This blog is about a music expedition

Moving picture of moving moments.

Land in sight!

Now our adventure is over.

We just had the priviledge to sail into New York during the small hours of the day, seeing the Manhattan skyline dipped into soft early morning light. We now didn’t only finish the concert the Titanic band couldnever finish but also the trip they didn’t complete. Seeing the statue of liberty to our left and the skyskrapers to our right once again evoked a humble feeling, reminding us of the many souls that never reached their destination.

When we first set out, it was our mission to complete the unfinished concert. But by doing that we also started something new: The band that was to finish the concert became the unfinished band itself and nobody knows what is to become of that.

So, all we can say for now is:

to be continued …

It’s Sho-time!

Eight days we’ve been on the ship now. Time enough for our little ensemble to make themselves friends and fans among the other passengers and draw attention to their musical talent. After having played during the official commemorationceremony they were invited by Tony, the Cruise Director, to play two little concerts. Yesterday the “Unfinished Band” played together during High Tea and today they got to play the main show in the ship’s Cabaret Theater where Kevin, Andrew, Stephen, Marco and Sho presented a selection of all-time Broadway favorites.

With this show, they not only surprised us with unknown talent, as Stephen, Andrew and Kevin presented themselves as apt singers, but they were also perfect representatives for our cause. In only two days they had assembled and rehearsed two full-hour programs after having played together for only a couple of days. The time they spent on rehearsing these titles, besides having to do some filming, just exhibits their dedication to music. If they didn’t love what they are doing they wouldn’t have had to spend their spare time on putting together these perfomances. Just as the musicians on board the Titanic they didn’t know each other before but they managed to grow into an ensemble within days and loved to entertain people with their music, whether it was during rehearsals in the drawing room or with their concerts.

As different as our eight musicians are, they all turned out to showcase (sho-case) passion for music. But they enjoyed simply having fun with each other just as much. One constant cause for laughter was the name of our first violinist Sho and the puns one can make on it: Tonight, it was Sho-time again and the band appeared in Sho-attire. Instead of asking for an encore we should have yelled “Sho must go on” and he turned out to be a perfect Sho-violinist…

And although the “Unfinished Band” had not been an existing ensemble before, Andrew suggested tonight that they might continue playing together in the future.

Their love for music unites them and there might just be some “unfinished” business for them to be done …

The secret of the crate.

Our expedition is soon coming to a close. We came out here to the North Atlantic to honor eight musicians that would probably never have become famous if they had not given their lives for their dedication to music. They are a symbol for all devoted musicians in the world. It was our mission to draw attention to this passion and love for music that so many musicians show every day, whether they are famous or not. All that blood, sweat and tears that go into practising day after day, year after year. And yet, playing music and delighting, comforting, touching people is what they burn for. They are passionate until the very last note.

This dedication to music we did not only pay tribute to by finishing the concertthese eight musicians could not finish, but also by leaving an eternal sign of recognition at the site where RMS Titanic sank: As a symbol of our cause we brought a buoy on board that we handed over to the waters after finishing the performance.

The buoy is not only shaped like a quaver note but also equipped with our hymn “Nearer, My God, To Thee” stored on sd-chip inside. The last note played will now stay forever as symbol of honor.

Finished!

The Unfinished has been finished.

P. S.: We will publish the complete account of the ceremony and how we finished the concert, the Titanic band couldn’t finish one hundred years ago, the next days. Due to the time difference between our position in the North Atlantic and Europe, readers there are asked to be patient and wait until the afternoon.

The Unfinished.

100 years after the last collapsible boat was lowered from the Titanic the ceremony on board here reaches its peak on the open deck.

After the blessing of the memorial wreaths they are handed over to the waters. At 02.22 a.m. the ship’s whistle soundsagain, marking the time the Titanic descended into the deep. After that our performance of “Nearer my God to thee” on deck is the emotional climax of the whole ceremony.