BYU Singers visit St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Tallinn.
The BYU Singers departed for their extended tour in the Baltics on Thursday, April 28. While traveling, students took opportunities to talk to others about their upcoming tour. On the flight from Salt Lake to Chicago, one student spent the entire flight engaged in conversation with a woman interested in the group’s tour. Both offered prayers for each other, and the woman asked for God to bless the BYU Singers on their journey. This tender experience helped both to feel friendship and unity.
The Singers arrived in Tallinn, Estonia, on Friday. The next day, they explored Old Town Tallinn, including Alexander Nevsky Cathedral and Toompea Castle. They met in the evening for a guided tour of the Estonian National Opera House. After the tour, they enjoyed a local production of My Fair Lady in Estonian at the opera house.
Sunday, May 1, the BYU Singers attended church at a local branch of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, where they sang as part of the sabbath services. After a quick refueling with lunch and naps, the Singers returned to the church to give their first tour concert. The local congregation donated the proceeds of the concert to benefit an orphanage near Tallinn, and they also prepared an Estonian feast for the BYU Singers after the concert. Everyone enjoyed good conversation and delicious food and left with smiles and hugs for their newfound friends.
On Monday morning, the performers rehearsed at Tallinn’s beautiful Kaarli Church. Afterward, they boarded a bus to Keila, where they painted a playground, raked leaves, and cleared the roads for a local orphanage. That evening the group returned to Tallinn, where they participated in a medieval-style feast at the Olde Hansa restaurant and sampled regional dishes like bear, elk, and wild boar sausages and potatoes.
