Marktoberdorf is a lovely Bavarian town in architecture and all the gardens and trees. It’s fun to explore a little. Below is an image shot through a slightly dirty hotel window, but still gives you an idea. The church at the top of the hill is next to the BMM campus.
This day started with free time that was interrupted by a brief sound check for the evening performance then was free again until 5 pm. It is pretty much impossible to list all the exploring or resting or clothes washing etc. the choir members did during this time. Whatever they did, they met again for dinner at the BMM, and then met again for warm-up before the Opening Concert of the Musica Sacra International hosted by the Bayerishe Musikakademie Marktoberdorf. (Bavarian Music Academy)
The eight musical ensembles represent 8 different religions. There were banners with symbols representing each religion; I’ll let you guess which goes with which ensemble.
There were three more traditional (what we would expect to hear in the Western part of the world) choirs, with the others coming from countries with a very different music tradition. It was an interesting evening. BYU Singers will be paired with a different ensemble for each of the next three nights, sharing the concert in nearby towns. The photos below will give you an idea of the ensembles.
