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Weekly
Media Feature - (3/18/2001) |
My
Week: Charlotte Church
Independant (UK) 3.17.01
Sunday
We decide that we should take it easy this morning and head down to Palm Beach to go boogie boarding. There are massive waves, so conditions are perfect. Suddenly we see some sharks about 50ft away. They're about six-foot long and are jumping out of the water - we're not afraid, as we are told that they're only looking for fish. Still, I just paddle around in the same place, near the shore, because I don't fancy running the risk of being eaten.
This afternoon I have to do a sound check for tonight's concert. It's taking place in the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach. I'll be performing with the Florida Philharmonic Orchestra, with Matthias Bamert conducting. The sound check goes well and only takes an hour and 20 minutes. Before the concert we're pleased to hear that the Hall is a sell-out; all 2,700 seats are filled. I'm lucky in that I don't get nervous before concerts, but I do find it difficult to remember names and conductors always seem to have really foreign-sounding ones.
I open with "Tonight" from West Side Story, followed by "Amazing Grace", "Pie Jesu", "La Pastorella", "Bridge Over Troubled Waters", "If I Loved You" and "Summertime". In between the songs, the orchestra play some musical arrangements. I can't overuse my voice, because I'm so young and I could damage it, so I'm not supposed to sing for too long at any one time. I receive a standing ovation at the end of the night, but I'm not particularly surprised as American audiences are always enthusiastic and more demonstrative. They ask for an encore for "Danny Boy".
When the concert finishes at 11, I have a business meeting with my new manager, Irving Asof and his partners. We go to a trendy restaurant in Palm Beach called Taboo and my parents, aunt and tutors join us. It's a late night.
Monday
This morning I feel very happy about how last night went. I tend to get overly excited after every concert, but last night was wicked. Today we are driving to Orlando and we've been told it should take around three and a half hours. This is the perfect amount of time to get my schooling in. When I'm away from school and on tour, I have some tutors that come with me and tutor me in all my school subjects apart from sciences, because you can't really bring Bunsen burners in your suitcase. Our aim today is to get to Disney World before our flight this evening to Houston, Texas. It's a fantastic place, Disney World, and we go on just about every ride. The big rollercoasters are excellent fun. We arrive in Houston in the evening and go to our hotel.
Tuesday
After three hours of school, I go shopping at the mall for some nick- knacks and boots. I love clothes and fashion and I love getting dressed up for the concerts. I have four outfit changes during the course of a concert and they're all quite different. After the mall we go for dinner in the hotel and have steak and chips, followed by an early night.
Wednesday
The usual three hours of school and then a sound check with the Houston Symphony Orchestra before the concert tonight. Again, I am not nervous before I go on stage, but the evening goes fantastically well. I am in better voice than I have been during this tour and the audience is more responsive. The concert is in the same format as the one in Palm Beach and again I receive a standing ovation, which makes me really happy. They are a particularly lovely audience tonight. I'm absolutely ravenous after the concert, as I'm not allowed to eat anything for four hours before I sing because it affects my abdomen and therefore my voice. I tuck into a huge steak.
Thursday
The tour has come to an end and we're going back home tonight. We have to fly to Miami before we get our connecting flight to the UK. It's going to be a long day but I'll just be relaxing on the plane. I drink loads of water on the flight to avoid DVT and keep my skin well moisturised to avoid it drying out.
Friday
Our flight lands at Heathrow at six this morning and we don't get home to Cardiff until about 10. Unfortunately, all my friends are still in school so I won't get to see them until tomorrow, but I have Traffic on video, so I can watch that instead and text my friends. The tour has gone really well, and I'm going back to the States in 11 days to continue the tour for five weeks. I'm really looking forward to it but in the meantime, I'm going to hang out with my friends and see if there are any good parties in Cardiff.
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