Greetings from our last stop on tour. This will be brief as so many did different things during the morning hours. Small groups wandered all over Salzburg; several ran into the Uchtdorfs as they did the same!

We met up, loaded the bus, and took off at 2 to drive to Marktoberdorf. (Nota bene: October has nothing to do with the name of the town. Markt is a market. ober means over. And a dorf signifies the type and size of the town. That knowledge affects how one pronounces the name.) We arrived in the late afternoon.

So this is a very picturesque, smaller market town. There is a music academy here that sponsors a sacred music festival, which is why we are here; also a competition, but that is not happening now. The choir is staying on the campus of the Baerische Musikakademie Marktoberdorf (BMM henceforth) and the leaders about a 10 minute walk away.

There will be lots happening tomorrow, and Ill do my best to share those events as well as any scenery I can sneak in.

For now, Gute Nacht!

We left Vienna this morning to drive to Salzburg. Our coach driver was required to take a 45-minute break, so he found an incredible rest stop that was a restaurant, gelato and pastry shop, snack shop, and gift store. Maverick would faint if they had this as competition. The choir really enjoyed that stop!

We reached Salzburg in good time, and in a bit of rain. Everyone enjoyed a little rest before dressing and heading to tonights concert in the Salzburg Stake Center. The drive was a bit longer than we anticipated, but no one complained when surrounded by deep green fields, lovely hills, and picturesque villas and villages.

We found the stake center to be beautiful and seemingly very new. In fact, the lights in the chapel and the organ were installed yesterday! It will be dedicated this Sunday.

The choir rehearsed a bit, then went in to have a dinner the wonderful people of the stake had prepared for us. We were interrupted mid-bite to line up for a very special family photo in a nearby hall, with two seats in the middle of the front row. I was the last to realize that the rumor of President Uchtdorf attending the concert was now not a rumor! He and Sister Uchtdorf very kindly joined us for photos, and then stayed to talk for about 15 minutes, asking questions and answering them. He bore a strong testimony of Jesus Christ and the Gospela remarkable and rare occurrence to be able to experience in person. They were charming and very gracious to all.

The choir then ran back to try to finish some supper before the concert, but some were still trying to finish once the concert had finished. The chapel was full, with the Uchtdorfs in the front row. The choir sang a mix of repertoire that was more classical, some lighter pieces, and hymns and spirituals. These were interspersed by some student solos and a quartet. The audience responded very appreciatively, and Elder Uchtdorf led the standing ovation. Finally, the choir went out to the lobby to await the audience so they could mingle with them but the audience stayed in the chapel, applauding, until the choir returned to sing an encore.

Then the choir finally did move into the lobby, and talked with members of the audience for quite a while. There was a two-man crew who arrived today to do some photography and filming of the choir for BYU, and once they were finished, our bus brought us back to the hotel to get some needed rest.

This was truly a remarkable and wonderful evening musically and spiritually. We will never forget this experience.

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This was a fun dayour only day in Vienna! Its pretty challenging to even plan what to do when time is so limited. The choir split into many smaller groups for their adventures. Some hit the museums, some just walked around, many found shopping, many more found gelato, and one small group decided to see as many churches as possible and sing in each. I hear they managed 12 before needing to head back to get into their concert gear.

We had a soundcheck in the church, the Weiner Minoritenkirche. This is a very beautiful church with perfect acoustics for a choir. We knew immediately this would be a fine concertbut we werent sure if there would be a very large audience.

I took quite a few photos during the warmup and rehearsal, some of which are here. There is not often an opportunity to get close to the choir without bothering an audience.

This is called the Italian church in Viennaperhaps because of the 1:1 sized image of Leonardo da Vincis The Last Supper on a wall inside. It is a gorgeous reproduction; and then there is the story behind it. Commissioned by Napoleon, it wasnt finished before he abdicated. The Emperor of Austria bought it, wanting to install it in the Belvedere in Vienna. As it was too large for the building, it was donated by Emperor Ferdinand I of Austria to the Italian Congregation and set up on the north wall of the church, where it remains to this day. The mosaic is 9.18 x 4.47 m and weighs approximately 20 tons. It is made of tiny tiles, and is considered the best replica still intact. It has been used as a reference to restore the original painting as the colors are considered to be accurate still.

We had a good Viennese dinner at a restaurant in walking distance of the church. We had some schnitzel, but no strudel yet.

Then back to the church to find an almost full house waiting for us. There were some good friends there from BYU music over the years. Many of the audience chose to stand in the back of the nave so they could have a complete view of the choir rather than sit on the side and have a partial view. The choir sang only sacred literature at the priests request, and they sang a beautiful and very well-received concert! A well-deserved standing ovation came after the last piece sung: I Am a Child of God in German.

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It doesnt seem as if getting from Lahti to Helsinki to Amsterdam to Vienna to finding all our luggage to finding our hotel would be that difficult, right?!? It was a long day. We are all in our rooms now, settling in for our two-night stay. Tomorrow will bring a much more exciting blog, promise.

