What a lovely day in the city. I began my day bright and early at 10am at a café called Nica. They had a dining room and takeout window. I had a yogurt parfait for breakfast with figs, bananas, nuts, and cereal. Everyone at my table got the cutest latte art. I visited the San Telmo indoor market along with many others from the choir. I ran into Prof. Graham and she gave me a hug (thank you, I needed one)! I did lots of shopping and was able to spend my USD thanks to some kind shop owners. Our final, and largest, adventure was to La Plata for city exploration and a concert! We sang “The Road Home” by Stephen Paulus with Tous Ensemble. There was a gorgeous soloist, muy bueno! Emiliano Linares, director of Tous Ensemble, was gracious and kind. We made lots of friends from the other choir. The audience was ecstatic and thanked us for coming. Overall, it was a chilly day with moisture in the air full of support and singing. I look forward to more days like today :)...
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Today was our first full day in Buenos Aires! We began the day learning how to navigate the subway system. This was my first time ever riding a subway and I was happily surprised with how smooth of a ride it was and so convenient (and cheap). We located our rehearsal space in a small dance studio with a beautiful outdoor garden. We began a very detailed and productive rehearsal to refine our a cappella music for our concert tonight. It's been very rainy, so the room became a bit warm and stuffy from the humidity. After rehearsal, we had free time to explore the city. Karina, Lucy, Meg, and I set off to go to the LDS Buenos Aires temple. We learned from Javier that Ubering was the most reliable way for direct transportation to our destination which allowed us to communicate our destination without worrying about the language barrier, pay online without needing pesos, and to have a set price without haggling. Initially we tried taking public transport and acquired a bus ...
Hello from beautiful Buenos Aires! Today Shrine embarked on two wonderful tours that helped me feel more connected to the history and feel of this city. First was a tour of the Teatro Col ó n opera house, with its high marble walls and stained-glass ceilings, it was a lovely blend of Italian, French, and English architecture. After the tour (and for me a yummy lunch of the juiciest fried chicken) we hopped over to the Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires, where we had the opportunity to see 3 exhibits from Argentinian artists with a wide range of styles and mediums. I've included some of my favorites for you, and if you're caught up with my posting buddies, you can see we have similar taste! León Ferrari, " M ú sica ", Ink on Paper Hose Horna, "La Marinetta (The Puppet), Sculpture Mondongo, Juliana Laffitte and Manuel Mendanha, "Calavera #05 (Skull #05)" Plastiline on wood Once I had thoroughly looked over the different exhibits (it took...
Hola! Mi nombre Bailey White! It’s now the 5th day of Shrine of The Ages International Tour and what a day it was. After an eventful night of tango lessons and a brilliant Tango performance at Madero Tango, I basically died in my bed and resurrected 7 hours later to the alarms I set when I was much more motivated to explore the city. After snoozing until 8:30 my roomie, Mia, and I woke up and got ready for a day of guided tours through Teatro Colón, a trip to the Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires (MALBA), and the famous El Alteño Grand Splendid, which had me the most excited. Our First stop for the day was the Teatro Colón, one of the world’s most opulent and grandiose opera/performance venues, and most certainly in Argentina. With influences from many different cultures and countries and the funding of local wealthy families, Teatro Colóns creation was motivated by a pride and love for Argentina and her people. Pictures could not do the theatre justice, because around...
¡Hola! Me llamo Hope y canto como soprano dos en Shrine. This post is the result of a sudden burst of energy at 2 a.m. after the tango show (of course, lol). It's long, but it's worth it! 💃💃🕺🕺🇦🇷🇦🇷💙💙🎶🎶 The day began with a brisk walk at 7:15am to the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral and Plaza de Mayo. The sky was a rich idigo hue which highlighted the intricate white architecture beautifully. A phrase I consistently say during this trip is, "woooah that railings, pillars, terrace, etc. is gorgeous...". Additionally, Buenos Aires smells even more like metallic sea air at dawn than midday which was lovely. The city reminds me of Seattle, WA from the misty sea aesthetic and the trees. Fun Fact: the really cool building is the home church of late Pope Francis! It is very elegant and breathtaking. After my morning adventure, I joined more friends to eat an early breakfast at a Cafe. I ordered Cafe de la Leche (coffee) with this coffee cake/pastry-thing that...
Today was one of the most fun days I’ve had on this trip so far! Starting out the morning right, I went to a café with some friends and enjoyed a nice cup of coffee and some pastries. Afterwards I gathered up the guys and we went out to start our market trip! We first went to the first market called San Telmo. It was pretty close by and was absolutely beautiful inside. The stores were awesome to look through and I bought some really neat stuff! Practicing my Spanish has been fun for me especially making conversation to purchase an item. When we got through the entire market, we took an uber to the Feria de Mataderos. This was a larger market about 30 minutes from the first. Our uber driver didn’t speak any English which was another great opportunity to attempt to speak in Spanish. We successfully had a conversation and were able to communicate with him throughout the ride. The Feria de Mataderos was amazing. There was live group dancing in the center and a whole array of sho...
I started out this morning with exploring Plaza de Mayo, listening to the morning bells chime and watching the sun come up. After this, I headed back to the hotel to meet up with a small group to get breakfast - most of the group got cafe con leche or espressos with pasteles or a savory meal of huevos, jamon, y tostada. This fueled us for a long day of exploring a weekly Sunday market: Ferrio de Mataderos. Here, we saw group dancing, live music, and many leather, jewelry, and food goodies! After adventuring around the market we took the Subte back to the hotel to get ready for a Tango dance lesson. Here, we learned lots about the basics of Tango: feeling a ‘oneness’ to your partner as your two beings form into one, trusting each other, and being open to the process (after all, I don’t think any of us really mastered the dance quite yet). I think these same skills can be applied to our ensemble too, and just had a fun time dancing with my lovely partner Sarah. To end the night, we celeb...
