Day 9 - Last Day in Helsinki

July 2, 2019 | EnsTour Blogger

Today began with breakfast at our hostel and a walk to the center of Helsinki for Ensemble's first concert of the day. The concert took place at the Old Church of Helsinki. The singers performed a 45-minute set to an appreciative audience of locals, Piedmont Choirs family members, and tourists alike. We were able to pick up some claves from a musical instrument shop, so Liam didn't have to play his percussion with rocks for this performance!

We then walked to the location of the next concert. It rained for the majority of our walk, but the singers were good sports about it and dried off and warmed up their voices for the performance. This performance took place at the Rock Church, a beautiful venue and major tourist attraction in Helsinki. The inside of the church is breathtaking, with rocks making up much of the walls and large windows around the ceiling and stage. Ensemble performed two 25-minute sets with a 10-minute break in between the sets. The audience was packed with tourist groups from various places, and one of our Vox Aurea hosts (who hosted Emma and Elizabeth) even surprised the girls by showing up to the concert!

After the concert at the Rock Church, we walked a short ways to a movie theater for some much-needed quiet time and relaxation and saw an afternoon showing of The Secret Life of Pets 2. After the movie, we returned to a lovely Chinese restaurant for our last dinner in Helsinki.

On our walk back to the hostel from the restaurant, we stopped to watch a local street magician's performance. The tricks included a "grand finale" of the disappearance of Chloe's 20 Euro bill and its reappearance inside a lemon!

The singers then gathered for an impromptu performance for some excited tourists and locals walking by, which elicited applause from all who listened. After they sang, the singers headed back to the hostel to pack. We are sad to be leaving Helsinki, but we are so excited for the next leg of our journey in Estonia!