Down with the Sickness

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 ordered the dashi ramen.

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Day III -- Camara XXI, Jackets, and Milanesa Fun!

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...

Day 4- The Day of Dance 💃🕺

¡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...

Day 14 (?) - To Shrine,

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...

NAU Shrine of the Ages Blog: Adventures in Argentina

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