Tucson News NowCosta Concordia cruise ship survivor visits Tucson

A survivor from the cruise ship Costa Concordia that sank after hitting rocks off the coast of Italy, is visiting Tucson this week.

Professional singer Emily Lau, a Boston native, was here to perform Brahms Requiem with the Tucson Chamber Artists.

Lau and her husband Benjamin were among thousands of people trapped in the Costa Concordia cruise liner, on January 13th.

The ship hit rocks and overturned, after the captain allegedly steered it the wrong way.

Witnesses said water gushed into the cruise liner, causing it to sink thousands of passengers were left to fend for themselves.

The captain of the ship allegedly abandoned ship on a lifeboat, leaving passengers to take care of themselves.

Lau was at the Dove of Peace Church in Tucson, practicing their rendition of Brahms Requiem.  The group will be performing the song this weekend.

Lau said singing was the first thing that came back to her after the horror of living through the tragedy.  It gave her a sense of normalcy, to be singing again.

Lau said the song was close to her heart, as it was written by a composer who was grief stricken.  She described it as a song that was written for the dead, but instead was comforting the living.

Lau was on her honeymoon with husband Benjamin, and some relatives.  They were cruising the European coast line.  The accident took place on the fifth day of their cruise.

"Imagine the Titanic.  At the beginning we were quite calm.  We thought it was nothing.  By the time we realized it was something, there was no one to help," said Lau.

She said they were left to fend for themselves, and all they had access to was a lifeboat that was not operational.

What was supposed to be a romantic new beginning for a newly married couple started to look like it might be the end.

"We already said our final goodbyes, and I love you's.  We thought it was over.  We were just waiting for the ship to sink," said Lau.

In a desperate attempt to survive, the couple managed to climb to the higher part of the boat.

"We realized if we go to the low side, we will die," said Lau.

They hung on a rope off the side of the boat for two to three hours, until help arrived.

"After many hours a lifeboat that left came back for us.  In a very dangerous situation we did jump into the lifeboat, we got rescued," said Lau, but she added that their struggles continued.

Lau said no one was there on shore to help them when the lifeboat full of injured and shocked passengers arrived.  Her husband was sick, and there was no one there to help them.

Even the U.S. embassy was of very little help.

Despite the ordeal, Lau says she does not blame the whole incident on the captain of the cruise liner, who is now accused of manslaughter, causing a shipwreck, and abandoning his passengers before evacuating them first.

"It was not the fault of the captain alone.  He is just a scapegoat.  It was complete indifference of a huge company, and government, and a lot of different people not doing their jobs."

Lau said they never received a safety briefing, and didn't even know where their life jackets were.

Now, one month after the tragedy, Lau is still seeing counselors and trying to heal from the horror of that day.

For the first time since the incident, Lau said she was ready to start re-gaining her life back.  She made the trip to Tucson to sing with the Tucson Chamber Artists this year, a trip that she feels will help her with her healing.

The group will perform Brahms Requiem this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.  The time and locations are listed below.

You can get more information at www.tucsonchamberartists.org.

Brahms Requiem

Friday, February 17, 7:00pm
Valley Presbyterian Church
2800 S. Camino Del Sol, Green Valley

Saturday, February 18, 7:30pm
Catalina Foothills High School Auditorium
4300 E. Sunrise Drive

Sunday, February 19, 2:00pm
Catalina United Methodist Church
2700 E. Speedway Boulevard

Featuring TCA Chorus, Soloists and Orchestra