BC History Highlight: The 1965 Bakersfield College Choir

The 1965 Bakersfield College Choir was afforded a private audience with His Eminence, Pope Paul VI at his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, Italy. The family of choir member Cathy Clark made these arrangements before the choir left for Europe. At some point, Cathy was given the choice of receiving a private audience herself, or having the entire choir sing. She chose for the choir to sing. In addition, a supporter had given me $1000 to use if there were any emergency situations involved.
The choir had left on their 45-day European Tour on June 22, 1965. By the time we reached Rome, we had been on the road for over a month. As their conductor, I was instructed to report to the American College of Cardinals in Rome to receive instructions for the audience with the Pope on July 28th.

Once in Rome, I kept the appointment, but was told that there was “no need for instructions” because the choir would be seated in a large assembly room with eight thousand others. And further more, it was most unlikely we would be singing, as no American choir had sung for a papal audience since 1953. And most certainly, I would not be meeting Pope Paul. Yet, because we were receiving contradictory information from home, we decided to dress in formal concert uniform, just in case.

Meanwhile, our coach was out of commission and being repaired. Therefore, most of the emergency $1000 was needed to hire some very rough buses for the trip to Castel Gandolfo.

The next morning we traveled up into the mountains in searing  hot, humid weather. During the drive, I was again concerned for the lack of background preparation. Where were we to stand or sit? Who would give us instructions how to proceed? What would be the decorum for “the audience?” Who was “in charge?”

The choir was ushered into the large, rectangular assembly hall by the Swiss Guard and shown to our assigned area at the back wall of the auditorium. After a short time, an official had the choir follow him to the front of the assembly hall. Dignitaries already occupied these prime seats. They were told to leave and the choir was instructed to sit in the very front! While we were sorting this out, a great roar and shouting and clapping occurred as Pope Paul entered from the back of the hall seated upon a chair carried by aides in cranberry brocade uniforms. The shouts of “papa” and “viva il papa” rang out. Clapping. Stomping. Shouting. The roar of the crowd was almost deafening. Hundreds were straining to touch the Pope. Needless to say, this emotional scene surprised me, and I am sure our students were shocked as well. But the greatest “shock” was yet to come!

After an address and blessings delivered in several languages (French, Italian, German, Spanish and English) by His Eminence, the choir was asked to sing. We performed “O Magnum Mysterium” by Tomás Luis de Victoria.

Following the selection, I was escorted up to His Eminence as he stepped down from his position on the platform. A red pillow was placed on my foot as the Pope extended his ring-hand. Of course, I shook his proffered hand, unaware protocol dictated that I kneel on the pillow and kiss his ring. The papal staff must have been chagrined, but the Pope did not indicate any surprise or rebuke.

Pope Paul extended his personal thanks to me with kind, gentle words in perfect English. I am certain I said “thank you” and a few words. I was presented with an Ecumenical Medal in a red leather box. I do not remember his exact words, but I do remember the sensation of calmness, spirituality and strength of the man. I returned to the choir in a state of awe. The choir was asked to perform several selections during the Pope’s private audience with several other guests. I observed that each person kneeled on the red pillow and kissed the ring. To this present day, I hope I did not embarrass our nation or school!

Following the ceremony, I was asked what the Pope said to me, but I could not remember! I do know that fifty years later it remains one of the highlights of my entire career. I am indebted to Jim Clark’s family, who arranged for the audience, to each member of this extraordinary group of singers and to Bakersfield College and to the parents who made this remarkable event possible.

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When I received news that the 1965 Bakersfield College European Tour was having a reunion, my mind was flooded with memories.

I'm sure we're all familiar with the phenomenon of eye witness accounts of an auto accident recalling very different versions of the episode. I realize at my age that everyone perceives events through the filter of their personal experience, and I apologize in advance if any of my 'memories' differ from other folks on the European tour.

Getting To Bakersfield College

Before I came to Bakersfield College I had grown up out on the east side of the Sierra,
and I had sung in a high school choir, but I was certainly not very talented. On the first day of my freshman year in high school my choir director, Mr. George Carson read the attendance role and said, "Brady! Oh boy, another Irish tenor."

I graduated from high school early and cowboyed to save up money for college.
worked cattle and ran pack trains in the mountains during the spring and summer.

