Competition Day - Day 12

The kids were slightly startled with the 6:30 wake-up call, but to the chaperones surprise, it wasn't as difficult as we thought getting them out of bed! Probably all the excitement and anxiety of today's competition helped get them up and going! They were all showered and ready to go by 7:00, in the restaurant eating as much as they could. Some were a bit too nervous to eat. Others had plates filled with eggs, meats, breads, cheeses, cereal, fruit, and more. Most were pretty excited to see the big spread of food.

We left the hotel and walked to Primaciálny palác, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primate's_Palace which is where the competitions took place. We were surrounded by other choirs, each sharing the same excitement and anxiety about singing in front of a panel of judges.

The kids warmed up and they were beaming. They sounded so powerful and full of life. Dancing and singing, they were ready for the judges!

The first category they competed in was the Children's Choirs up to 16 years. Dominika, our guide, had us all organized and ready to go. She led us up to the competition room, and they marched in, looking like the pros they are, very confident and sure of the job they had to do. They started off with "Land of Dreams," by Jonathan Goodwin, "Things, Heaven and Hell" by Meredith Monk, and "Summer's Here" by Sue Bohlin. They were simply amazing! All kids were up there healthy and looking alive. They felt it too! They beamed coming off that stage, and the judges looked quite happy as well.

After this first set, they had about 2 hours before the next round. We fed them some sandwiches and fruit and they played games. Our next category was the vocal jazz, spiritual, and gospel category. "Heaven Somewhere," by Stephen Hatfield, "No Time," by Susan Brumfield, and then "Praise His Holy Name," by Keith Hampton. Again, they rocked it! Smiles all around!

Their final set was contemporary. They performed "Three Studies," by Olli Kortekangas, "Pool is to Wade," by Mark Winges, and "Magic Strings," by Mark Winges as well. Wow! That's all I can say! We were all so impressed and the kids felt so proud of all their accomplishments. They were flying high!! Now the tough part, waiting to hear the results!

The kids were rewarded with ice cream and about an hour plus of shopping around Bratislava. They were so happy! We had dinner at the restaurant where we ate the previous night and then rode off in the sunset on a Danube river cruise. We shared the cruise with St. Vid, a youth choir from Slovenia. They had a guitar and a drum and our kids spent the whole hour long cruise singing pop songs together, dancing, laughing, and having a really good time. What a great end to a great day. Now we just have to wait...