Blogs from Tolosa, Basque Country, Spain, Europe

Tolosa, Spain. Monday, October 31, 2011. We woke today with butterflies in our tummies. We had breakfast and a last rehearsal before the competition. We took lunch in the hotel, went to our rooms for a little rest and preparation before heading into Tolosa. We got there and almost immediately went in for our warm-up, which was a 15-minute event to touch each piece to make sure of sound and where we are standing. Then there was a lot of waiting. Hurry up and wait. The polyphony round was first. We sang Karimatanu Kuicha (Ko Matsushita), Sanctus Benedictus (Josep Vila), Kyrie (Tomas Luis de Victoria), Irish Blessing (Daniel Hughes), and finally Veni (Knut Nystedt). I feel that we did well. There was some more waiting and then we went in for the Folklore round. We sang ... read more

Okay, so we're not actually in Tolosa. We arrived yesterday in Zarautz, which is where we will stay for the duration of the festival. Zarautz is a coastal resort town about 30 minutes by bus from Tolosa. Yesterday's schedule was pretty tight. We arrived, checked in, and went immediately to rehearse. After a brief rehearsal, we came back to the hotel, changed clothes, and went back to the church to sing. The house was packed, and again we found an incredibly receptive and appreciative audience. After the concert, we came back to the hotel, changed again, and left immediately for dinner (later than expected: 10:30 pm). The restaurant staff was lovely, and served up a tasty beef stew. This was a welcome change for some singers, as much of the cuisine thus far has focused on ... read more