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Tour Spring 2022 Estonia/Latvia/Lithuania

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Tour - 2022 Estonia/Latvia/Lithuania

April 28-29: Traveling to Tallinn, Estonia

April 29, 2022 12:26 PM
BYU Singers tour to the Baltic States has begun! The choir was split into two groups for the flights to Amsterdam due to airline issues; the Chicago group (Group B) hasn't yet reported in with any stories. The JFK group A had a long layover after their red-eye flight, and used their layover to investigate NYC a bit on a cold, blustery day.
1 Min Read
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Tour - 2022 Estonia/Latvia/Lithuania

April 30: Tallinn, Estonia

May 01, 2022 10:35 PM
Today was the choir’s first full day in Tallinn, and that gave them more time to explore the hotel, the town, the food, and whatever else they could find. The day began with the “incredible breakfast” that their tour manager, Stacey Christensen, had told them to expect. Judging by the number of breakfast photos sent to me, everyone was very impressed with it. It included cheeses, several varieties of bread, pastries, dairy (drinkable yogurt), and many kinds of fish including salmon and herring. Tallinn is on the Baltic Sea, after all.
2 Min Read
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Tour - 2022 Estonia/Latvia/Lithuania

May 1: Tallinn, Estonia

May 02, 2022 12:19 PM
[Our apologies for this late blog entry; there were technical difficulties between Estonia and Utah]
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Tour - 2022 Estonia/Latvia/Lithuania

May 2: Tallinn, Estonia

May 02, 2022 05:20 PM
After breakfast the choir drove to the beautiful Kaarli kirik (St. Charles Church), a Lutheran church built in 1862-1870. It is called Tallinn's grandest 19th century church. The interior is a gorgeous space that was wonderful to sing in. They worked hard during this 2 hour rehearsal, polishing their repertoire and learning new music. They accomplished quite a bit, then had a quick, easy lunch of bread, meat, and cheese outside of the church.
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Tour - 2022 Estonia/Latvia/Lithuania

May 3: Tallinn, Estonia

May 03, 2022 05:45 PM
Another busy day! Breakfast began the day, of course. The choir is learning how to pace themselves so that they get enough rest when there is so much going on. Many are figuring out how to wash their clothes in a bathroom sink or bathtub, which is always a fun skill to acquire. The hardest part is usually figuring out where to hang all the clothes for drying when there are 2 or 3 people sharing a room; I've seen some very inventive methods over the years? Most are trying to eat well and stay healthy. BYU Singers had a rehearsal at the same church as yesterday and relished the sound. The choir was very happy to be rehearsing in such a lovely space again. Dr. Crane is happy with their productive rehearsals, so everyone is happy.
3 Min Read
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Tour - 2022 Estonia/Latvia/Lithuania

May 4: Tallinn, Estonia

May 04, 2022 03:23 PM
After another fine hotel breakfast, the choir took a 10-minute bus ride to the ferry. The boat had an indoor cabin, but those who were intrepid could be outside on the back deck. It was very windy and cold. They reached Naissaar Island after an hour, where they boarded two large military vehicles to explore the island. It was a bumpy ride, akin to off-roading, and very dusty! The choir found the island to be historical and interesting.
2 Min Read
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Tour - 2022 Estonia/Latvia/Lithuania

May 5: Tallinn, Estonia

May 06, 2022 07:37 PM
Today was reported to be great! As every day in Tallinn has begun, the choir enjoyed their hotel breakfast. They then headed for their rehearsal at the LDS chapel. That rehearsal was described as "Fantastic, effective, and focused;" all promising descriptors for a rehearsal the day of a concert. The choir members were in better shape today after a good night's sleep, this delayed rehearsal was a brilliant idea. Afterwards the choir split into two groups: some found Mexican food in honor of Cinco de Mayo; others shopped and hung around Old Towne.
2 Min Read
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Tour - 2022 Estonia/Latvia/Lithuania

May 6: Tartu, Estonia

May 07, 2022 07:48 PM
[We welcome Blake Charlton as our new blog liaison. This blog is mostly in his voice, first person.] This morning we left Tallinn for our last city in Estonia---Tartu. Our bus driver is fun; he is named Juris. At one point we had a rest stop, where Juris had to move the bus after we had gotten off. That gave many some moments of panic as they thought they had been left behind. While on the bus ride to Tartu, Cassandra Crane gave us an amusing quiz about Dr. Crane and awarded prizes to the winners. She also gave us her interpretation of how they met and fell in love; it was quite humorous.
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Tour - 2022 Estonia/Latvia/Lithuania

May 7: Riga, Latvia

May 08, 2022 07:05 PM
This morning we took our drive from Tartu to Ogre. It took a few hours (about three), and on the way we stopped at a gas station and saw a large Estonian biker gang. It was crazy.
2 Min Read
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Tour - 2022 Estonia/Latvia/Lithuania

