Tuesday, August 16
By Katie Stenson and Melissa Legge

It was our last day in Salta, our adopted home, and it dawned colder than the previous mornings. Being the first day since we arrived that the Ars Nova singers had school, we spent the day together as a choir on a walking tour. First we walked to the San Francisco Church where we saw a small procession in honour of St. Lorenzo, the patron saint of both dogs and the sick. Next we continued to the main Cathedral of Salta. Though it was less imposing than the San Francisco Church in size, the gleaming gold designs and intricately-done patterns, far outshone anything many of us had seen before.

From there we went to two museums – El Cabildo, the historical home of two of Argentina’s former Presidents. The other was El Musee Alto Montana where we learned about the ancient Incan culture and the discovery of three mummified children.

Posters promoting the concert





As the day warmed up we had some time to shop around before joining our billet families for a large lunch. In the afternoon the choir broke apart to do as they pleased. Some stayed home to rest while others went shopping. At that time a select few were taken to be officially welcomed by the Governor of Salta.

Finally at 6:30pm we made our way to the concert hall for rehearsal. By the time it came to sing, we had shared our favourite memories of the last few days. Teary-eyed and on an emotional high, we finally stepped onto the stage to deliver one of our most amazing concerts yet. Finishing with a joint set of songs with Ars Nova was the perfect way to end our time in Salta.

The Salta Concert