You might say I was a 'walk on' at BC because I managed to enroll in classes through
the mail and got a bed in Men's Residence Hall on the west side of campus. I was an average student and all I had going for me was grit and determination I learned working with belligerent mules and contrary cattle. After a month of attending classes, I was 'summoned' to the office of Dean of Students John Collins.

Mr. Collins, a bespectacled administrator, was not a happy camper and made it 'very
clear' that I had entered school 'through the back door' without taking the required placement tests. As a consequence he relegated me to 'bonehead' math and English and some class called 'Orientation.' I guess he thought my attitude needed to be reoriented. The good news - I was a bona fide college student and my English teacher advanced me to sophomore level English after two weeks. Math was a different story.

The Early Choir Years

The years I spent at BC were some of the best of my young adult life, and the pinnacle of my experience was becoming a student of Mr. Huszti. He taught me the meaning of hard work, commitment, and collaboration. Mr. Huszti and the members of the BC Choir became my 'family' and they taught me, an unschooled musician with a screechy tenor voice who couldn't read music that I could reach for the stars.

Joe's faith in me and other fledgling choir members paid off as we ventured out into the world of choral competitions and concerts. One of my fondest recollections was when we competed in the 1963 Northern California Junior College Choral Festival at UC Berkley decked out in our fancy new formal tuxedos and black dresses.

Our program started with the energetic anthem "Sing Unto God" by Fetler and ended with a moving, sensitive solo by soprano Katy Michel's' of "Pie Jesu,” with choir concluding with "In Paradisum" from the Faure Requiem. To my surprise we were greeted with an explosive standing ovation by the other competing choirs. At that point I became a 'believer' and I began to understand the power of music to move people.

As the choir matured and developed, we took on more difficult musical challenges and performed on multiple stages and venues. Through the next years we moved ever closer to our ultimate challenge on the international stage.

The Epiphany-Reaching For a Higher Purpose

A seminal moment in our development occurred when we performed a recital for an audience of one; Dr. Howard Swan, famed music director at Occidental College. As I recall, we performed our repertoire for him, and he sat silently contemplating our performance for a few minutes.

Choosing his words carefully, Dr. Swan graciously thanked Mr. Huszti and complimented him and the choir on our technique, control and mastery of the music. He hesitated somewhat, and said something to the effect, "It is really excellent, but I just don't feel the emotional connection between you and the music. It has no heart."

It seemed to me that Dr. Swan was appealing and urging us to dig deeper and discover how music transforms into a transcendent language understood only by the soul. He wanted us to feel the love in the music, for each other, and for our audience.

That experience had a transformative impact on me, and as I recall Mr. Huszti and choir may have felt the same. Like Fredo Baggins's 'ring quest' in the Lord of the Rings was a journey was all about of self-discovery, and similarly the choir's quest was discover the secret of delivering the incomprehensible beauty and mystery of the infinite by singing with 'one heart' and 'one voice'.

Preparation For a European Trip

Music was our purpose, travel was our goal, but getting there required another kind of journey - fund raising. So how does a community college choir raise the thousands of dollars required to make such an ambitious trip? Anything it has to!

Mr. Huszti and the choir officers planned numerous events and strategies to raise
money for the tour. It actually took a couple of years of constant fund raising activities to build a nest egg to support our ambition. Everyone was involved in recording and selling choir records, partnering with the BC Band on recordings, concerts, Green Stamp collections (that could be turned into cash) at BC activities, selling football game trinkets (mini megaphones), painting house numbers on curbs, numerous pancake breakfasts, sponsoring professional
musical events in the BC amphitheater, and much more.

One of the most memorable and popular fund raisers was beautiful soprano Karen
Hodson's soulful solo rendition of the English street vendor song, "Won't You Buy My Sweet Blooming Lavender," sung at every business and service club in Bakersfield. When Karen finished her song, the check books opened contributing many generous charitable contributions.

The choir also sponsored one of the most ambitious money raising activities in BC
history, The Miss ConTour (Continental Tour) Beauty Contest and European themed carnival at the BC activities center. There were weeks of preparation, ballots for young women seeking the title, activity booth preparations, setting up a dunk tank, and lots of tasty treats. The event required teamwork and a lot of hard work, commitment and determination. It was a great success that raised funds for the tour and campus wide support for "their" choir that would be representing them in Europe. It was great fun and a real morale boost!

