Day 6: Prague

Our first full day in Prague began with a hearty breakfast at the hotel, after which we boarded the buses to head to the State Opera House. The theater was ornately decorated with white and gold painted carvings on each doorway and pillar, and a large fresco depicting the different arts was on the ceiling above the over 1000 seats in the audience. The foyer was also grand with chandeliers and red carpet on the stairs. After touring the opera house we departed on the buses for St. Salvator church, our concert venue in Old Town Prague. We were awed during rehearsal by the gorgeous space and 7 minute reverb, which made us more and more excited to sing the concert. Situated just inside the Vltava River by the Charles Bridge, the church was in a prime location to attract tourists and locals to hear us sing. After rehearsal we grabbed a quick bite to eat before driving up to the Prague Castle for some more sightseeing. Amazingly the Prague Castle and Wenceslas Cathedral were untouched by destruction during World War II, so the beautiful stained glass windows in the cathedral and thankfully preserved. We walked down from the castle on the hill all the way back across the Charles Bridge to the concert venue and performed at 3:30 after mass was over. Everyone agreed that singing in that church was one of the most memorable moments of the trip so far. The acoustics were incredible and the music sounded as though it was made for such a beautiful space. The audience was not extremely large but they were incredibly engaged and lively. Two women in the audience knew the words to all the Czech pieces we sang and were thrilled with the men's piece, Tancuj. After celebrating the end of a spectacular concert, some of us returned to the hotel to change while others stayed out in town for dinner and shopping near Old Town Square.
Nichole Gerber, CLAS 2016, Biology