Our second day in San Juan, we were given the option to board a bus in the morning and travel an hour to Punta Negra or stay behind and attend lectures and explore the new city. Some of the group stayed behind to catch up on rest or walk around town but most of chose to see this beautiful lake and dam. The hour bus ride was nothing compared to the rest of the traveling we’d been doing and we were greeted by a view of a beautiful reservoir, dam and mountains. We learned that the dam helps generate hydro electric power for the province. When we arrived we learned that kayaking and pedal boating was available. We had a lot of fun exploring the water or staying on shore skipping rocks. After we enjoyed the reservoir, we walked up the hill to the restaurant and we enjoyed a lunch featuring punta de espalda, which was recommended to us by new friends we met there. After lunch, we headed back to town to get ready for the opening ceremony of the festival. All the competing groups met that...
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Today we arrived back in the United States after a long almost two weeks of being out of the country. The flight today has allowed me to do a good amount of reflecting on the tour. I won’t lie and say that these past weeks haven’t been without issues but they have brought some of my most incredible memories. Adjusting to a new culture and trying to get around a city that speaks a different language than me was a tough barrier to get through for the first few days. I was incredibly blessed to have a group of people who allowed me to learn alongside them (with David’s help translating) was an experience I will never forget. Instead of writing a post talking about how grateful I am for everybody on this trip, I’d like to write about my favorite memories (in order of how I remember them) 1. Getting to Argentina completely exhausted and pushing through to walk through the streets and be blown away by the architecture of the buildings for the first time (this will be a common them...
Hello to everyone who has kept up with our tour and supported us along the way! You may have noticed that your “choraliers” are back at home in the United States! When I sat down (sick and jet lagged, as I imagine everyone is) to construct my blog post I was initially disappointed that I would only get to report on our fourteen hours of flying and the hour long (only mildly uncomfortable) uber that I took home… BUT then I realized that I had actually been granted the unique opportunity to reflect on this tour as a whole and report back to y’all my favorite experiences! Argentina Tour Highlights: (as told by Ava Marie Pack :) Coffee/Café I am a certified coffee enthusiast and I would be remiss if I didn’t report on the amazing coffee in Buenos Aires and San Juan. I was particularly fond of Café con dulce de lèche (yet another aspect of Argentina that will be sincerely missed). The Subte! The Buenos Aires underground metro system was a godsend in navigating the city an...
Today was indeed quite the day! This morning we got to have a relaxed morning with hotel breakfast and using our time how we saw fit, so me and my roomies decided to take the time to get some extra rest. After some rest and relaxation we put on our shrine swag and headed to Domingo F. Sarmiento Museum/Birthplace where we would share some of our set with other festival attendees. Afterwards some of my friends and I met up with members of the ensemble BLOESEM, from Buenos Aires, for a wonderful lunch of Italian food, the cream raviolis (pictured at the bottom) were amazing! This day had so many new friends and wonderful experiences. This was also our first performance day for the competition side of this with our Universal choral set. The concert on this night was a late for us with us going on at about 9:30 or so but it was all worth it, coming off that stage with the whole ensemble putting their absolute hearts into every note was truly special. My travel bunch rounded out ...
Thanks for reading! Unfortunately, just like Logan, I also got food poisoning; however, traveling was surprisingly a breeze today. After an early morning bus ride (that I woke up 15 minutes before to go on), we arrived 2 hours South to a city named Mendoza. Although we didn’t stay long, it was special to me. My mom’s family is from Mendoza, so it was cool seeing the Andes mountains like they would’ve. And wow, after that plane ride, we REALLY got to see the Andes! Mendoza and Santiago, Chile are divided by those mountains and flying above them was magical (and a little scary). Landing in Santiago, we dropped our bags off and traveled to the Museum of Memory and Human Rights. The museum recounted the history of Chile’s coup-d’état of 1973 and military dictatorship until 1990. It was a reflective experience, especially seeing all of the handmade art that prisoners made while incarcerated. After two cappuccinos and an AMAZING salami sandwich, we made our way back to the Santiago airp...
