Monday: Final Concert in Sobar

Following breakfast in the hotel, Ensemble boarded buses for a long trip to a small agricultural village named Maradik, two plus hours from Beograde. On its outskirts is Etno Kuca, a combination museum to the region's agricultural heritage and also a lunch spot. The family at Etno Kuca started at 8 in the morning making a chicken, tomato, onion, stew in a huge pot over a wood fire. We arrived near noon and before lunch examined the house, barn and field with their agricultural displays (talk about feeling old, I used many of the museum's exhibited farm equipment on the family's farm as a kid, zesh). It was all there, from cream separator to grinding wheel and field tools. In the house, it was embroidered everything. Choir members walked, took pictures, and asked questions like the inquisitive crowd they are. The excellent lunch stew was served over mashed potatoes in large soup bowls.

Onward to Sombor, a small town near the Hungarian border, for the final concert of the tour. The concert was held in the City Hall, for the Mayor and its citizens. As we arrived, the sense of "a performance is coming" grew. At warm up they became a choir again.

The concert started with "I Can't Keep from Singing" and the audience started grinning and looking at each other. They knew early on that the evening was a special time. Full concert to much applause. The mayor thanked the choir; Choir officers, Cassy and Katherine, spoke for the choir and made presentations to the mayor.

As the last notes of the third encore ended, tears started flowing, both from graduates who had just sung their last Ensemble concert and from their friends who were anticipating missing the graduates next year. The dressing room was awash with full blown crying and hugging -- but not a lot of words.

After changing and a Reception for the choir down the hall, Katherine made a presentation to the festival director, Rade Koncara, and Cassy made a presentation to the director of three choirs in Serbia, Maestro Mirko Bulovan, who had attended two concerts. She thanked him for his support. Maestro Bulovan gave a short talk about how wonderful the choir was, how they had mastered all the possible kinds of music, had excellent directors and supurb voices and he was thrilled to have heard them. Many "Bravo's" and kissing of Bob and Sue followed. Ensemble went wild.

The grads gathered on the stage for a graduates picture, watched by their friends. Emotions are raw but joyful. They ended the concert series making improvements to the already high level they established for themselves and were rightfully pleased at their consistent excellence.

The trip back? Singing of course, until Bob insisted we get some sleep.

"Now that was awesome" - "I love Ensemble" - "What an experience" - "I am really going to miss you guys" - "Singing is the greatest"