Sing for Joy
After several relaxing days taking in the sights and sounds of Bordighera, the day of our second and final concert came swiftly upon us. After the triumph that was our Sing for Peace concert our confidence levels and expectations were sky high. This was greatly helped by a wonderful encounter some of us had with a Bordighera native who graciously interrupted a small choir dinner a day later at a local restaurant. Like an excited teenager meeting their favourite girl group, we were serenaded in a mixture of broken English and Italian and pronounced hand gestures as to how inspired she was by our performance. It appeared at this very moment that Bra-vissima were now local celebrities to be sought out and praised – if this is what Adele feels like .. honestly… we’ll take it.
It had become blatantly clear to all of us as the days passed between one concert and the next what an enormous amount of organisation had gone into this trip. None of us would have gotten here without months of dedication and hard work from our choir’s committee and our Italian co-ordinator Giovanna Garzia. The smooth well organised itinerary allowed for our off days to be filled with relaxing beach visits, people watching care of Bordighera’s many cafes, ice cream eating, day trips to Monte Carlo, and the Bordighera’s local market. Indeed, in the hours leading up to our final concert many of us could be found sunning ourselves by the hotel pool.
Our first concert, Sing for Peace had a focused religious programme made up of British, American and Canadian composers. The composers for our final concert Sing for Joy comprised of a similar nationality makeup, this time however the programme was more secular in nature.
During the afternoon of the day of our Sing for Joy concert, we donned our choir uniform once more and headed off via taxi to Vallebona, a small commune and medieval village located on a hillside and made up of narrow alleyways, squares and dark corners. A stoic choir member (thanks Jane!) volunteered herself to be the last to leave one of the main hotels to make sure everyone had gotten out of the pool.
We were dropped off at the main square and access point to the village and caught sight of the welcome board which without the need for translation was clearly all about Bra-vissima. With time to take in a drink at one of the few restaurants in Vallebona, it dawned on us that the 13th century tower just visible from our vantage point above us, and where the parish church was located, was up the hill and would require some deft and carefully placed footwork on an ascending path made up of ancient well-worn cobbles.
With the help of a local who drove a small 3-wheel van up the hill, we all reached the parish church intact. After a successful rehearsal we were shown to our ‘green’ room where we could change and ablut. Forget the coffee bar, air conditioning and wonky organ (see Sing for Peace blog); this time our tiny ‘green’ space was located just behind the church altar filled with hymn books, the church organ and various bits of old and broken furniture. The loo was located up a cramped spiral staircase to the right of the altar. It looked like a set from Oliver Twist -health and safety be damned. It was an extraordinary and indelible sight, totally in keeping with the medieval setting. We could not stop smiling.
The concert went well – we sang beautifully and the significant audience in attendance beamed throughout, with some holding their breath for sure. The end brought about rapturous applause, alongside hugs and copious handshaking. This was a jubilant choir tour where choir and audiences alike felt a sense of wonder, elation, excitement and enormous satisfaction. This tour is a special moment in our choir’s history – we will never forget it. The power of music and singing has changed lives – ours and the townsfolk of Bordighera.
Jo Clarke