This photo below is the view that greeted us as we boarded our bus at the Vienna airport.

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After a coolish, rainy day yesterday, we woke to a bright blue sky and moderate temps. It feels delightful as we walk around town.

Our day began with joining the Lahti ward for their Sacrament Meeting at 9 am. It was a very good meeting, with a friendly and welcoming ward. Their two speakers very thoughtfully had written out their talks, and a member read them in pre-translated English so that we could know what was going on. BYU Singers performed I Am a Child of God in English as their musical number; that song transcends any language barrier. We left before the second hour as it would have been very cumbersome for them to try to translate all the extemporaneous comments during classes.

Singers had one more rehearsal to ensure all pieces for today were as perfect as possible. There was then a bit of a break to do whatever needed to be done, including eating lunch before a big afternoon. We left the hotel at 3 for the quick drive to Sibelius Hall. Everyone was in high spirits as we took our assigned rows in the hall. By now the choirs recognize each other, and some friendships have been developing. We sat next to that very fine Swedish young womens choir, and they were delightful.

The first event of the afternoon was the performances of the six choirs requested to perform in the Grand Prize Competition, and then the other awards for previous competitions were announced. BYU Singers sang their Felix Mendelssohn: Ehre sei dem Vater and Spencer Baldwin: The Spirit of God. Spencer, a recent bass with Singers, has written a marvelous piece that brings great Spirit with every performance. Singers gave another stunning performance, and the audience reacted very enthusiastically. The other five choirs were also excellent.

 While the stage was set up for the presenting of all the awards, the audience of mostly choirs thoroughly enjoyed themselves making new friends, and dancing to the music that was played in the auditorium.

Finally, the awards were announced. Silver and Gold certificates were given, with a level of excellence within each certificate. BYU Singers took first in the Mixed Choirs competition, with a gold certificate and a very high rating. They also were awarded first in the Sacred Choral Music A Cappella competition. There were some other strong performances, so we took nothing for grantedespecially when there was such a variety of choirs in every competition. Ultimately BYU Singers also won the Grand Prize of the Nordic Voices Choir Festival and received a very lovely and interesting wooden sculpture, as well as a very enthusiastic standing ovation from all the other choirs. The Swedish young women came in not very far behind us. As the festival official remarked, music has no boundaries, and brings people closer. We truly believe that. Many new friendships and connections were made in this weeks festival.

Several choirs moved out to the terrace by the lake for photos, and we spent the next hour taking turns holding the Grand Prize award for photos featuring every grouping of people you can think ofand then a few more. Other choirs joined in with us, and the bishop and his wife of the Lahti ward were there as well.

All in all, a very successful stay in Finland!

Dinner will be at 8 at a Viking restaurant, and well be packing up to leave this hotel tomorrow morning. We have had a wonderful five days in Lahti!

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Today has been a very full day for the choir! It of course began with a gorgeous breakfast, in a huge room that seems to be more crowded every day. Either they are really filling the hotel, or they serve breakfast to all the hotels around. One has to watch carefully to pounce on an empty place to set up.

Next came a rehearsal in the hotel to prepare for all the days music. The choir then walked a short distance to the Church of the Cross to check the acoustics for their afternoon competition there. They reported great acoustics, and had lunch before changing into concert attire and walking back.

This was the second competition of the festival for BYU Singers after the Mixed Choirs competition yesterday. Todays was Sacred Choral Music A Cappella. There were seven choirs entered, each very different from the next. It ended with an excellent girls choir from Sweden. More on that later. Judging such a disparate slate of choirs has to be challenging. It should be, anyway.

Below are the 5 competition choirs excepting BYU Singers.

BYU Singers were third in the competition, and sang a program of

Eric Galluzzo: Lord of the Winds and the Water

Jean Sibelius: Ich will Deines Namens gedenken

Trad. Spriritual, arr. Moses Hogan: Hold On

After a break for a little (very little) rest and dinner, the choir was off for the Sibelius Hall performance called Nordic Night. This was ticketed concert, as opposed to everything else so far that was attended by symposium participants. The main floor and first balconies looked full, and it was a very appreciative audience.

This evening performance was totally non-competitive. It was interesting that we heard one choir for the third time, and the Swedish girls ensemble from this morning. Two mixed-voice choirs and two female choirs performed.

Here are the choirs in order. There are three photos of the Swedish girls choir; they started and finished as they looked in the first photo of them. In one piece they whirled around and their cloaks turned into butterflies. They were excellentwe heard later that the singers are mostly, if not completely, daughters of members of the Swedish Radio Choir, one of the preeminent professional choirs in the world for decades. They have genetics, example, and probably private lessons going for themand it shows!

