Day 4: Part 2 - the best part

After performing in Filedefiakyrkan (btw – kyrkan means church) we were off to a new venue for our afternoon performance. We walked through the streets of Stockholm and the kids sang as we went. Heads turned, people stopped and wondered – it was fabulous. In case the kids haven’t had a chance to send any pictures home yet here are a few that I snapped on the way.

The last one is the Stockholm opera house and right next store was the beautiful St. Jacob’s kyrkan. Like everything else here the architecture is like nothing we have at home – of course in 1642 (when this church was built) here in Canada we were still making our way down the St. Lawrence!

Here’s the church:

And here’s our poster

And here’s the inside of this remarkable building – now picture in your minds the sounds of our angel’s voices soaring through this amazing space. I was in tears before they even warmed up! (Those of you who know me already know I’m a bit mushy to begin with – this was just too much for me!)

The church is famous for its music program – no wonder – the acoustics are spectacular. After an hour rehearsal, the kids got into their dress uniforms and came outside into the courtyard for a bit of relaxation. And some great photo ops!

I don't know how to adequately describe the performance - I seem to be running out of words - I only hope I can do HCC justice.

In what is fast becoming a tradition - they opened with Uber - as soon as Joel starts the drum the audience knows they're in for something different - now different isn't always good - but within the first few taps of the drumsticks and the first few notes you can see a physical reaction in the audience - and the sound - if you ever needed proof of God in the world - well when they sang Salve Regina - even Kim was in tears. I've never heard them sing it with such colour and dynamic

- Mara you and Zimfira are right - when it comes from the heart - it goes to the heart.

Next up was Xai - again incredible dimension and sound - the last note rang on for at least 10 seconds afer they were finished - and then the thunderous applause - more tears for me!

Past Lives, with its atonal notes and overtones sounded incredible. They sang Adiemus and then my favourite Eternity - oh my - it soared, the sopranos moved down the aisles and the song pulsed through the church like the oceans it represents - would hazzard to gess that there weren't mn dry eyes in the house. And then (yes, it got even better) the whole choir sang Hope for Resolution, when the african rhythm kicked in, again you could sense the awe in the audience.

Here they are - sorry the pictures are so far away - the concert was SOLD OUT and we were t the back of the church

The standing ovation was almost as impressive as your children. The director of music at the church was so impressed with Zimfira and what he called her "very special choir", and the conductor of one of the children's choirs in Paris was also very complimentary and quite excited about our repetoire. The smiles on HCC faces told the story - they knew they had just made magic happen - there really is no other way to describe it.

Thank you all for your kind comments - it is such a privilledge to be here and witness such grace and beauty - and that's not just when they're on stage - with the exception of a few bumps - they have acted as incredible ambassadors for HCC and Canada - our reputation will surely grow even more after this.

well, off to bed now - we have an early morning bus ride to Gottenburg and the second leg of our tour. i my not get a chance to post tomorrow - not sure what kind of internet connection i'll be able to get. i'll try my best, though.

We miss you all and are so grateful that we have the opportunty to experience such a wonderful festival!