The Longest Time -Day 4

One of the challenges of travelling is packing for any sort of weather you may encounter, so even though we are in the European summer we packed the warm clothes for our section of the journey here in the Alps. So it was a considerable surprise to wake up to blue skies and a forecast of 34 degrees. Today is the first day of the Festival with three separate performances. The first was the opening concert at Plan de Corones in Brunico  at an altitude of 2275m and accessible by cable car. Thirty six choirs presented one song each a cappella on the steps in front of the huge Friendship Bell with the surrounding peaks a stunning backdrop. We were second choir in so performed early and had the chance to sit back and relax, watching the other choirs pieces. At the end all participants formed a mass choir to sing Signore  Del Cime : well over a thousand choristers singing together was a very special moment even if it did present some challenges to the conductor. But three hours at the top of a mountain in the hot sun gets pretty tiring, so after a BMOS photoshoot on location we headed back down for a rehearsal back at the hotel and then back into the coach for the 45 minute trip to the South Tyrol. There we sang two songs for our set as part of a concert involving ten other choirs from all parts of the world  - including the other Australian choir from a Melbourne Grammar School. We were happy with our performance and the audience was generous with its applause. Back in the coach for the trip home and the another great meal at the hotel, albeit a bit rushed as we had to leave again at 8.30pm for our final concert for the day in nearby Brunico. There we presented five songs in a hot hall that was a challenge for that time of the night  as we weren't on stage until just after 10 o'clock. All in all we were happy and performed well over the day given the challenges of travel, time, hot weather and a conductor and accompanist that had hardly worked with us in those roles prior to this trip.We owe them both a great deal of thanks.We arrived back at the hotel just after 11.00 pm and after a short bit of socialising to unwind after a rather busy day we turned in for well earned sleep in preparation for the day ahead.