International Aspirations

The peak experience and grand finale, of course, was performing in the 1965
International Musical Eisteddfod at Llangollen, North Wales. All performances were done in a gigantic canvas tent configured like a medieval church ( cross shaped). The stage was located in the uppermost cross section, and the audience of 10,000 plus onlookers sat in front and in the wings. Unlike other competitions all choirs were required to sing the same initial two numbers with a third of their choice.

As we mounted the risers and prepared to sing, a mighty wind whipped across the tent lifting the roof as if it were the sail of a clipper ship, and making the inside of the tent swell like some colossal whale filling its giant lungs with air.

A drenching squall followed hammering the roof, drowning out all sound inside. Mr. Huszti signaled us to wait for the storm to subside. As the rain passed a peaceful calm seemed to surround us.

Our first required song, Victoria's "Tenebrae factae sunt" (Darkness Fell), is a sobering interpretation of Jesus's last moments on the cross. As we started to sing and you listened carefully as the song progressed, you could literally hear what seemed to be sound effects in the music like the heartbreaking ringing sound as the spikes (ping - ping -ping - ping) were driven into Jesus' hands and feet. You heard his last heart beats (lub-dub, lub .. dub, lub ... dub, lub ... ... ).

I remember when Mr. Huszti approached the last phrase of the song when the words "Et inclinato capite, emisit spiritum" (And he bowed his head and gave up the spirit), he beamed and raised his hands, palms slightly upward and seemingly on tip toes lifted the musical phrase signifying that Jesus's spirit rose UP in triumph, rather than down in despair.

Afterward, a blessed sacred silence fell on our canvas tabernacle and the heavens
opened to reveal the Passion of Christ through the sound of a steady rain. In that precious hallowed moment, the world as we knew it changed forever!

The air seemed sucked out of the tent! Ten thousand people sat transfixed in their seats in stunned silence, most with tears rolling down their cheeks. The sacred silence permeated every heart inside the great pavilion leaving the audience not knowing whether to pray or cheer.

As the blessed hush embraced everyone in our canvas cathedral we remained perfectly still for what seemed to be an eternity. Suddenly, unable to contain their emotions, the entire crowd jumped to their feet in what looked like rolling waves of ecstatic joy, hands clapping wildly, tears of joy flowing freely.

Later the judges wrote of our performance, "Tenebrae Factae Sunt by Thomas de
Victoria - Warm tone - a human heart behind the sound of the music - with immediate resulting response in the listener. It had an aspect of contemplation as well as personal expressiveness. Concentration at a high level throughout the choir. Clean compact harmony."

After singing the next two songs, we waited anxiously for the judges scores at the end of the competition. While sitting through the entire adjudication, we finally realized that we had won the worldwide competition by one point.

By so doing we became the first American choir ever to win the magnificent coveted Eisteddfod International Trophy; a green circular bronze trophy with a Welsh dragon about 20 inches in diameter weighing about twenty-five pounds.

I knew then that we had finally delivered the incomprehensible beauty and mystery of the infinite through our music, just as Mr. Huszti and Dr. Swan had hoped for us. When we accomplished this, the choir had indeed become ONE; one purpose; one voice; and one with the music and the audience.

The Aftershock

After our victory and at the behest of the Clark Family and other wonderful
sponsors in Bakersfield who petitioned the Vatican, we were invited to sing for Pope Paul VI at Castel Gandolfo. Castel Gandolfo has been the Pope's summer residence since 1597, and it is about 15 miles outside of Rome in the hills overlooking beautiful Lake Albano.

We were escorted to a large auditorium where over 8,000 of the faithful were
gathered to see the pope. After initially being placed in the very back of the auditorium, the choir was led to the very front of the room to the VIP section at the foot of a tall, tiered stage crowned with a scarlet and gold throne. Hundreds of people were crowded in 'standing room only' sections divided by a large center aisle.

Soon thereafter, the large entrance doors at the rear of the auditorium opened and
Pope Paul VI entered riding on the Sedia Gestatori (a raised platform with a portable throne) carried on the shoulders of twelve attendants accompanied by Swiss Guards.

The room erupted in loud chants of viva ii Papa, viva ii Papa (Jong live the Pope) as he moved towards the front. At one point he reached out to touch a child that had been raised over someone's shoulder to greet him.

Once the procession reached the front of the auditorium the Pope ascended the steps to his elevated throne and turned to wave at the huge crowd.

After he was seated on this throne, he addressed the congregation in several
languages. When he finished his address he asked Mr. Huszti what we were going to sing. Joe offered a couple of choices, and Pope indicated his approval.

