Purpleman

A fixture on Stonegate Road in York, the Purpleman is perched on his purple bicycle with purple hair, purple skin, purple everything. A tourist attraction himself, our younger boy choristers became friends with the man as our paths crossed several times each day walking to and from the Minster. On our last evening in York, we stopped to chat and drop some coins in his collection. Dressed in their white shirts, ties, and blue blazers, Purpleman told the boys that it was quite the honor to be singing in York Minster. The boys high-fived him, and Purpleman continued to entertain the thousands of people passing by each day.

As chaperones of the Christ Church Cathedral boys and girls choir on the recent trip to York and Windsor, we had the unique opportunity to witness firsthand the impact our choir has on regular people, even purple people. Running from here to there, keeping up with music folders, and searching for missing boy choristers' pants sometimes kept us from seeing how big an impact they really have.

There was the English gentleman outside the souvenir shop who stopped to tell the boys he heard them sing at the Minster and how moved he felt by the music. Another man, originally from Cincinnati but now living in York, came out of his apartment as we walked to dinner to tell us he heard the choir singing at the Cathedral and asked if he could hear them practice. The front desk clerk at the hostel where all the kids stayed came to Evensong just to hear them sing. The waitress at the small Italian restaurant pleaded with the boys for them to sing after learning of their Minster engagement. They happily obliged to not only her delight, but the kitchen staff as well.

As parents and chaperones, there is nothing quite like hearing 43 voices blend seamlessly in the centuries old places of worship steeped in history and tradition. The real story, though, is that these boys and girls and men are touching lives around the world as they sing of God's glory, majesty, and love. The Purpleman got it right - quite an honor, indeed.





John Dailey