One of the high points of the Rockford Choirs 2014 European Tour was undoubtedly a stop en route to Vienna.
One year ago today, on the Fourth of July, we 57 Americans stopped at Mauthausen Concentration Camp. It had been liberated by American forces on May 5, 1945.
This camp is recognizable for its granite quarry (with its 186 “Stairs of Death”), its position in the Viennese countryside (not far from homes) and now its striking sculpture park, with memorial sculptures donated by countries across the world.
It was in that sculpture park that we joined hands closed eyes, and sang Frank Ticheli’s Earth Song. Its first words became the title of our CD, “sing…be…live…see…” and this moment became a touchstone for everyone on the tour.
Here’s our performance about a week later in Riga, Latvia.