During the siege of Gorazde in 1994, Samir Obar?anin, the director of the music school, resolved to form a choir. First, there were just eight adolescent girls; now we are 26 from ages 14-19. I sing soprano, and I am a soloist, too. Since 1996, we have traveled all over Europe and Asia Minor: Italy, France, Croatia, Turkey, Germany, Austria (twice), and Spain. Without exception, our engagements are thrilling, but one of the most recent ones in Austria last year plays in my memory as a poignant refrain.

Graz, in southern Austria, has been our “sister city” for a long time. Business people, sports teams, political and cultural groups make exchanges. We ourselves were honored to receive an invitation to give a concert on November 19 at their prestigious conservatory.

Mr. Obar?anin or Tifa, as he is affectionately known to us, demanded of us many rehearsals. After weeks of practice, the moment came to go. We traveled all night by bus to get there.

Our hosts welcomed us warmly and explained the details of the performance to be held the next day. We were very nervous to be sharing the stage with their all-male choir which would sing some of its repertoire. Our hosts then settled us in a hostel. Afterwards, they took us sightseeing and shopping. The selection even in the grocery stores dazzled us.

In no time, we were filing onto the stage in our scarlet gowns. Though we had jitters, we were proud to show the audience what our little choir from Gorazde can offer. We sang Sevdalinke, traditional Bosnian melodies and some pop tunes, including “Only You,” by Elvis Presley. Our Austrian male counterparts sang Mozart, Beethoven, Schumann. The audience expressed its delight with several curtain calls.

In the green room afterwards, Tifa embraced us as always. A crowd pressed on us with words of praise. One Austrian man, addressing us in English, had tears in his eyes. “It is a miracle that you could sing during the terrible war in your country.” In contrast to the others gathered, he was not finely dressed, and his face showed wear. We felt his care. “It’s people’s souls that make them people, not material things,” he reminded us.

When we sing, we hold our souls out to everyone who understands music enchanting. No matter the circumstances in life, it is most important to have humanity.

*Lyrics from The Magic Flute by W.A. Mozart.