Armenia Day 7 – Letters and Third Concert

Today, we started at 10 AM and after breakfast, we headed towards Vanadzor. On the way, we made two stops. First, we stopped at a monument of the Armenian language. There, the 36 Armenian letters carved from stone are spread across a meadow, and many took the opportunity to take photos with their initials. After that, we visited a church dating back to the 4th century, which is largely still intact. Along the way, we diligently practiced the text and melodies of many pieces to prepare for the concert in the evening.

Upon arrival in Vanadzor, we first unloaded our belongings at the concert hall before heading to lunch at the Jazz Café. The lunch was delicious, even though no jazz was played. ;)

We had free time until the rehearsal, and many treated themselves to ice cream, coffee, and snacks. At 4 PM, we finally gathered, rehearsed, and put together the program for the evening. Additionally, we had a birthday celebrant among us; Hanna Weidenbacher turned 16 today, and we sang a birthday serenade for her.

At 6 PM, the concert began, and as usual, it was opened by the host choir, which today was the Vanadzor Municipality Chamber Choir. They sang two Armenian pieces, each featuring a solo that the soloists performed impressively and powerfully. We presented a similar program to yesterday's and received standing ovations at the end. The joint pieces at the end of the concert also generated much enthusiasm in Vanadzor, and especially “Yerevan Erebuni” evoked many emotions once again. A joint “Grubbafoddo” with the Armenian choir was a lovely conclusion and will certainly stay in our memories.

Around 8:30 PM, we began our return to Yerevan. There, packing our bags was on the agenda, as we would be leaving Yerevan the next day, thus leaving our current hotel. Some explored Yerevan's city center one last time at night, while many went to sleep, as we had to set off again the next morning at 8 AM.