Ellen Marshall recounts her inspiring trip with the Yale Alumni Chorus this summer:
From August 1 to 12, 2009, the Yale Alumni Chorus toured Guatemala and Mexico, in a journey for which Ellen Marshall, TC ’71, served as the lead producer. Travelling with 137 people invariably presents its challenges, but it was worth it all when we appeared before appreciative and packed audiences, and shared the stage with new friends.
After spending 3 days in intensive rehearsals, we performed our first concert in the outdoor ruins of a convent, before a SRO audience that included the US Ambassador to Guatemala, Stephen McFarland, Yale Class of ’77, and his family.
While in Guatemala, we also sponsored a festival and choral competition at the tiny indigenous village of Santiago Zamora. The cutest kids from various surrounding (and even smaller) villages took the stage to sing local favorites, in their first venture into choral singing. We bought fabrics and munchies from women’s cooperatives, and shared songs.
In Mexico, we held concerts in Puebla, and at the fabulous Sala Nezahualcoyotl concert hall in Mexico City (with a fine orchestra). We did a radio concert before a live audience, for broadcast on the leading station for classical music.
Our repertoire included two newly commissioned works, and we had the privilege of a workshop with one of the composers, the leading contemporary Mexican composer Jorge Cordoba Valencia. Musically, this was the tour highlight for many of us.
At our last stop, San Miguel de Allende, we again had a packed and enthusiastic audience.
As always, the great thing about this tour was sharing fun with such a diverse group of Yalies. We ranged from Dave Coughlin, Class of ’41, to Matthew Doud, Class of ’09. The Class of ’71 took the prize for geographic diversity, with Bob Bonds from Germany and Michael Bales from Canada.
See our blog at www.yacnewsandviews.blogspot.com.
