Saturday Night concert

Three choirs are due to sing in the first half: A men's quartet from Georgia, a mixed adult quartet from Australia and St John's College choir. St John's College choir is the only children's choir, and also the first choir from the continent from Africa to sing at the festival. The fact that we have been invited to sing at the final concert is a wonderful opportunity.

The boys have had a long day - a morning rehearsal in the concert hall with organ, back to the hotel to change, luncheon and performance, back to the hotel, rest, and then a warm-up before the concert. Unfortunately our final sound check in the concert hall with the organ was moved earlier than originally planned, which meant that the very important resting time before the concert would be cut in half. I made the decision to do away completely with the final sound check, as a resting period is more essential for the boys. An additional aspect is the ever change of humidity and temperature which begins to affect the stability of the voices: We move from the hotel (at 20 degrees C and 50% humidity) into the road in 35 degrees C and an 85%+ humidity, to the underground with a situation very similar to the hotel's, and so forth. Three boys have now lost their voices completely in the process of the changing temperture and humidity.

We walk into the security area with our tags around our necks. Members from a Chinese choir awaits our arrival at the door, and when they see the boys appearing they start singing strains from our "Dubula", imitating the African music movements. They applaud loudly when the boys smile at them, and I start the warm-up at 18:25 with the realisation that tonight's performance will be without the crucial final sound check. Then Charlise, one of our guides, walk into the warm-up rehearsal and says: "The organisers can give you 20 minutes before the concert to do a final sound check." Five seconds later we march in three rows up the two levels straight into the concert hall, and use 15 of the granted 20 minutes. Just what was needed - the balance is good, Cameron Upchurch's registration works very well, and slight adjustments are done here and there. The boys are in good voice and in even better spirit.

We have our Chinese take away supper together, then the final dress, then the final warm - up, sorting our a treble who has fallen ill, hand out gifts to our two wonderful guides Charlese and Terence, get out of our shoes and socks, and move up to the green room area. The concert hall is totally packed, and not a single seat is available. The first choir sings, and we are next. The boys are excited, but not nervous. They cannot wait to start. Then the doors are flung open, we walk in three rows with "Siyahamba", followed by the first strains of the San Gloria with organ. The entrances are precise, diction is clear, intonation mostly faultless. The boys sing with their hearts, and the audience warms to the strange combination of African, Bushmen and western music with organ. At the end of the dissonant ending of the "Amen" there is silence for two seconds, and then the applause starts. Someone brings flowers, I gesture to Cameron who acknowledges the applause from the audience, and then the shouting for an encore starts. Clerly there must be South Africans in the audience. Then Sidumo takes over from me with the choir's redition of "Dubula". The boys leave the stage with pride and make their way down to the green room. The sense of musical fulfillment sets in, and they cannot believe this was the final performance.

We have been invited to the after party, where we arrive with the Philharmonic choir after their performance of Handel's "Israel in Egypt". The other choirs also arrive, and the conductors are given an opportuity to address everyone present. I thank the organisers for a superbly organised festival, and make the point that the boys have been given a life changing experience in Taipei.

We leave after 23:00 with a poster flag (intended for the music department) smuggled to us by one of the organisers of the festival.

Final instructions in the bus to the boys about the mext morning's 4:45 wake up call, and then we leave the bus for the hotel for the last time to do the final packing.

On Sunday morning all the boys arrive on time and we start with our packed breakfast at 6:15 from the Sheraton. Most of the boys have had little sleep, but the excitement of the previous night's performance is still ligering. Yes, we are on a high, and a well-deserved one!