E Himeni Kakou- a choir festival

BYUH Concert Choir was invited to participate in the E 'Himeni Kako which is a choir festival of all the Collegiate choirs on the island- there were 9 choirs representing 6 campuses.   We left school at 11:30am via school-bus.  The festival was held at Kawaiaha'o Church in Honolulu.  It was quite a drive.  Dr Eph Ely was there to work with us.  We got there around 1pm and rehearsal started at 2:10pm.  There were 6 group numbers and 3 of them were in Hawaiian.  We, the byuh students, had the music but we went over it maybe twice about 2 months ago and haven't looked at it since.  

 

The head people kept throwing out Hawaiian words like we knew what they were saying.  Nope, definitely didn't.  

Kawaiaha'o Church is really old and really pretty and is in the middle of town.  It was built in the 1800s (?) and has paintings of all the Hawaiian royalty from the time the Church came to the islands.  The acoustics in that place are incredible.  Their pipe organ is cool, the pipes are very tarnished and it looks....like a typical (not LDS) Church.  


Oh- policy dictates that NO SHOES are to be worn on the stand.  Which means we performed barefoot.  AWESOME!

The festival started at 6:30.  We had 10 min to practice at 5 and then we went outside to eat dinner that we brought with us.  I was sitting on the grass outside the church- we all were- talking with Erin Hoff about how much we wanted to take a nap.  I was facing the street and I watched a city bus drift over the wrong lanes and crash into the wall by the entrance to the Church parking way.  

First on the scene?  BYUH students.  We wear very distinctive Aloha wear, do we not?  Nobody was in the bus.  Nobody was in front of the bus.  Nobody got hit.  No cars were hit (this is a very busy intersection).  The driver was the only one there.  We watched, we prayed for him.  

I kinda wanted someone to give him a blessing.  There were enough priesthood holders there, it would have been really simple; but that isn't my call.  News people came.  13 police cars. 2 Ambulances (one left almost as soon as it came). 3 firetrucks (not very attractive firemen though ;] ) 

They closed the roads so that the bus could be removed.  
The festival still continued.  
I don't know if people usually go to these types of things. 
I would, but I'm weird.  
Well, anyone who was going to go....couldn't get there.

So this was our audience.

We performed.  Everyone performed.  We were the only choir that was lively...and boy, were we lively.  
I'll alert you if it ever makes it to YouTube.  
The choir (which hear means 'the schoolbus driver') was told that the concert would end at 8 and we would be on the bus, leaving by 8:15.  
False.  
We left at around 9pm.  The concert was not over yet, we walked out during the last song because our bus driver was going to leave us.  It was fine for the girls, we were in the rafters.  The guys literally filed out from the center of the church.  It was kinda cool to see this sea of red flowing through the isle leaving behind the rest, but still- a little embarrassing.   


We were the only group that sang something religious.  While we sang, I watched Dr Ely watch us.  He cried.  He was very moved and I could see it on his face.  His house basically burned to the ground, it's been a very tough time for him.  He spoke in rehearsal about the word 'Alleluia'.  There is no other word like it, in every language it is the same.  It expresses love and joy in the divine.  There is a very powerful 'Alleluia' section in our last number- WE loved it.  HE loved it.  Dr Belnap says it was worth all the hassle and the struggle to get there just for him.  Yup.