The crowd fell silent as we began a cappella to perform the songs the Pope
requested, interrupted from time-to-time by spontaneous applause from the crowd.

As we reached the end of the final song "Haec est dies" (This is the day which the
Lord has made - Psalm 118:24) by Praetorius, Pope Paul literally leapt straight up from his throne, enthusiastically clapping his hands high over his head.

The huge audience followed suit, and during the applause Pope Paul surprised his
handlers (who rushed to his side) as he unexpectedly descended the steps from his throne, and in a crescendo of crowd adulation he clasped Mr. Huszti's hands with his, happily thanking him for the concert. I could not hear what was said, but both bent close to each other as they talked.

The Pope signaled to one of his attendants who brought a bright red leather
presentation case with a special Papal Ecumenical Medal about 3-4 inches in diameter, which he presented to Mr. Huszti. It seemed to me that the Pope wanted to linger and savor in the moment.

When it was over, we 'floated' back to our bus and back to Rome we went. I'm told that ours was the first mixed choir (male and female voices) to have had the privilege to sing for the pope. I know that he personally was touched deeply by our music.

Much, Much More

There is much, much more that could be written, but that would fill a book. Visiting the White House Rose Garden and performing for President Johnson and his family (and a couple of hundred of his friends); getting the VIP treatment in Congress and a write up in the U.S. Congressional Record; receiving an absolutely royal and loving welcome at the Bakersfield Airport when we arrived home; and the sad realization that it was over.

Unsung Heroes

Like Bette Midler I want to say to those choir members who did not go on the trip but worked diligently and sacrificed to send to choir to Europe, "Did you ever know that you're our heroes? We flew higher than an eagle because you were the wind beneath our wings!"

We all knew from the beginning that there was only room for 48-50 singers on the trip, and many very talented singers sacrificed their time and talents to support the choir's preparations by performing in all our concerts and diligently raising funds. It must have been painful to see us fly away to meet our destiny on the world stage. We succeeded by standing on their shoulders and we owe them a huge debt of gratitude.

We were also blessed with parents and friends that offered financial support for the trip. Several choir members received private "scholarship" funds from prominent citizens and businesses so they could outfit themselves and pay their personal expenses on the trip.

A special thank you should also be given to the choirs who came after us and who raised funds to pay off our community debts after the trip. Many of us scattered to the four winds after the tour, but Mr. Huszti and the incoming choir picked up the pieces and raised funds to pay for the remaining costs of our trip. That is commitment!

Everlasting Gratitude

How does one thank the leader and director of the choir that literally changed his or her life? How does one thank someone who has lifted thousands of people's spirits and brought meaning and inspiration into their lives? I can't answer for anyone else, but I try to share the gifts I've been given.

I feel fortunate that I learned from Mr. Huszti and the choir that we need to lift each other so that we can help others to do the same. I will be forever grateful for Bakersfield College, Mr. Huszti, his family and all of YOU in the BC Choir, including parents, the Bakersfield community for the patience, confidence and love that allowed me to be a part of this wonderful experience.

When I reflect on all the challenges and ups and downs we overcame together to make this remarkable journey, I see the powerful influence it has had on my life. Suffice it to say that life as I knew it changed, and changed for the better. I shall never, ever forget our experience together.

For me, I will always remember the Bakersfield College Choir as "The Little Choir that Could!" -John Brady

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It was a dream that few in our community shared or supported. Who were we to think that we could compete at the international level against amateurs and professionals in the most prestigious music festival in the world? After all we were just kids from the small community of Bakersfield, California, which was known mostly for its country music.

The International Eisteddfod Music Festival is held in Llangollen, a small market village of 3,000 situated on the banks of the River Dee in North Wales. Almost overnight the population swells to nearly 100,000 enthusiastic visitors who are accommodated in residents’ homes that dot the picturesque landscape of this beautiful lush vale. This tradition, which started in 1947, continues today. The locals believe that by hosting competitors they are making their personal contribution to fostering international friendship.

In 1955, Luciano Pavarotti, the acclaimed Italian tenor competed here as an amateur. Another famous tenor, Placido Domingo, made his professional debut here in 1968. And in 1953 the Oberkirchen Children’s Choir brought to this village and the world their song, “The Happy Wanderer.” Guest artists have included soprano, Joan Sutherland, in 1955; cellist, Mstislav Rostropovich in 1965; and flutist, James Galway, in 1996. These are just a few of the many thousands of competitors and guest artists who have become part of the history of the Eisteddfod.

