Day 8: Ferries, Friends and Family

A bountiful breakfast greeted us in the hotel dining room at 7:45 this morning. Daniel enjoyed the sausages, and Josie said the pancakes were “just the right amount of crispy!” Others loved the oatmeal topped with a mix of Finnish cloudberries and lingonberries. Singers were happy to see a variety of herbal teas and delicious juice to quench their thirst.

With happy bellies we boarded our bus once again, for the short trip to the harbour. We caught a ferry to the fortress island of Suomenlinna where we’ll have our first of two Helsinki concerts. A quick headcount and group photo at the dock, then we headed up the hill to the church.

Morning warm-ups included Eric’s “make a face” exercise, Finland version. Singers made an ice cream face, a salty licorice face, a Moomin face, and lastly a “Moomin store is sold out because Daniel bought everything” face. Cue the properly horrified expressions!

Rehearsal time was short and the kids really had to lock in to re-stage Echoes in this new space, especially since today will be our first time performing it with the new choreography but without our Vox Aurea counterparts. After a focused rehearsal, we had a break for snacks, water, and to get dressed for our solo concert.

The noon-time concert was great! We had attendees from Helsinki’s Tapiola Choir, the first children’s-only choir (and the model for our own PEBCC program). We were also happy to see the smiling faces of parents and families on the companion tour. One audience member said he was amazed that all of our singers have such confidence in their voices. Some folks visiting Helsinki from New Jersey heard the choir singing yesterday at Sibelius Park and decided to come to today’s concert. They said they were very impressed with our beautiful singing and emotional performance. Today’s Salve Regina was particularly gorgeous.

After the concert we had lunch at the church joined by members of Tapiola, followed by some free time in groups to wander the markets and walking paths on the island. Singers explored a submarine, aww’d over geese with their fuzzy goslings, shopped for memorabilia in a museum gift shop, and defended their ice cream cones against dive-bombing seagulls. At 3 we trekked together to the dock to catch the ferry back to the mainland.

Back at our hotel, we had an hour of mandatory rest, and then it was time to get ready for our evening. One Tapiola singer enjoyed our company so much that she joined us at the mall for dinner. She coached singers on their Finnish introductions for tomorrow’s concert and insisted we visit Normal - the IKEA of make up stores. We walked one block to the mall for eats and shopping in groups. There were lots of dining options to choose from: Korean or Chinese food, tacos, fish and chips, cafe fare and more were all within reach. After eating, singers spread through the multi-level mall and satisfied their desire to spend money. When they were done they found chaperone Linda waiting in the food court area, eager to see their hauls before we returned to our hotel to wind down for the night and have lights out at 9pm.