July 2: Good Morning Croatia! - Carmen's Perspective

We are in Croatia! Our first full day in Zagreb was extremely exciting and fun. Singers had just spent their first night in their new host families and with their new roommates. The morning was a really early start because we had to be at the TV station at 6:00am for a sound check to perform on “Good Morning Croatia.” Thankfully, all of our singers got to the station on time, which only means that our hosts are amazingly organized! We are so grateful!!!

Singers had a quick sound check rehearsal before going to our green room to relax and warm up. Singers started to eat the breakfast that their hosts packed for them. One of our singers, Alexis, had packed crepes for breakfast and I was so jealous! After a bit of waiting around for the show to start, a producer pulled Jane and I into the makeup room. That was pretty exciting for me since I rarely wear makeup, especially on tour (because when would I have time for that).

The singers performed two songs and Jane and I were interviewed about the organization. The whole thing was pretty quick and we left shortly after our performance to carry on with our day.

On our way to our rehearsal, we stopped at a few beautiful water fountains to take a group photo. What was going to be just a quick stop turned into a 30-minute much-deserved playtime in the fountains.

All together at the fountain before getting in.

Luke, Maddy, and Kristen taking in the mist.

“I feel so ALIVE,” says Cora.

These fountains turned out to be coordinated with epic orchestral music and as the music played, the singers proceeded to cool off by getting further and further into the fountains until many of them were soaked. Some singers were actually swimming in the 2-foot deep water. We were thrilled to see a beautiful rainbow emerge from the fountains. Our singers were blissed out and having so much fun; it was paradise!

Cora, Hollis, and Eva having a blast!

The walk to the tram station in the heat of the day dried everyone off surprisingly quickly. We took the tram back to the Zvjezdice rehearsal space to rehearse until lunch.

Rehearsal with Kimani outside.

A short walk away, the restaurant served us family-style roast meat and grilled vegetables with great side salads. Everyone was bartering between tables for the things they wanted off the other’s plates. We returned to the rehearsal space after lunch to continue our rehearsal. After about an hour, we spend about 45 minutes resting before taking the tram to the park where we would perform a full concert.

Zrinjevac Park

The jellyfish of the park.

We arrived to a beautiful park that was packed with people and there was a book festival there with an amazing jellyfish art installation above it all. In the center of the park, there was a big gazebo being set up for OUR performance. Our performance drew a decent sized crowd who especially enjoyed Kimani’s audience interaction during the World Rhythm Ensemble’s performance. Many members of our host choir were at the park, and after it was over all the singers went home to spend the evening with their host families. It was a great opportunity to perform in a very professional setting and they all enjoyed it thoroughly. It was a great first day in Zagreb and first day with two performances. The singers did so well and we are very proud of them!

- Carmen

The World Rhythm Ensemble in Zrinjevac Park.

Singer of the Day: Maddy; for being an huge support to the other singers and staff during a long, hot day of rehearsal and fun.