Day 9 - Thursday 10 May

We woke up to a very grey, dark and rainy day.  The boys had to be at our meeting point, which was the same church that we rehearsed in yesterday morning – Titus Kirche – at 09:00am, where we had a rehearsal from 09:00-09:45am.  Many boys had to take the bus and tram to the church from their hosts’ homes (accompanied by the hosts), so I think that our boys are now used to and comfortable with using a public transport system.

We performed in the Ascension Day service of the service at 10:00am.  It is a Protestant church, with the service being very similar to a Dutch Reformed service. The audience just adored the boys’ singing and performance, and I saw many tears when the choir performed Now we are free, as well as Ndikhokhele Bawo.  There was also loud affirmation and clapping along with the choir’s final song, Ahona ya tswanang.  In general, I must say that our European audiences have been most rewarding to perform to.  They have a wonderful sense of humour as well, and laugh at most of Chef’s jokes and jibes. J

After the church service, the boys were given lunch packs that were provided by the members of the church.  The lunch packs usually consist of a sandwich (or a baguette), with cheese, salad and a slice of cold meat, as well as a sweet pastry (like a chocolate croissant), and one piece of fruit.  It is a really filling meal (probably because of all the carbs…. apologies to our carb-free Grade 9), and the boys have never complained that they are still hungry afterward.  Granted, they are boys, so many of them probably hit the McDonalds or Burger King as soon as they get a chance. J  We have been doing a lot of walking here in Europe, so I do believe that the boys burn most of the calories they consume during the day.

We walked to the tram stop at 12:20pm, where we had to take two trams to get to our next venue – Rhypark – where we had a sound check and rehearsal from 13:30-14:30pm.  The hall is called the Rhypark because it is situated next to the Rhine river.  On a clear and sunny day, it would have wonderful views of the river, but today was an overcast and rainy day. Our second concert in the festival started at 17:00pm, which took on a very different form than what we are used to – a type of ‘anti-concert’.  The audience sat on the stage - on the choir risers where the choirs would normally perform -  and also on the floor on couches, and big wooden crates, and also stood around little tables, eating snacks and having drinks.  The choirs then performed on the floor – where the audience would normally sit - with the choirs changing places, or rotating in between each other’s performances.  It was a really unique experience, and apparently, it is all the rage in the choir world around Europe at the moment.  The audience was very appreciative, and it was a most enjoyable evening.

After the concert, the boys had dinner and a ‘party’ with all the other choirs that are participating in the festival (don't worry parents, there was no alcohol available..) This was something that the boys had been looking forward to the whole tour – it meant that they could finally wear their civvies – and they could see (and hopefully talk to) some girls!

Although the party technically went on until 23:30pm, we told the boys’ hosts that they must be collected at 22:00pm.  Too much of a good thing is never a good thing! J