Day 3 - Cathedrals, Crowds and Cheese Curds

We began the day with some brilliant news: all the missing luggage has arrived! Miss Taylor was up at the crack of dawn, hand-delivering suitcases to pupils’ rooms like a one-woman Christmas miracle. Who knew being reunited with a suitcase could bring such joy? It was genuinely heart-warming to see how much it meant — and we’re thrilled that everyone can now properly settle into the tour without feeling self-conscious or under-prepared. The pupils were so good about it all, but having everything now really does make a difference.

Today centred around an informal performance at the stunning Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral, followed by a much-needed afternoon of sightseeing and experiencing the best of Montréal. After yesterday’s packed performance schedule and long travel day before that, this balance of music and exploration was exactly what everyone needed.

The performance at the cathedral went really well. It was a relatively small but appreciative audience — mostly tourists coming and going — but many stayed for the entire set and clearly enjoyed what they heard. Miss Taylor had use of a full digital piano, which certainly helped the choir, though the acoustics (beautiful but rather “bouncy”) meant they had to work hard to stay in tune with one another. And work hard they did — it was impressive.

We also had lovely contributions from the Chamber Choir, including a beautiful rendition of the Ešenvalds Magnificat, which some may remember from our December concert in the RHS Chapel. Darcey, Kira, and Kyra gave confident solos in The Lord is My Shepherd, and Hebe and Issey reprised their solos in Be Thou My Vision — our unofficial tour anthem from Washington DC two years ago. It was wonderful to hear it again in such a majestic setting.

Straight after the choir, the band gathered on the cathedral steps and gave a lively outdoor performance. The crowd was enthusiastic and growing, with curious onlookers asking pupils about the school and filming our performance. In fact, across the road in an office block, staff were lined up at the windows watching us. Not sure how much work got done in that building this morning…

An unexpected local detail: just next to our performance spot is the Fairmont Hotel, which currently has an ongoing protest outside over a certain president’s trade tariffs. There was something quite surreal (and very Canadian) about our band playing cheerfully while a peaceful protest unfolded next door. Nevertheless, the crowd was great, and we certainly brought a buzz to downtown Montréal.

It was especially fun to revive Rather Be — possibly a little rusty at first (we last performed it over a year ago!) — but Mr Allen whipped it back into shape quickly, and we’re now tour-ready with that one. Naturally, we closed with Firework, which has firmly become the anthem of this tour.

The pupils clearly feel Mr Allen's selection of music needs changing...!

A highlight of the morning was the debut performance from our Corps of Drums display team, led by Ollie. Despite minimal rehearsal and a few last-minute equipment fixes, they absolutely nailed it, earning loud cheers from our pupils and the crowd alike.

After a quick stop back at the hotel to change and drop instruments, we headed off to explore Old Montréal. Pupils had free time to roam, shop, and enjoy the sunshine (which, by the way, was glorious — hardly a cloud in the sky). Several went on the big wheel for panoramic views of the city, while others strolled along the riverbanks, discovering that nearly everything in Canada can be infused with maple syrup. Purchases were made. Parents, prepare your cupboards.

Montréal is an architectural patchwork — sleek skyscrapers downtown, then across in the Old Town a fascinating mix of Parisian-style buildings and brutalist concrete blocks. It’s quite the contrast, and the pupils seemed to appreciate the character of the city as well as the usual array of tourist magnets.

Dinner this evening was at La Banquise, home to what is widely regarded as Montréal’s best poutine. For the uninitiated, poutine (the 'official food of Canada') is essentially wildly loaded French fries — cheese curds, gravy, and all sorts of extra toppings. Initial hesitation from pupils quickly turned into enthusiastic eating, and I can confirm that my Ground Beef Poutine was… an experience. Very tasty. And apparently, zero calories. I choose to believe this.

The day ended with a truly spectacular visit to Notre-Dame Basilica de Montréal to experience Aura — a sound-and-light 30 minute show that defies easy description. Featuring lasers, projection mapping, a stirring soundtrack, and the cathedral’s enormous pipe organ, the show explores nature, the seasons, biblical stories, and the building’s own architecture. Many pupils were visibly moved by the experience — stunned by both the technology and the sheer scale of it all. For many, this was a tourist highlight so far.

Now back at the hotel, pupils are very ready for a good night’s sleep. Tomorrow starts with a more relaxed pace — revision time for our exam groups, some local shopping for others — before our first school exchange, and then tomorrow evening’s big event: the NHL hockey match, featuring the Montréal Canadiens.

The adventure continues — and it’s proving to be a brilliant one.

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