Royal Christmas - Day 2

posted by: Brandon Gaines

Day Two - Tuesday, November 29, 2005

After a long day of rehearsal and constant uncertainty, the choir enjoyed the luxury of getting to sleep in until late morning. We met for some fine tuning with Professor Megill, and then were off for a sound check with the orchestra.

During the afternoon the entire crew learned that Andrea Bocelli's plane had experienced mechanical difficulties in Paris, and it was uncertain as to whether or not he would be able to make it in time for the Dress Rehearsal in front of over one thousand Trump Casinos employees. The Dress Rehearsal began at 8:00 p.m. where the orchestra, choir, and extraordinary dancers rounded out the first half of the performance. At intermission we learned that Mr. Bocelli had landed on American soil, but a power outage had occurred at the Atlantic City Airport making it impossible for the plane to land. The plane was forced to circle the airport until the problem was resolved.

Meanwhile, the second half of the concert began and it was obvious the audience members were beginning to get restless awaiting Mr. Bocelli's arrival. After every selection except the Bocelli set had been performed, the conductor took a five minute recess to access the situation. After consulting with the production staff he informed the audience that Mr. Bocelli's was being transported by automobile to the arena and should arrive within twenty minutes.

Finally, after much anticipation and a less than patient audience, Andrea Bocelli arrived and performed selections such as "Ombra mai fu", Schubert's "Ave Maria", and "Adeste Fideles". Even though it was now almost midnight the audience roared with applause and a standing ovation at the end of the performance.

No trip to Atlantic City would be complete without taking a chance gambling a couple of bucks. No one accomplished this task better than Westminster alum Michelle Cusson who walked away from the poker table with five hundred dollars!