¡Hola! I am a first year graduate student in composition, and this is my fourth international choir tour. In between all the fun we’ve been having, Shrine gave our first Argentina concert last night with a local group called Cámara XXI. This was such an enriching experience, and it was personally enhanced for me because a friend of mine from high school was able to attend the concert! Kiara and I were in our school’s chamber choir for two years, and we also toured internationally together. She is now in law school and is living in Buenos Aires this summer for an internship through Indiana University. It was so wonderful to catch up with her and recount memories of our own tour, as well as reiterate what choir has meant for us in our lives. I will likely see other friends from high school at the San Juan Canta festival, as the BYU Concert Choir will be there. It’s been so fun to remember how small the world truly can seem, especially in the choral field. I am looking forward to hop...
Hi all, my name is Mia Murray, and I am one of Shrine's sopranos. I am so proud and excited to have served as this choir's president during an international travel year, and oh boy, have we made the most of every day here so far! After the first sleep in a bed after my first EVER flight, it's no surprise that me and my accountabilibuddy, Bailey, slept in a little bit before our 9am call in the lobby for breakfast. We grabbed some traditional Argentinian snacks and some jugo to sip on our way out for our NAU-only rehearsal. Shrine Subway Alert! We are navigating our way through the public transportation one trip at a time. Every stop we got off on today had a unique aesthetic, and we even got to experience some subway performers, both on the cabs and while waiting. Once off the subway, we took a beautiful walk through the city to get to and from the gorgeous dance studio we rehearsed in. For two hours, we got to sing in a wonderful studio space in the heart of Bue...
Yesterday was a wonderful kick off to a great tour with the Shrine of the Ages choir. Just being able to walk around and absorb the history, architecture, and the culture was already a worth while feeling. Our driver from the airport was kind and funny, “First Good Morning, second France”. Our driver said that many of the folks in Argentina are not the biggest fans of France due to the World Cup. After checking out a local book store we had some free time to just walk around near our hotel, we went to a local Starbucks and saw some small differences in the menu and coffee taste. We went to a little shop with a group of us, and the empanadas were delectable. Napatt, Abrahm, Jake, Lucy, Karina, Logan, Drake, Alec, Zeke, and Rebecca were the people there. The empanadas were made with pollo, or chicken and were made in a cornmeal wrap, it was like eating a hot dog. It was very sumptuous! Can’t wait to go back
Hello everyone! My name is TJ, I am a Choral Ed major, and I sing bass in Shrine. Today was our first day in Buenos Aires. After waiting until everyone was out of customs, we took taxis to our hotel. The first thing I noticed about the city was the architecture. It kind of seemed like a crossover between Europe and the US. After the ~40 min taxi ride, we checked in to our hotel and got settled in. Taking a shower was one of the highlights of my day, after such a long travel adventure! A couple friends and I soon left to get our legs moving, and we wanted to see what the city had to offer. Since our group dinner was just around the corner, I got some fries to eat at a local fast food place just down the street from our hotel. As we walked toward a park, a light drizzle started to pick up a little. I think I can speak for many of us when I say that coming from Arizona, this cold weather in mid-June feels so refreshing! Part of this season switch is that Buenos Aires just finis...
Today we landed in Buenos Aires and got our first taste of the new sights, sounds and cultures we get to experience on this tour. After finishing a long 9 hour plane ride -and getting through customs- we took taxis to our hotel which lies right in the middle of downtown. Just walking through the streets of downtown was a great experience, many beautiful buildings surround the area. Some standouts for me were the museum and the cathedral. Packed in between the wonderful architecture were so many little shops and food vendors it was hard to choose which ones to stop at and which to walk by. Eventually the group I was with stopped at a bookstore. The store was decorated from top to bottom in antique signs and furniture, and the whole store had that old book smell. We even found a shelf full of classical music recordings, full of a bunch of composers and pieces a bunch of music nerds on a choir tour instantly recognized. After leaving the bookstore we found a small restaurant to grab ...
Hey there, future jet setter! As someone who's flown more times than I can count, I know how overwhelming flying can be, especially if you're new to it or don't know the tricks of flying. But don't worry - I've got you covered with some tried and true the tips to make your first place smooth and enjoyable. 1. Food Matters - Pack Smart Airport service is often overpriced and underwhelming (except for the Panera I found in Terminal 3 before our flight today - yum!). I always pack snacks like trail mix, protein bars, and fruit snacks to keep my energy up without feeling sluggish. Avoid greasy foods before flying; they can mess with your stomach when you're a mile high in the sky! Also, stay hydrated - bring an empty water bottle to fill post security. 2. Nervous? Breathe, Distract, Repeat Feeling anxious for poor and during flying is totally normal. I still get antsy during every takeoff and landing. What helps me is downloading calming music, my favorite movies...
Day one of Shrine’s trip to Argentina is a go! To start off the day, a much needed cup of coffee was in order. By the time we were finished with our coffee we all headed to the airport around 11:00 to get ourselves settled and prepared for our long journey. Once we made it through security without any hiccups, we made our way to our gate and waited patiently for boarding to start. As we waited, many of us either played games, ate food, or called family to pass the time. By 3:12, our flight to Atlanta was ready to take off and for the next three hours, Shrine rested and prepared for our connecting flight to Buenos Aires! After arriving to the Atlanta Airport, we made sure to hurry to our connecting flight. However, despite our quick pace, there was no need to worry as our flight got delayed another hour and a half! Again Shrine’s patience was tested, but we managed to keep our spirits alive through perseverance and snack food. Finally, around 12:30am, we were set to board and head to ou...