Yesterday the awards for the festival were revealed. Shrine will be taking home 1st prize in our Universal Repertoire performance and 2nd prize for our Popular Repertoire performance. The joy and pride that we shared in the moment of the reveal were unforgettable. But even more powerful was what we shared beyond competition and prizes. In some grand poetry, I found myself tremendously ill with food poisoning on this last day of the festival, where we were to perform with all of the other participating choirs in a collective four-hundred voice ensemble. I wasn’t able to perform, but I still made it to the rehearsal, contributing and experiencing the process. Choral music is never just about performance. It’s about sharing. And even if I wasn't able to share our final product with an audience, I was able to share an incredible two week journey with many of my closest friends, share a passion with new friends, and I even shared a bit of illness with those unlucky enough to also have o...
Today was an incredible day. We started this morning with an amazing breakfast at our hotel that we are staying at after our breakfast. We walked down to a local thing. Theater, in which our privates aura presentation was held at this A. War ceremony, we were informed that we placed seconds in the coral music, popular category. And first, in the choral music universal category Period it is so amazing to not only represent the United States of America, but most importantly, yeah, Arizona as a state and even more specifically flax f Arizona, and it university of northern Arizona period the public ceremony was later. Tonight and we were able to perform 2 pieces from our sets because we were you placed twice in the competition. It was a very emotional time. And this being my last concert with shrine at the ages, specifically, I was so moved and so emotional and so grateful for this experience. I'm glad that we were able to impact people's lives. Through our music and be able to tou...
Hello! I started this day off right with the best drink ever invented: espresso and condensed milk. Vivian and I tried this drink during one of our first days in Buenos Aires and I think it may have changed the course of my life forever… it aligned my coffee chakras. It was a beautiful morning in San Juan; the weather was perfect and the sun was warm and it made for a cheerful walk to and from the hotel. We had a short performance at a historic home for some of the locals and some members of the other choirs that are participating in the San Juan Canta festival. The home belonged to one of the former presidents of Argentina and his impact is still clearly felt and beloved by the people of San Juan. The home itself had been turned into a well groomed museum and was open for members of the public to get a glimpse of Argentinian life during the 1800s. We sang four of our pieces: Domine, Leron Leron, Soneto De La Noche, and De Colores. Each of the pieces included brief introductions about ...
Today was a great day. I spent great time with friends through rehearsals, bus rides, and getting food at Mostaza (my beloved) but the most rewarding part of it all was our second performance for the San Juan Canta. Our performance yesterday was one of the most meaningful experiences I've ever been a part of, so to follow up something which felt so special made me genuinely nervous. I think I ended up putting a bit too much pressure on myself, and my playing (in my opinion) suffered somewhat because of it, but I still feel great about the performance, and my friends in the choir sang just as amazingly as the night before. Even if I don’t feel as confident in myself as I would’ve liked, I learn a lot about myself from performances where I feel that way, and it helps me to understand how to shape my mindset for future performances. I am so unbelievably proud of this choir, the musicianship that has been shown in these two performances helps me remember the reason why I chose to commi...
Hey y’all my name is Sam and I’m one of the people doing today’s blog post! I had a nice slow day so I could have a great evening. I woke up this morning and had a light breakfast in the lobby and then went to cafe an hour or so later for 2nd breakfast. I got a coffee and some lemon poppyseed bread. It was delicious, and my coffee has a sweet cream on top that was so tasty. After that we walked around the city to shop a bit but it was right about siesta time so everything was closing so we headed back to get ready for the evening. After everyone got all spiffy we took a walk to a few nearby parks just to stretch our legs. After that, it was on the way to the welcome concert for the San Juan Canta festival! We walked there and encountered a few sweet puppy friends on the way. At the show we got to hear from other fellow choirs and some tango dancers. They were all phenomenal and we were so excited to meet all of these wonderful people. It’s gonna be a great festival!
