Fiesta de Canto

I spent this past weekend getting to know a new part of the country! The choir I am singing with at the Valdense church in Montevideo was part of a choral festival that was held in Miguelete, a tiny town about 2.5 hours from Montevideo. I left a day early because I was invited by Lucia, one of the girls who sings in the choir with me, to spend Saturday with her and her family in their home town Colonia. Colonia is the oldest town in Uruguay and is full of history. I got a quick tour and history lesson, but I am anxious to go back with more time to explore and take photos. It was truly a beautiful place! However, my main objective for the weekend was the choir festival on Sunday... We met in Miguelete with 8 other choirs from different parishes of the valdense church from Argentina and Urguguay. There was a church service in the morning followed by lunch and then the festival began. Each choir performed between 2 and 6 songs and then we all sang 3 different songs together for the grand finale. It was the longest choir concert I have ever been to. One of the churches did quite the rendition of "Oh when the Saints go Marching in" :) Any time they sing in english it makes me smile because of their accent... Overall it was really great to see so many people involved and excited about music and the church. At times it felt like I was at a giant family reunion because everyone seemed to know everyone. It was an exciting weekend and I am thankful for the hospitality that Lucia and her family offered me as well as the opportunity to meet new people, see new places and to continue learning new things!
I have a busy week ahead, but I am hoping to get some more photos posted soon!