May 8: Riga, Latvia

May 09, 2022 07:11 PM
We attended two sacrament meetings today, one in Russian and the other in Latvian. The meeting times got a little confused, leaving us very little time to eat in between, but we were able to sing at both services. Luckily we had already learned “I Am a Child of God” in Latvian, but we learned it in Russian on the bus ride to the church—yes, we learned a song in Russian in two minutes right before the performance. It was great.
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Tour - 2022 Estonia/Latvia/Lithuania

May 9: Riga, Latvia

May 10, 2022 05:31 AM
There was no internet at the hotel when the choir arrived back about 9 pm their time; this was sent in their morning today. It was a free day for everyone: some people went to the Ukraine benefits concert, some went to the Holocaust museum in Riga, other people just watched a movie or went shopping. It was really relaxed and everyone needed the break. There are many different photos from the students floating around Facebook and Instagram; but rather than go plundering this morning, I will just post a couple of bonus images by Jaren Wilkey, BYU's photographer who traveled with the choir for a few days of this tour.
1 Min Read
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Tour - 2022 Estonia/Latvia/Lithuania

May 10: Liepaja, Latvia

May 10, 2022 05:42 PM
My esteemed Blog Buddy must have had technical difficulties again, and this is the only window of time I have for the blog. Consequently, you will now have the treat of enjoying the day via the phone camera skills and postings of Stacey Christensen, Sam Speer, and Rachel Porter in Facebook and Instagram. Thanks for their unknowing contributions to the blog
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Tour - 2022 Estonia/Latvia/Lithuania

May 11: Liepaja, Latvia

May 11, 2022 07:29 PM
The Singers are currently in Liepaja, Latvia. Today we had free time to explore the city, including places like the Cathedral of St. John.
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Tour - 2022 Estonia/Latvia/Lithuania

May 12: Travel day to Klaipėda, Lithuania

May 12, 2022 06:59 PM
As we traveled through the rainy countryside today, there is a sense of both melancholy and nervous anticipation for the competition. We aren’t sure what to expect, and many are doing their due diligence on the bus, going over the music and battening down the hatches on final details. We are tired, but are trying to summon the energy and correct mindset to do what we need to—this is the main event of the tour after all!
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Tour - 2022 Estonia/Latvia/Lithuania

May 13: Klaipėda, Lithuania

May 13, 2022 04:14 PM
We started off the day bright and early at 9 am and immediately headed over to the first concert venue of the day. We didn’t have much time, leaving many of us warming up on the walk there, eliciting plenty of looks from those passing by. But we didn’t care—we were headed to represent our beloved university!
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Tour - 2022 Estonia/Latvia/Lithuania

May 14: Klaipėda, Lithuania

May 14, 2022 10:20 PM
Well, I might as well start out with the highlight of today—we made it to the Grand Prix! Only a handful of choirs were invited and we feel honored to be one of them!
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Tour - 2022 Estonia/Latvia/Lithuania

May 15: Klaipėda, Lithuania

May 15, 2022 09:22 PM
We won the Grand Prix!! We were pleasantly surprised to also win all three categories we entered. But ultimately, we had a grand time sharing our gifts and learning from the friends we made. It was a truly enriching experience that I think we’ll all remember for a long time.
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Tour - 2022 Estonia/Latvia/Lithuania

May 16: Travel to Vilnius, Lithuania

May 16, 2022 05:20 PM
Okay, today was busy!! We traveled to our last stop on tour, Vilnius. The bus ride was quite special today—we held the first annual Crane Awards! The section leaders and presidency members presented each member of the choir with a funny ‘anecdotal’ type award and an origami paper crane (yes, we had to fold 40 paper cranes). Other gifts were presented to our section leaders, grad students, and our incredible president, Courtney Lawson. Rebecca Miess even wrote Dr. Crane a book after his most famous song ‘quiet time,’ which we all signed and presented to him along with his paper crane crown. Needless to say, we love our director very much.
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Tour - 2022 Estonia/Latvia/Lithuania

May 17: Vilnius, Lithuania

May 18, 2022 10:13 AM
[Editor's note: This was received in pieces through the night, and is being posted soon after the choir boarded their flight in Amsterdam for their long flight back to Salt Lake City. They had a wonderful tour that they will always remember. Bravo to Nicole, Blake, and Rachel for their extra work at the end of long days to collect photos and write the blog! This last blog post has many photos without explanation given, so just enjoy!] We had a fantastic last day in the Baltics. Vilnius had beautiful sites to see and excellent food. We enjoyed the city for most of the day before getting ready for our last concert with the Sonoros choir.
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