The breakfast in this hotel is quite an upgrade from the standard continental European breakfast from our hotel in Switzerland. The boys could feast on bacon, sausages, scrambled eggs, divine cheese omelets, a variety of cheeses and cold meats as well as cereals and fresh fruit. After the lovely breakfast, the boys were confident that they could take on competition day!
At 10h45 we got on a tram that stops right outside our hotel and headed for the Riga Congress Centre to do a stage- and sound check for our performance this evening. Every choir only gets a 10-minute slot on the stage, so Chef only really had time to check that the balance of the choir and the instruments were correct and made sure that the boys all knew where to stand and how much space they had to move around. After the sound check we had a rehearsal in the park surrounding the Congress Centre. The boys practiced their Scenic Folklore in the shade of age-old trees and on lush green grass. They really have enjoyed these recent outdoor rehearsals and in Riga this experience is even more magical.
We hopped on a city shuttle bus at 12h30 to go to lunch at the World Choir Games catering center, aka the Riga Sports Arena. The public transport here in Europe is quite phenomenal - always arriving and departing perfectly on time - and the boys are very confident travelers by now. We arrived at the catering center at 13h00 and the boys were treated to traditional Latvian cuisine of boiled potatoes (which is a staple food here), rice, aromatic chicken breasts marinated in yogurt and a tangy beetroot salad infused with marinated onions and garlic. You might be thinking that this does not sound like a meal which our boys would enjoy…and you are correct! While the staff found the meal quite tasty, it was a little too foreign for our boys’ pallets and they respectfully shoved their food around on their plates for a bit before dashing off to go find something a little less intimidating to their taste buds. :)
After lunch we had a rehearsal from 14h00 to 16h00 at the Riga School of Music. We returned to the hotel at about 16h30 and Chef told all the boys to have a power nap until 17h50 when we would go to supper.
At 18h00 we had supper in the town square of Old Riga at a delightful little restaurant with a live band. The boys were treated to scrumptious cheese burgers and fries. They enjoyed the vibrant atmosphere in the square and could not stop commenting on how beautiful all the girls here in Riga are!
After supper we went back to the hotel for a quick shower and the boys had to be ready to leave the hotel, dressed in their Scenic Folklore costumes, at 20h00. The Scenic Folklore category started at 19h30, but we were second to last on the program and only went on-stage at 21h15.
Our boys did everyone in South Africa very proud tonight and gave 110% on the stage. They were the only choir to receive a standing ovation and the audience applauded for quite a while after their last song. We received numerous compliments from total strangers after the show and they all spoke about how our choir was the only choir that really touched them. Chef was completely satisfied with their performance, but we are up against some very strong competition.
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| The boys after the performance in the competition |
