Day 9 - Two performances and more rain

Sunday was a busy day for singing. The morning started off at the church in Gentofte, singing during the mass Benjamin Brittens' Missa Brevis in D. The Agnus Dei of the mass was particularly stunning and solos by Rebecca and Maddie H. in the Benedictus were also quite lovely in the space. After a quick lunch in the fellowship hall or outside the hall under a tree, everyone was whisked away in any way possible, carpooling with home stays to perform at the famous church in Copenhagen, the Holmens Kirke. Due to the severe rainstorm the night before and all trains bring closed during the night and all of Sunday, we were caught unaware for the organization and duty of getting singers to the city instead of using the 12 minute train ride that would normally be hassle free. But thankfully our host choir came to the rescue and quickly got us rides to the church to get a quick rehearsal in the space before a 14:00 performance. The church downtown was a block away from the old town square, the Parliament, and the Bank of Denmark headquarters, and near one of the many canals of the city. It was a beautiful church dating back to the early 1600's and was the space where the queen was married.

It was a strong musical performance, with renditions of Engong and Ikikaiku as some of the most memorable pieces of the afternoon concert. After our performance, singers were carpooled home to do activities in the city or go home with their home stays. Being the last night in Denmark and in Copenhagen, some kids went to see some more sights and others just went home to spend their last few hours with their home stays.

For the chaperones, it was another thrilling night of rainstorms and restaurant hunting. Some of us stayed in the city to hear the Jazz Festival that's been rained out of commission and do some light shopping. However, the thunder and lightning storms had another agenda for us and decided to make a downpour as soon as we finally got a table to watch. We quickly went to find a museum to enjoy and to take refuge in, but found that most things were closed because it was Sunday evening, but also because of the terrible rain storms the night before-- many doors on shops said in both English and Danish, closed due to water damage. So, finally arriving at a restaurant and getting to a dry and warm place felt good. This time, the storm had passed over in time for us to catch a bus home, which thankfully didn't take the hour and a half we anticipated considering the amount of water having fallen in the last two days. For the adults, Copenhagen will be a rainstorm city we will never forget. :) For the kids, it will be a place for lifelong friends and memories.