After a full morning at Lithuanian Saturday School, three Toronto-based children‘s choirs assembled in the Resurrection Parish Hall on Saturday, February 26th, 2010 and spent the afternoon rehearsing their Song Festival repertoire.
After a pizza lunch, 70 young choristers from Gintareliai, Maironis Saturday School and Resurrection Parish Choirs took their places for their combined rehearsal. It began with the announcement that, this past February, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite had proclaimed Dalia Viskontas as a member of the Order of Lithuania for her work on behalf of Lithuania. Dalia will receive her medal at the Song Festival.
And then the rehearsal began in earnest. Each of the choir leaders (Deimante Grigutis, Janet Krisciunas, Anita Puodziunas and Artistic Director Dalia Viskontas), with accompanist Vilma Sabaliauskiene, took turns putting the choirs through their paces. Through stories, excercises, explanations and interpretations, the children gained an understanding of their role at the upcoming Song Festival. They were exemplary in their behaviour and their attention to the choir leaders.
These 70 children all live in the same city but meet only occasionally at Saturday school, playing basketball or at folk dance practices…but on February 26, they sang together and had a taste of the energy and spirit which they will experience at the Song Festival during the weekend of July 2-4, 2010.