BYU Singers concluded the evening concert. They performed Menken, Zippel; arr. Aaron Dale: Go the Distance (from Hercules); Let it Be You by Brent Wells; the African-American Spiritual, arr. Stacey Gibbs: Go Tell it on the Mountain; and closed with Spencer Baldwins The Spirit of Godthe words you know with a wonderful new melody. Ive wondered if they did standing ovations here; we found out tonight they do! The audience was very, very enthusiastic. I turned around and took a quick shot; dark but it shows some fun faces of our audience.

The choir then ended with I Touch God in my Song by Ivo Antognini. This was truly a wonderful ending to the evening, and it was very well received. All in all, a great day.

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Today has been a very busy and wonderful day. The choir met up at various breakfast times, and after enjoying another remarkable spread of food, they found small groups and headed out to shop, see a museum, or simply wander through the area.

We boarded our bus around noon to head back to the Sibelius Hall, where they had a very tasty lunch ready for us and all the other performing choirs. Now well fed, the choir had a final rehearsal before the first competition. Dr. Crane meticulously polished their four pieces for the first competition, then declared them ready.

Those of us not in the choir were able to hear two choirs before Singers; they were both very good, and the audience appreciated them. Singers then entered and performed:

Charles Wood: Hail, Gladdening Light

Einojuhani Rautavaara: Lht

Paolo Orlandi: Occhi di bragia

Ernesto Herrera: Salmo 150

They have rehearsed these pieces intensely the entire school year, and they gave a truly stunning performance of each piece. I dont know how they could have improved anything. The audience loved the performance, and applauded enthusiastically throughout at the end.

No results have been announced yet, but the choir has been invited to perform another set at the Grand Prize Competition Sunday afternoon. That seems to bode well

The choir members had a chance to sit in the concert hall and relax for a bit before our bus arrived, and were able to talk with some of the audience members, who are choir-music-lovers.

After finding a quick dinner and changing clothes, most of the choir walked over to a nearby beautiful church to hear a concert from an outstanding youth choir of high school age singers from Helsinki, who were spectacular. I am not sure Ive ever heard that quality of music-making from that age group. The concert finished with an adult Swedish amateur choir. Amateur mostly means not paidthey were very good!

Tomorrow is a big day, so Ill quit now. In case any of you would like to see the Program Book of the Lahti Nordic Voices Choir Festival, below is a link. It works better on a larger screen than your phone. https://tinyurl.com/5c454uwk

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 As I type that day and date, it seems like it was just barely Tuesday! We are happily settling into our home away from home here in Lahti. We have a little towel in the bathroom that declares Finland has the worlds best water. We all agree, and are enjoying it. That is not always the case with tap water when traveling

This morning was free time until after lunch for those who left the hotel and went adventuring. Many others had a leisurely morning catching up on sleep and then having a very late breakfast/lunch, and didnt try to go anywhere. Others tried the art museum and found it closed due to today being Ascension Day, a major Christian holy day celebrating the ascension of Jesus into heaven, which occurs 40 days after Easter. The breakfast was wonderfulmany locals were coming to eat there as paying customers. Luckily our hotel key got us in free.

In the early afternoon, we left for the Sibelius Concert Hall here in Lahti. I imagine there are quite a few concert halls named for Sibelius in this countrythis is a fine hall, and very rewarding to sing in. Before they entered the all itself, Dr. Crane and the choir rehearsed for an hour in the building to address any small places that needed finessing after not rehearsing for a few weeks. The choir is in fine shape and sounding wonderful.

After the rehearsal we took a couple of family photos, and had a burger and fries dinner brought in to our hotel.

This evening was the opening concert of the festival, with six choirs performing. These choirs went from a childrens school choir from Turkey, to a chamber choir from Stockholm. A couple of these choirs will be in a competition with BYU Singers. Tonights concert was held in the spacious Forest Hall that has a stunning view of Lake Vesijrvi. (Nope, I cannot say it. I am doing well to spell it.)

Tomorrow is the first of two competitions in which BYU Singers will perform.

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Hello from Lahti, Finland. After a very long day, BYU Singers have finally arrived. We are about 90 minutes outside of Helsinki. From arrival at the SLC airport early afternoon Tuesday until we reached our hotel took close to 20 hours. Our two flights went smoothly8 hours to Amsterdam and then 2.5 hours to Helsinki. The layover was long enough to find non-plane-food, and we arrived on time with all our luggage. You cannot ask for more than that! Our coach and driver were awaiting us, and we were off.

Finland looked beautiful from above; very green, with many forests with clear cuts for farming and housing. Our route in took us over many lakes and rivers that were visible through the clouds. We may be a little soggy here, but thats the price you pay for all of that green.

The hotel is a nice one, and they cooked a welcome buffet that we started about 8 pm. At this point all the choir has dispersed to their rooms to enjoy a little rest before the competition gets underway tomorrow morning. Our real photos and more of a blog will begin tomorrowthis is more a proof of life for you folks back home.

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