Blog entry - 5 July – continued

Blog entry from Mrs Kruger

This morning the boys had to be ready to leave by 08h45 so they got a wake-up call from the hotel at 07h00 to have breakfast before we left.  Breakfast was a typical European Continental breakfast - a buffet consisting of a variety of yogurts, cereals, breads, cheese, cold meat cuts and scrambled eggs.  The boys really got stuck in!

At 08h45 we boarded our coach for the Victoria Hall where we had a massed choir rehearsal from 09h00-11h30 with the other choirs participating in The Rhythms of One World Festival.  The Victoria Hall is a Baroque masterpiece, with gilded pillars, a painted ceiling, beautiful chandeliers and impeccable acoustics.  It is Geneva’s equivalent to the Musikverein in Vienna and Carnegie Hall in New York.

In the massed choir performance, our Kearsney boys make up the band providing all the accompaniment. The choir stand right in front and they steal the show – in my opinion. :)

After the rehearsal we proceeded to a lunch reception hosted by the South African Mission to the UN in Geneva. It was held at the private residence of the South African ambassador to Switzerland, Ambassador Minty.

The boys feasted on a South African ‘braai’, with succulent steaks, marinated chicken, boerewors and traditional salads, prepared by South African chefs.  The ambassador also invited all the staff from the permanent South African Mission to the United Nations, so we felt totally at home. It was quite enlightening speaking to South African people about their experiences living in Switzerland.

After lunch we headed to the Conservatory of Music to prepare for our solo full performance this evening. We struggled to fit in all four of our sets in the limited rehearsal time available because another choir was preparing to take to the stage immediately after our rehearsal. The boys felt quite unsure and nervous, but this was a good practice run for the World Choir Games since there will be even less rehearsal time at the competition in Riga. After this rehearsal, we returned to the hotel at 15h30 for a rest and a quick shower. We left the hotel again at 17h00 for our concert in the Conservatory of Music at 18h00.

Ambassador Minty addresses the audience at the concert

Although the acoustics in this hall did not disappoint, it was quite a challenge to perform on the narrow stage and the boys had to improvise in a number of songs. The boys gave a very polished performance in their Young Male Choir set, and looked very dapper in their stone coloured chinos, navy shirts and trendy snoods. The Religious set was especially enjoyed by the audience, with Nduduzo (Mkhize) delivering a very inspiring of rendition of Ahona ya tswanang le Jesu.  The Folklore set was particularly challenging on the small stage, but the boys did their best and the audience didn’t seem to notice.  Our final set, the pop performance, had the audience on their feet. Because there was no interval during this performance, the boys’ energy levels were stretched to the maximum, which was a good test of their endurance.

Our concert finished at about 20h00, after which we attended a welcome cocktail dinner reception at Maison des arts du Gruli sponsored by the State of Geneva and the Swiss Mission. Here the boys had another chance to mingle with the members of The Singing Angels from Cleveland, Ohio, which they thoroughly enjoyed.  Unfortunately though, the ‘dinner’ at the reception consisted mainly of minute french canapes, filled with artichokes, raw fish, beef tartare, capers and scallops – boys’ verdict: “Fail”.  Staffs’ solution: McDonalds!

We arrived back at our hotel at 23h30 and the boys were sent straight to bed.  Fortunately, they have some free time tomorrow morning from 09h00 to 12h00, so my guess is that most of them will be sleeping until 11! Tomorrow evening we have another concert at 18h00 in Victoria Hall, where we will only be performing our Folklore set, as we share this performance with all eight of the other choirs participating in The Rhythms of One World Festival.