After the concert

Tonight's concert in Pamplona was...wow. We had a full house, over 1000 people in the audience tonight. The Spanish crowd was eager to hear the spirituals that we performed, but also loved the slower ballads. It was clear, though, that they were hungry for the fast, rhythmic, negro spirituals by Jester Hairston and Moses Hogan. Tonight, a man came up to our director, Ethan Sperry, and told him that the only way he will hear more beautiful music will be once he is in heaven. We are honored to be able to bring such joy to our audiences. The competition looms over us, just two days away. At dinner, after the concert, we met the choir competing from the Phillipines. They're amazing, as we found out when we sang for each other in the restaurant. Even though we are "competing" against each other, we just want to share good music, and do our best. We are interested in being in musical relationship with the other choirs, not in an adversarial relationship. We want to be friends. Sharing music is what it's all about. For us, win or not, if we can touch other choirs and audiences with our music, then this tour is a huge success. The trophies we have own don't matter nearly as much as the lives we have touched. I could show you a list of people who now follow us wherever we go, both virtually, and in person, thanks to having touched their lives with our music. Your music and relationships can have that same effect, my young friends. There is a time to compete, but I think that competition happens with yourself, not with others. You can't quantify what we do like you can with a foot race or a soccer game. There, you have a clear winner. In music, judges are all looking for different things, based on their own life experiences. Your job is to be your best self, regardless of what they think. This happens every day, in rehearsals, in hydration, in making sure you are always ready. Being a musician is a lifestyle, not a class, and you are old enough to start thinking about that. I'm proud of you for making these decisions. Enjoy the rest of your day!  More from me tomorrow! (It's after midnight here)