2022 Ottawa & Montreal

Unisong day 1 ! Sasha

Today marks a very exciting day for many of our choristers……… the start of their first-ever tour with the Calgary Children’s Choir!

Choristers and chaperones met at the airport this morning, full of excitement (and a little bit of nerves). We then made quick work of learning our last-to-arrive Unisong piece while waiting to board, before setting off for our week of singing and adventures!

Upon arriving in Ottawa, we hopped on a bus to the school where we will be rehearsing for the next few days in preparation for the Canada Day celebrations! We met our Unisong conductor as well as many new francophone friends from the east coast.

After rehearsal, we headed to our dorms to settle in for the night, and prepare for a long day of rehearsals tomorrow!

Day 2, by Gabe Berko

We woke up this morning and headed off to breakfast, which was a beautiful spread with many tasty options for the choristers.

We then boarded the bus for our first full day of Unisong preparations. We made our way to the rehearsal school, where we dove right into our music, polishing some of it in preparation for the Canada day celebration dress rehearsal. After a few hours of practice, we got on the big yellow bus and drove to the dress rehearsal stage.

Backstage we got to see some incredible Canadian musicians, dancers, and speakers. After a long and rewarding dress rehearsal, we had sandwiches and got once again on the bus to more rehearsals back at the school.

Outside the school, a few of our choristers found some cute snails! Inside, we had burgers for dinner and finished up rehearsal for the night, got on the bus, and made our way to the dorms for a night’s rest in preparation for day 3.

Day 3

Today was packed full of excitement! We started with breakfast, followed by a rehearsal with our talented conductor Robert and the Acadian choir at the school. We then walked to the Byward market filled with incredible artist and vendors where choristers were able to purchase souvenirs for themselves or there family’s.

Next up on our itinerary was the gorgeous National Art Gallery where we were able to see art of all eras and styles, focusing specifically on Canadian and Indigenous works. Choristers were able to split into small groups and make their own way around the museum, which allowed for many discussions about our differing experiences and emotions evoke by the artwork.

Finally, we had our last rehearsal at the National Art Centre which included a dress rehearsal with the National Art Centre Orchestra with whom we are preforming a peace with. This also included our Unisong dress rehearsal for our own concert where we perfected our repertoire. Everyone is looking foreword to presenting our music to the public for the first time tomorrow!

July 1st 2022

Bonne fete du Canada

Today the Calgary Children’s Choir/the Calgary Boys Choir had an exciting day. The morning was filled with food, exploration, and planning as we all got ready to perform (on the big stage!) for the 2022 Canada day celebration.

The hard work put in paid off during all three of our performances; one at La Breton Flats, and the other two at the National Arts Centre. All performances were well executed and we all had a blast at every one of them.

The night of Canada day, choristers were given the chance to explore. We went to Byward market and bought trinkets to take home with us. All in all it was a great day. Happy Canada day, Bonne fete Canada!

July 2 – Simone

We made it to Montreal! Our train ride was 2 hours through the beautiful countryside. We passed vast fields similar to the ones around Calgary, and small towns and farms were abundant. The ride went by quickly as we looked out the window, read, and made friendship bracelets. We were also allowed a short walk around the train car to stretch our legs. Throughout the entire experience, the VIA rail staff was very helpful and patient. The train ride will be a great memory from the tour!

When we arrived in Montreal we walked to our new residences at McGill University. After sorting out room keys and dropping off our suitcases, we went for lunch. We could choose between a shop above ground or the underground mall food court at the Metro station. We ate in our very nice hotel rooms.

This evening we went for a board walk on the Saint Lawrence River. We walked around in small groups going to shops and eating a delicious dinner from the food trucks. At sunset, we sat down together and enjoyed an amazing firework show! In almost total darkness, we sang the whole way back to McGill. We went to bed to bed excited about our trip to 6 Flags amusement park tomorrow. Today was an excellent day!