Hello from Sophia!

On Sunday morning we woke up and rehearsed the songs we would be performing at Rondebosch United Church. We hopped on the bus, drove over Table Mountain, and went to Rondebosch to perform and sing during the service. The Priest gave an interesting sermon with a feminist perspective, talking about the Parable of The Lost Coin. The parable spoke of a woman who had ten coins, looses one, and then focuses on searching for the missing tenth coin. The lost coin serves as a metaphor for lost memories in our lives. After the sermon, we sang our Afrikaans piece, "Soos’n Wildsbok” and a woman teared up because, as she later told us, the same song was sung at her father’s funeral.“Soos’n Wildsbok” also got a very good overall reaction, as many people had not expected us to sing a song in Afrikaans. We enjoyed some coffee with cake after the service while we socialized with members of the congregation. We got a special surprise when a woman in the congregation taught us a new South African song, and we then did a small encore performance of “Emlanjeni”. We were also joined by a member of the Cape Town Youth Choir who taught us "Emlanjeni" during the choir’s Tour to Boston last Spring, who was a parishioner. Later, Farouk and Leonard took us to our next destination, St. George the Martyr’s Church, where we had lunch. We then went inside to prepare for our rehearsal with the Cape Town Male Voice Choir. At the concert, a woman in the audience teared up as we sang Asimbonanga. We also performed the Paul McCartney Medley with the Cape Town Male Voice Choir. At the end of the concert, all the choirs joined in for a rousing sing-fest in the dining hall. The music inspired members of the staff and audience to join in the singing and dancing to our South African pieces. No one wanted the music to end as we headed back to the bus. We then went back to Noordhoek to get some rest (with a few cough drops, water, and some extra rest the singers that were close to catching a cold are doing better).

-- Quote of the Day: “Now I understand why it was so significant when your late President John F Kennedy spoke German in Germany [Ich bin ein Berliner]. When you come to our country and sing so beautifully in our languages, I am so incredibly moved. Thank you”. said the photographer as we were living the venue. Singer of the Day: Brooks, for your phenomenal sequenced teaching of Bella Mamma to the ERUB Children’s Choir. You were so musical and clear, thank you! Shoutouts: Isabelle, for taking the initiative to add a steady percussion groove to the sing-fest after the concert, it truly made all the songs come to life! Your World Rhythm Ensemble skills are truly paying off :-)!