Saturday, July 2, 2011

Day 3 - Alison Lloyd

Today was incredible.....just too tired at the moment to write very much.....Hellbrunn Palace was fantastic. The kids screeched and dodged the trick fountains and later sang "Queen Jane" and "Oh Canada" inside the palace under a domed roof with celestial paintings from the 17th century. This impromptu performance was very moving and a wonderful tribute to Canada Day. It certainly brought a tear to my eye. Lunch at the Gasthaus Pflegerbrucke was green salad and yummy spaghetti. After lunch we were off to the Salzburg Musikum where the kids enjoyed a rehearsal before heading to dinner in Salzburg. Dinner was fun and the special order peanut allergy members in the group had a surprise when their desert was an apfel (apple) on a plate! Everyone else enjoyed a strawberry torte......this was very funny and we had a good laugh about it.....I have pictures for posterity! During rehearsal at the Musikum the chaperones enjoyed some well deserved down time to stroll through the old market in Salzburg and by chance we came across a church with a banner that read: Music Goes Social: Benefiz Konzert. Canadian Children's Opera Company und Salzburger Chorknaben und Chormadchen (Kanada und Osterreich). The konzert was in the Christuskirche (Christ Church) on the river over looking Salzburg. The choirs sang beautifully and the house was packed a half hour before the show. It was nice to see the side trip families able to make it. The audience gave a standing ovation for the kids and their wonderful performance. The Salzburg choir was very impressive and very enthusiastic. Afterwards we all shared some traditional Austrian treats with our new friends, exchanged emails and took photos before heading home to bed. Now everyone is asleep.....lights out!

3 comments:

  1. Alison, thanks for such wonderful descriptions of everything! I feel as though I'm there myself...
    Great to hear all is going so well.

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  2. Day 4 and 5 Vienna

    Hi everyone, haven't had a lot of access to Wifi so bear with us! Anyway the last two days have been fantastic. Vienna is truly magnificent and the opening ceremonies was described as similar to the TRi-Star Wizarding contest ceremonies in Harry Potter! (funny) Even the Viennese choristers looked like Cedric Diggery! (sorry if my spelling is off here!) A wonderful international feel in an enormous gothic cathedral.....even the chandeliers looked like they were floating...haha. One thousand voices sang the Summa Cum Laude anthem and each choir etc introduced themselves to the group. A lot of groups from China and 7 from Canada! Yesterday the kids explored rooms filled with Rubens classical paintings and sang a free concert in the Leichtenstein Palace. This proved to be somewhat of a challenge because the room was so enormous the echo was a little distracting and made it difficult for the kids to hear the accompanist. All in all it was a great experience and made for a fun rehearsal before todays competition. The kids had a really good night's sleep last night so I think we are all finally (just in time) rested. We also explored Melk abbey on the way to Vienna. The kids were fascinated by the hidden doors in the 16th c library but were disappointed to learn that they were simply doorways to small reading windows and not a secret passage to a deep dark dungeon......I must admit...I was a little upset about this too! I am travelling with a group of hopeless romantics....I love it. Anyway, I must get back to the kids and make sure they have clean shirts and their hair tied back for the big day! Will update you later tonight.

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