Sometimes you hope that things come true. Sometimes there are things you don’t believe they can come true. But nevertheless, they happen.

Yesterday evening in Shaoxing the 6th World Choir Games 2010 closed. A clapper in the form of a fish head stroke the bell and, thus, the Games seemed to be over. Who said not to count your chickens before they are hatched? And who decides when and where the World Choir Games will be over?

Nobody believed that something unexpected could still happen now. But for a short moment everyone forgot that everything is possible at all times right up to the end. The audience got up from the seats, we said goodbye to our guests. But then it sounded from the edge of the stage: “We’ve forgotten a choir. One of the Champions has not been on stage…”
Oh, dear destiny, don’t do that to us, please! Not on the last day and less than ever just now, when everything should already be over. But destiny came up with something special for us and the poor choir from Hongkong.

Backstage there was an upset choir and an angry, disappointed choir conductor. They had sat in the audience and missed their performance as Champion in the category “Mixed youth choirs”. Backstage one thought they had decided not to participate in the closing concert. The girls were crying. I was trembling. Others stood there, stunned. How could this happen? The 6th World Choir Games had just been closed and never before a choir had missed the closing performance.

While some were trying to calm things down, others organized the World Choir Games after the World Choir Games, on a stage that was already being removed. Suddenly the casual Americans of the “Voices of Unity” choir sauntered through the backstage area and it didn’t take long to create the ambience of a small concert hall on the empty stage. All assisted in arranging chairs, pulling up the weighty bell, moving the piano to the right position for the pianist. Then the crying girls and distraught guys went on stage accompanied by thunderous applause of all involved. When the choir started to sing its piece, all became quiet. A wave of rare feelings was wafting over the stage and touched everybody. We, compassionately, let our tears run. What else can you do in such a moment, when no consoling words are on the tip of one’s tongue?

Finally, the guys of “Voices of Unity” hugged the girls, squeezed them and joked. Here the girls of the “SKH Lam Woo Memorial Secondary School” choir from Hongkong smiled, yet again.

(dag)