Day 6: Rio de Janeiro

Wow. Just wow. All I can say is that the concert today was unbelievable. Definitely the highlight of the trip so far. More details in a few minutes.

The morning started off easy. We had a free morning so we all slept in a little (but not too late to miss breakfast). Pretty much the entire group went to Copacabana Beach, just two blocks from the hotel. The cool green water splashed and swelled as we waded and swam. A few people made sandcastles, and Myles got turned into a sand mermaid.

Having returned from the beach, we had free time for lunch on our own, shopping, and rest. Of particular interest was the local music megastore, where a group purchased some samba, bossa nova, and other music.

When it was finally time to go, we loaded the buses and drove to a nice church in Ipanema. Smaller than the cathedral yesterday, this church was still beautiful and produced some nice overtones nonetheless.

After a quick dress rehearsal, we had some time to change and nibble on the snacks provided for us. Then came the concert.

To begin with, we performed most of our pieces better than yesterday (and changed the repertoire slightly). However, the audience truly made the concert the highlight of the week. Though last night's audience was quite receptive, they were vastly outdone by tonight's audience. The crowd practically filled the entire church, and we even drew passersby off the streets. Beyond that, the audience clapped and screamed loudly after every song. I don't think I've ever seen such a positive response to "Bring Me a Little Water, Sylvie," and we practically had a standing ovation before we started "O Pato," a popular Brazilian song (half the audience even sang along).

But the best part of the concert was the finale. When the entire audience started singing and waving their hands with us to "Singabahambayo," I could feel the spirit of the entire Carioca people and their appreciation of life. They applauded so loudly at the end of the concert that we repeated "Singabahambayo" as an encore, filing out of the church as we did. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

After the concert, we quickly changed into street clothes and walked a block or two to a late dinner. This Italian(-ish) restaurant worked much like the Brazilian barbecue places, but instead of serving us endless amounts of meat, the waiters ran around with all sorts of pizza. They even had dessert pizzas (chocolate with strawberries, pineapple coconut, and even a chocolate and cream calzone).

Returning to the hotel, we settled in somewhat early, as the rain prevented much socialization on the roof and as we anticipated our flight in the morning.