21st September 2026
And The Bucegi Mountains Echoed …
Thoughts following Sinaia Forever Festival 2026 and Thame Chamber Choir’s tour in Sinaia, Thame’s twin town in Romania by Felicia Mirza, member of Thame Sinaia Friendship Association, resident of Sinaia
Have you ever wondered why mountains echo?
Have you ever wondered why the echo is so different each time?
Well, there might be an answer.
Sometimes the mountains echo with music .The sounds we perceive can be “good’ or ‘bad’, because each sound stands for a symbol. They trigger affective and emotional responses in our hearts, souls, bodies.
For three days, Sinaia celebrated the traditional “Sinaia Forever Festival”.
Music, book exhibitions, talks, displays of hand-made objects and jewelries, grilled food , cakes , street artists ,all attracted the locals, the tourists and the official guests representing the twin towns of Sinaia.
The moment I was most waiting for was the open air concert delivered by SinArmonia and Thame Chamber Choir : joyful, with loud sounds that carried energy and travelled far. The rain joined in with a soft rhythmic tap on my head and on people’s umbrellas. It felt like the raindrops became an instrument that found its cue, grounding the notes in the cool, damp afternoon.
For two hours , music transformed the little square in the heart of Sinaia into something ancient and sacred: the warmth of folk music paired with the deep chants of Byzantine melodies, while the downpour outside acted like a rhythmic heartbeat.
The highest level of intensity was reached at the Catholic Church, with the most exciting and important performance from Thame Chamber Choir.
Two songs clang on my soul: “I believe in the sun, even when it’s not shining” and “Swing low, sweet chariot”. One song about faith and endurance, the other one about the journey to heaven when you cross the Jordan River and leave behind all earthly troubles to enter Promised Land.
And, to my big surprise, the next day, I was asked by some people who attended the concert, to translate the songs into Romanian. This means a lot, this means success , appreciation, love.
The Catholic Church echoed with the music which slipped over the heavy oak doors, left the stone walls behind and drifted out over our busy town.
It was a moment in time, which I’d like to recapture . Who knows?
Maybe ,one day , Thame Chamber Choir and SinArmonia could bring the same happiness at The Black Church in Brasov. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?
Before saying “Good Bye” , I would like to thank you all for making the weekend of the festival an unforgettable event:
Mr. Vlad Oprea, Mayor of Sinaia, Mr. Andy Wainwright Thame’s Deputy Mayor, Mr. Duncan Aspden Musical Director of Thame Chamber Choir ,Mrs. Mariana Cojoc Wisernig, Honorary Director of ASPE Sinaia, members of SinArmonia Choir and Thame Chamber Choir.
Saying “Thank you” is a gratitude I will treasure. Your concert was the proof that “Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take. Life is measured by the number of people and places that take our breath away”.
