like to find out a bit more about ROS, their Web site is www.rossings.org. The Members link will take you to a bunch of stuff related to the trip. You'll see how complex a task the planning has been on this end. I can only imagine what the tour and festival staffs are going through right now. Something like a fire-drill comes to mind, but I'm too PC to say any more.