December 1999

It's been very hectic since we last communicated during our first coast to coast US tour. We've just now touched ground after our busiest and most successful year to date.

Thank you all for your fabulous support, during and after the tour, and for making us and each and everyone in the band feel so welcome. We were very sad to leave the US after finishing the last concert in San Diego, and possibly the saddest thing of all was saying goodbye to our wonderful driver Todd, and our famous purple coach which took us safely throughout the States. If you happen to drive past a beautiful silver and purple nightliner coach, chances are that it's Todd, so give him a big wave and a honk from us !!

From San Diego we flew to Mexico and had 2 glorious days of recovery in Ixtapa, a beautiful resort on the Pacific coast, where the boys got to be boys', and played golf and beach volley ball all day and night!! The golf course was fabulous, and particularly the local crocodiles hanging out at each water spot!!! Fionnuala came down with another virus and took to bed. It was a real pity to miss out on such a wonderful place, but we hope to return sometime. The price of touring is always on the health. But, luckily for all of us we did survive, possibly due to sacks full of vitamins we carried with us everywhere. In Mexico city we performed at the wedding of the president of Televisa, the national TV station, so all the Mexican celebrities were there, including the president of Mexico.

We returned to Norway in the end of October to complete our tour on home ground! It was very exciting and nerve racking to bring the tour back home.But we had sell out concerts and a fantastic response which was very important for us. Even though Secret Gardens' home is in Norway, we have spent very little time there in the past 2 years, with all the touring commitments elsewhere in the world.

After the tour ended, everybody returned home to recover and also prepare for the Nobel Peace Prize Concert which took place in Oslo on the 11th of December. It was a real honor to be chosen to perform in this final concert of the millenium, along with such amazing artists as Tina Turner, Sting, Bryan Ferry, Denyce Graves and The Corrs to name a few. We performed "Elan" and "Dawn of a new century" accompanied by the NRK Radio Orchestra and the Oslo YMCA Gospel Choir. It was a very special moment for us to perform "Dawn of a New Century" in such a setting. We hope that you get to see it sometime, as it will be broadcast worldwide.So far Fox Family Channel and CNN in the States have broadcast it, and we know that stations throughout the world will be following.

We are now preparing for our next concert which will be a special Millennium Celebration with full orchestra and a 160-piece choir on January 7th. in Rolf's hometown Kristiansand. And then we will stay on and begin recording again in Cross studio for a week. We really look forward to that, as Kristiansand is the place behind the inspiration to our work, and we love being there. For our fans in Hong Kong we are very excited to announce that we are doing 3 concerts February18th, 19th and 20th with the Hong Kong Philharmonic orchestra.

Of course Christmas is between now and then, and hopefully like you all, we hope to find some time to rest and recover, and reflect and enjoy. We are not going to perform over the Millennium as we feel it's important for everybody to have some time at home.

We want to take this opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas, and that the New Millennium brings you all that you dream for. We thank you all sincerely for being our friends, our support, and our inspiration. Stay well and safe during the holiday!

much love
Fionnuala and Rolf