Buenos díaz/tardes/noches!! Shrine of the Ages has departed Buenos Aires and landed in San Juan which is the location of the San Juan Canta festival we will be performing at. After a short 1 hour 30 minute plane ride we were whisked away to our 4-star hotel on a double decker bus. You know those buses they have all around the UK? Yeah, it was one of those. After a quick bus ride to our hotel, we were dismissed to freshen up and grab a bite to eat. The hardest part of the trip for me personally has been finding foods to fit my dietary needs. I am gluten intolerant and it has been a bit difficult finding “comida sin gluten” in a place with heavy Italian influence in their cuisine, but somehow, I manage. My favorite part of the day which also has been my favorite part of the tour is when we visited “Colegio Secundario Augusto Pulenta” in the city of San Martin. Here, we sang 4 of our repertoire for high school students and in exchange, they shared a part of their culture with...
Hello All! I apologize to those waiting for my post! I struggled to find service in the airport as we prepared to leave for San Juan. So I’m creating this post from the bus on the way to our new San Juan hotel. This last day in the city was hectic to say the least. Today there was a very large demonstration in the city that went crazy fast. After a wonderful rehearsal with a local university Choir. Me and a group of friends took the subway to get to the San Telmo Market to eat and shop. While there, I purchased gifts for my family, including a late Father’s Day present for my dad. (Hi dad if you’re reading this!). I also sat down at a cafe to try maté 🧉 for someone who doesn’t usually like tea, I surprisingly really enjoyed it! After San Telmo, my group walked through a lovely park to a grouping of a few food trucks and ate dinner overlooking a beutiful lake. The burger I had came with an egg on top with ham cooked into the egg. This formed a delicious topping for a g...
Hola!! I’m a little late to post here but I’m filling you in on day 6 (the 17th)! We started off the day wandering around the San Telmo market. We hung out in a leather store for about 9 million years because you’ve never seen (or smelled) such beautiful leather in your whole life! After that, we left the market for a little because we were too early so most shops weren’t open. We wandered around to a coffee shop down the street (adorable btw) and played cards to kill some time before heading back to the market. Adele wiped the floor with the rest of us. After we finished our game we walked back and luckily more shops were open! We walked around for several hours buying gifts for our families and souvenirs for ourselves. We met some lovely shop owners, one of whom had a poster that his parents bought for him in 1968 and he still has it. He was adorable and so kind. We ended our morning in the market with some lunch & it was the best pizza I’ve ever had. The rest of...
Hello there! I’m thrilled to be one of the members of Shrine who gets to wrap up our time in Buenos Aires! We started the day by going as a group to “Conservatorio de Música de la ciudad de Buenos Aires”. While at the conservatory, we had the distinct pleasure of singing some of our works by Johannes Brahms along side the conservatory’s own choir and then we got to perform some of our repertoire for the group as well! Afterwards, the choir had the rest of the day to do whatever they so pleased! After some deliberation, myself and two other friends decided to take a train and walk to a neighborhood by the name of La Boca specifically to visit “Caminito”. Caminito is known for its very colorful and beautiful buildings, tango, and overall a very popular tourist destination in Buenos Aires! While there, my friends and I stopped at a restaurant named “Parrilla a Leña Argento”, where we ordered some delicious barbeque! While we ate we got to witness two lovely dancers performing the tra...
Today was quite possibly my favorite day of our trip so far. We started out bright and early, leaving our hotel at 9:15 to take the subway to have a rehearsal exchange with the PIAZZOLLA Conservatory choir, directed by Professor Miguel Pesce. As a combined choir, we sang some of our repertoire from this fall (Brahms' "Liebeslieder-Waltzer"), and I was so impressed with how beautiful they sounded, having only a single rehearsal to prepare. After singing together, we performed two of our pieces for them and had our own separate rehearsal, followed by a quick check-in for a much needed moment to pause and appreciate where we are and what we're doing. We were then given the rest of the day to do as we pleased, which led me first to Cementario de la Recolata (Recolata Cemetery). Here, we pursued the many ornate tombs, dating back to 1822. We did not get to see the entire area; however, we were able to see where Eva Per ó n was laid to rest, alongside her family. I was mos...
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 :)...
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...