Day 5: Final Concert & Farewell Dance Party

Today we had a lazy morning to let singers catch up on some sleep, and had yet another scrumptious complimentary breakfast in pjs. Then our singers had a chance to shower and get ready for the day. Some even took the initiative to start cleaning their rooms in preparation for our departure tomorrow - shoutout to Kaya and Gigi!

We walked to Civic Center where we enjoyed the air conditioning, played games, and ate sandwiches. Mignon and Alexis played a drawing game (see pictures at the link) and Audrey, Josie and Nora B. taught us all how to play “choir uno.” Singers started playing the Pony Game, and our friends from Glorystar (Maryland) joined in - even the chaperones!

After lunch we had our individual workshop time with Dr. Dillworth where Concert Choir sang Modal Etudes. Dr. Dillworth worked with them on following the melodic contour and word stress to create more phrasing. We are so proud of our choristers for their hard work, and all the great things Dr. Dillworth had to say about their sound.

We then had our traditional closing circle, where everyone gets a chance to share their favorite memory from this year of CC or moment of the tour. We heard lots of love for the music, bus rides, inside jokes, free time with friends and the joy of making new ones. People were sad to say goodbye to the mentors moving up to ensemble, and our mentees are looking forward to taking on a welcoming leadership role at this upcoming camp (only 34 days away!)

We then joined the massed choir rehearsal with the string band and orchestra, to put the final touches on our performance. Our singers were professional and focused, even through the three hour rehearsal, and made sure to take breaks when they needed it.

We had one final group dinner at the Charleston Civic Center - the general excitement led to Mignon and Natasha proclaiming that they had made “like 12 more friends just in one dinner” and then happily got into their performance order to sing. Check out the wonderful concert videos at the link below. It was a joyful scene, fun of dancing and happy voices raised together in song - a fitting conclusion to our experience here.

The real fun began once we returned to the hotel for the much anticipated farewell dance party! Popcorn and pop songs fueled the night, singers got down to Cha Cha Slide and Cupid Shuffle, someone requested California Girls in honor of us, and everyone danced the night away with their new and old friends. We heard many folks exchanging phone numbers, making promises to call or visit, or even making plans to meet up at an upcoming concert they both happen to be attending! We are all exhausted and hoping to get to sleep soon - off to the final day of our tour.