Day 4 - Montserrat and Rehearsals
We greeted all our singers this morning at 9am after a long, fun night of fireworks and coco cake! They were all excited to share their stories of celebrating the summer solstice, and even though many didn't get to bed at the most reasonable time, they really did a great job rallying in the morning.
In news from Lucy Dunn, Sarah Chin, and Courtney Gao, "Last night we celebrated San Joan's holiday with Abby Willson's homestay family. We ate 3 different types of seafood and 3 types of coca cake (a tradition for this holiday.) At dinner we made conversation of Donald Trump and avocados... Later that night, we met our homestay's friends and threw fireworks with them in the street for many hours. It felt like a warzone! Booms and pops lit up the streets like bubbles in Catalonian champagne as we lit off firecrackers, sparklers, mini rockets, and everything in between. We even accidentally sent something into an apartment balcony above us. The whole city with people of all ages were out celebrating including a huge bonfire in the middle of the street. We had quite a night!"
Gavan, Carina, Chloe, and Hannah Y. spent the evening down at the beach. They said the sunset was amazing, draping the sky in blues, pinks, and purples. They had amazing food, tomato bread, ham, shrimp, muscles, and salad. After dinner they went down to the waterfront and set off fireworks. They were beautiful!
Our day today was spent touring the Monestir de Montserrat, a beautiful Abbey a little over an hour out of Barcelona. Montserrat, whose name means serrated mountain, is ideally located to play an important role in the cultural and spiritual life of Catalonia. It is Catalonia's most important religious retreat. The Virgin of Montserrat (the black virgin), is Catalonia's favorite saint, and is located in the sanctuary of the Mare de Déu de Montserrat. The Escolania, Montserrat’s Boys’ Choir, is one of the oldest in Europe, and performs during religious ceremonies and communal prayers in the basilica. Our tour of the Abbey was a brief walk through around the perimeter of the inside. A mass was being held at the same time and we were able to see the Boys' Choir, but unfortunately, not hear them.
About an hour after our quick walk-through, we did a brief afternoon concert, only singing three songs, and then a girls choir from Copenhagen sang as well. The acoustics were outstanding, and I think the kids really enjoyed singing there.
We spent a bit more time walking around the grounds, looking at the gift shops, and then were back on the bus for a mandatory, and much needed rest. Once back in Barcelona, they met back at the church for a several hour long rehearsal and then home for the night with their homestays. Looking forward to a joint concert tomorrow with Cor Vivaldi and the girls choir from Copenhagen!
Click through the slideshow below to view some highlights from today:
