Day 8
This day didn’t start off very emotional for many of us, but it most certainly ended that way. We kicked off the day bright and early with a dress rehearsal in the Teatro Solis. Considering we were down a couple members and extremely low on both sleep and morale, it went pretty well. Lunch followed soon afterwards and then we were given an hour of downtime. Since this concert was a Monday matinee, we were told that the audience would be mostly composed of schoolchildren, and that we even had to turn away schools that wanted to come. I didn’t think much of this, because none of our concerts so far had been sold out, but come concert time, there was not a seat in the audience to be found. All three of the balconies had been filled and we played accordingly; the seniors realized it was truly their final concert and poured their heart and souls into the music. After we had finished our set for the last time, we took a few pictures and headed out for a tour.
It felt strange to be touring a new city so late in the tour, but the bus tour of Montevideo was refreshing. We drove past Plaza Independencia and Puerto de Montevideo, two major landmarks of the country. Since we didn’t have a large lunch, our guides gave us time to stop at a mall for snacks. We also stopped at Museo del Carnaval, a museum showcasing Uruguay’s 45-day-long Carnaval. There was a drum demonstration that the percussionists got to participate in and the museum guides helped to shed light on South America’s “best kept secret.” On the bus back to the hotel, our Uruguayan tour guides tried to give us as much information about the city in the limited amount of time we had.
Our final dinner together was in a dining hall in the hotel. The staff gave their thank-yous to everyone involved in planning this tour and making it possible, and in keeping with tour tradition, Ms. Deutsch performed her tour song. She sang about the events of our tour in 10 verses, and the whole song ended up being around five minutes long. Listening to the lyrics made me realize just how much we have been through in eight short days. Following the speeches was the party, and there was a DJ playing really good music. Thinking back on it, this was a great way to close out our last full day together.
Tomorrow will begin our travels back to the States, where our homes and families are eagerly awaiting us. Hope to see you again soon, Uruguay!