I thought Jon's performance of this piece was an interesting coincidence. The piece titled Horizons by Peter Louis Van Dijk was commissioned by the King's singers in 1995, the very same year I traveled to South Africa for my Fulbright Exchange Trip. The song depicts the experiences of the San and the Europeans. During my trip, I was able to hike through the Drakensburg mountains and view rock paintings left by the San. In the drawings there were depictions of the British soldiers who ultimately brought their undoing.
This trip was a peak experience in my life and as I sat there listening to this piece on Wednesday, I was flooded with memories of teaching in a Zulu village, running in a race on trails that bordered Mozambique, traveling to the bottom of a gold mine, overcoming culture shock and homesickness, being caught up in the struggles and transformation in the new South Africa, walking in the steps of Mandela at Robin Island.- I could go on and on.
I sure enjoyed this, especially since this was the first time I got to hear Jon sing in a performance setting. I wonder if he remembers sitting in the airport on his mother's lap crying as I took off on the plane.
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