In 1965 the Bakersfield College choir entered this competition along with fifteen of the world’s best mixed choirs from eleven countries. The grand prize was a twenty-five pound solid bronze statue of a winged lion with a harp, the symbol of Wales, plus a cash award of £450 sterling. After two years of work and considerable personal sacrifices we were now poised to take our chance at making history.

Our train from London had just arrived in Chirk, Wales, where we were then divided into smaller groups for the next five nights. Laurel and I stayed with the Fowlkes family in Rhos village (Rhoslluerchrugog) just a few miles away from the center of activity.

The seeds of this trip started in the spring of 1963 when Joe Huszti, the twenty-nine year-old musical director of the Bakersfield College choir, opened an invitation to audition for the Eisteddfod competition. Within months after sending them our audition tape we received our acceptance to compete. The only thing that stood in our way was the $54,000.00 needed to pay for our six-week, ten-country tour.

Lack of money and support delayed our plans to compete in the 1964 festival. But when the community understood how determined we were to fulfill our dream and the effort we were making to see that it happened, the private and corporate sectors of the Bakersfield community helped us reach our financial goal.

Our first week in Europe was spent in Ireland and England. Many of us ended up with severe colds or stomach flu due to the long flight, lack of sleep, jet lag, and especially the change in climate. This is how we entered the competition. Even Mr. Huszti was skeptical that we would finish any higher than fifth or sixth place. He also felt that singing second on the program of fifteen choirs put us at a big disadvantage as everyone would be compared to us.

The competition was held in a canvas auditorium shaped like a cross. Hundreds of flower arrangements were freshened each morning before the competitors arrived. Daily crowds of 40,000 jammed the grounds. 10,000 attended our Friday performance.

Contestants were required to sing three songs. The first two songs, “Tenebrae Factae Sunt” (Tomas Luis de Victoria, 1535-1611) and “In Pride of May” (Thomas Weelkes, 1575- 1623) were performed by all mixed-choirs. The third song was a song of choice, but had to be an original composition by a composer of the choir’s native country. Mr. Huszti’s selection was “Christ is Arisen” (Lenel). Our first two songs went beautifully although Mr. Huszti felt that our last song went the best. Many of us disagreed because we had tried too hard and went slightly sharp in pitch, probably due to a rush of adrenaline.

We listened to the many choirs that followed and anxiously endured the adjudicator’s comments before our scores were read. One adjudicator, Sir Thomas Armstrong, said, “They at once thrilled us and engaged our sympathy.” Another adjudicator said that the choir “gave the feeling that behind the sound of their music was the sound of a human heart.” When scores were announced we added them up in our heads: song one, eighty-nine points; song two, eighty-nine points; and song three, eighty-five points! Excitement rushed through the crowd. But for whom?

“Did we win? Did we win?” one of the girls screamed in confusion.

To confirm the scores we had to go outside to read the results board. We were even more confused as the numbers were listed across: “1–2;” then below it, “2–15,” etc. No one understood. Finally it was explained to us that the “1–2” meant that the first place choir sang second on the program. The second place choir, the Mariakõren singers from Vãsterås, Sweden, sang fifteenth.

The final tally of points showed that we had won the grand prize by a single point.

BBC television suddenly converged on us. They wanted an interview with Mr. Huszti. We were instant celebrities. Children asked us for autographs and asked questions like, “Does the stagecoach still go from California to Arizona?” or “How many pennies does it take to make a quarter?” Photographers were everywhere and when it was learned that Laurel and I were on our honeymoon with fifty-two others our photo appeared on the front page of Western Mail, the national newspaper of Wales.

This was an enormous accomplishment. We were the first choir in the Western Hemisphere to win this prized award. It produced worldwide recognition for the community of Bakersfield and for each of us. Many additional honors were bestowed on us in the days that followed. As a result of winning this coveted trophy we were invited to sing in a private audience for Pope Paul VI. We were also invited to perform for the President of the United States, Lyndon B. Johnson, in the Rose Garden of the White House.

Other than the wonderful memories of the 1965 Bakersfield College Choir the only physical evidence of this accomplishment is the trophy itself, with its inscribed quotation by T. Gwynn Jones: “Blessed is a world that sings. Gentle are its songs.”

Today the winner of the mixed-choir competition is referred to as the “Choir of the World.” On that day in Wales that’s what we were.

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