On the first day of July, I was woken up by harsh sun, which meant that another thrilling day had just begun. After classes, during which we practised our sense of movement, musical reflex, rhythmic improvisations, and loads of other things igniting imagination, it looked like an exciting day. The classes, as usually, started in the morning what was a great challenge for some people, especially considering the previous evening integration. Despite tiredness, all participants arrived on time and started the training diligently. The workshops were led by Anna Bajak, the conductor of Polish choir 'Sienna Gospel Choir'. When the choristers made the first sounds, one may have heard the difference in the tone of three different choirs. This connection was amazing, but we were far from cohesion and precision. We knew what was our next task for the following hours. The first exercises - the choristers of Sienna Gospel Choir - were obvious to us, but they appeared funny and unknown to our friends. The choristers from Lvov and Minsk, who sing in classical choirs on a daily basis, confronted significant challenge in making the sounds of entertainment musicians. However, our amazing instructor guided our voices so perfectly that after a short period of time we started to sound like a band singing together for ages.
One of the most wonderful moments of the day was dinner, during which we were talking, listening to music and getting know each other better. The break time induced us to conversations and discovering language differences.
After short rest, there was also the rehearsal of Polish songs to hold. All together, we went to the old Powder Magazine Theatre where we had classes that day. In the rehearsal room, Anna Bajak had already been waiting for us, and she was to conduct the second part of the workshops. The conductor chose a gospel song for us with Polish lyrics, titled 'Oh wonderful day!' and two songs in English. It was a great surprise for us when Marinna from Concordia Choir performed solo the song "My desire". At the beginning her voice sounded very classic, but she felt more and more confident with every next performance, and she surprised us with her new ideas and her voice sounding like the one from a real gospel choir. The third song which was very energetic brought us a lot of joy. The tough, however fruitful day finished with the learning of "Let Freedom Ring" song. Feeling tired, but happy as well, we could rest and recollect another day.
We went to Jam Session to "Barometer" pub where we spent a really nice evening. It's a pity that these days are over...
