Like many members of the group, I had never left the country before this tour through western Europe. I was surprised with my lack of anxiety about visiting countries with languages I don't speak and to be singing in foreign spaces. But upon landing in Malaga, the questions that I had not asked myself before leaving Atlanta flurried through my mind And this snowstorm followed me during the entire the trip: how would we American choir geeks, who rarely perform in glorious centuries-old churches, be received by these new audiences? Would they love us? Would we love them and their hometowns? How would the love between us as choir members change?

The answers to all of these questions, at least according to me, are undoubtedly related. Each concert was unique both because of the space, and because of the heightened exhaustion that comes with nine days of adventuring. Though, we always felt love, perhaps more of it as the tour wore on and thus became more emotionally bonded as an ensemble. I was amazed that every audience cried along with us during those special moments in the Ave Marias or the set of Kirchner pieces. What was equally amazing was how close we had become during those moments of really listening to each other's voices, both musical and otherwise. I believe that I speak for many choirmates when I say that that is something new and special. We all shared the joy of warm applause, adoration, and support from the local community members. We had come to feel so comfortable with sharing our emotions that many of us grabbed hands during the last two concerts, relying on each other as we tried not to crumble under the gravity and awe of how beautiful our sound had become.

As the incoming vice president, I wondered about the timing of this trip. Why now? Why are we here at this transition point in many of our lives? This tour connected many people together, including the international communities for whom we performed in addition to the fifty of us. As I write whilst hovering in an airplane above the Atlantic, I am reminded of one of my favorite song lyrics which happens to somewhat rncapsulates the trip. The hook of a song by indie artist Fink evokes a sense of why leaving people is important. He sings: "because our paths have crossed, yesterday was hard on all of us." That is to say that because we have connected with one another, the departure becomes that much harder. To me, this reminds me how difficult it is to leave people one has quickly come to love so deeply. But that feeling of missing people is also as beautiful as the rooftop views from our hotel in Faro, or as beautiful as the spinning lines of Alonso Lobo's Versa est in luctum. The beauty of missing people is that it demonstrates that we have been able to allow others to affect us and shape parts of who we are. As I begin my new role in choir, I want to remember this feeling. I want to foster an environment, a home even, that promotes this feeling of freedom to live with, laugh with and love one another, because not only are we better musicians as a result: we are better human beings.
-Cana
Cana McGhee is a rising junior double majoring in Music and French.
Jeff Haylon -
A theme of our journey, as my predecessors on this blog have so aptly noted, has been old buildings: The Alhambra and the Alcazar, Córdoba’s Mezquita and the cathedrals of Seville, Jaen, Faro and Lisbon. All these are master works, amalgams of different architectures, religions, histories, and styles. They supplement their landscapes to create formidable monuments to art and civilization, the ultimate culmination of human pride and natural splendor.
Conveniently for my point, choral music works in a very similar way. The body of choral work formed from within and without, new influences and old traditions comingling into vocal marvels. We are blessed to have sung a selection of these. In Dr. Nelson’s words, there is something fundamentally holy about singing a selection of three Ave Marias, composed in different eras by different Spaniards, in front of a statue of the Virgin and her infant son. Like those old buildings, choral singing is a conglomeration: voices atop voices as stones upon stones, the rise and fall of lyrical phrases mirroring arches and vaults. To sing in these spaces is to build them, and I think to have built them was to have sung their songs.
As musicians, there is no greater privilege than to experience these sacred spaces in song. Choral singing is intensely vulnerable, requiring a complete trust in the forty-some other voices surrounding you. The fulfillment and reciprocity of that trust is as warm and touching as the music itself, and forms an incomparable bond. Without mortar, the Catedral de Jaén would be an impressive pile of bricks, and without our bond, our choir would be an impressive pile of voices. The creation of the seamless whole, in both cases, is what makes the entire exercise worthwhile.
Our choir is a family, one perhaps tested by a week of no sleep and constant companionship (my roommate James, for instance, stole my deodorant and on some level, I haven’t forgiven him). That said, no matter our fatigue, our aching feet, our headaches and allergies and mental woes, whenever we sing we can create beauty without parallel. In a land so generous with its magnificence as the Iberian Peninsula, our small contribution may be dwarfed. In the hearts and souls of this choir, our experience stands taller than all else, like a cathedral on a mountain.
-Jeff
Jeff Haylon is a rising senior double majoring in History and German.
Joseph Kim -
As each concert began
and ended, we started to understand the gravity of time, and how ephemeral our
moment in Spain was despite the immortality of the legacy that we left behind
in each space. Near the end, as our beloved brothers and sisters from our choir
family felt their futures calling, beckoning for them to seize their destinies
and their identity as Emory graduates with pride and honor, many tears were
shed, and each piece that was sung held a new meaning for each and every one of
us. This emotion seemed to carry into our voices, as the music touched our
audiences even more than before. Many of us saw grown men and women crying or
weeping, often not just with the nostalgic memory of a loved one, but what
seemed like awe of the beauty and sound that some of us thought was not
possible in this world.
As the final chord hit on Dawson’s arrangement of “Soon
I will be done”, we knew, deep down, that this would remain etched in our minds
for the rest of our lives, and that truly, we would meet again, whether in this
life or the next, together, in harmony, singing the divine with the divine.
-Joseph
-Joseph
Joseph Kim is a rising sophomore majoring in Neuroscience and Behavioral Biology
Malik Alexander -
(English)
So let me start this by saying that never in my life did I think I would have an amazing experience like the one I had on this trip. For me personally, this was my first time in both Spain and Portugal - and all I can say is "WOW". Upon reflection, there are many many thank yous that need to be made.
So let me start this by saying that never in my life did I think I would have an amazing experience like the one I had on this trip. For me personally, this was my first time in both Spain and Portugal - and all I can say is "WOW". Upon reflection, there are many many thank yous that need to be made.
First, to Dr. Nelson:
As a senior, I have had the pleasure of being with you for many years. These 10 days were not only a perfect graduation gift, but a perfect accumulation of our relationship. Thank you for trusting us to navigate cities, to bring beauty to the spaces in which we sang, and most importantly for dealing with our daily shenanigans. After a year of planning and what I assume included much stress, we all made it there and back in one piece!
To Marianne, our phenomenal ACFEA ground guide:
This trip literally would not have been possible without you. You have become an extension of the Emory Concert Choir family (Bienvenidos!) and we hope that you loved us as much as we love you. Your knowledge, your wit, and your dedication to excellence carried us through sleepy bus rides, mishaps with catering, the buses, museum entrances, etc... we could not have had a better ground guide - it's simply not possible. PS: If you see this, please tell Rafael & Tiago that we say hello and thank you! They were the absolute best drivers I've ever seen.
To Mrs. Susan Nelson:
You are the "unseen" glue that holds this choir together. Your snacks, constant smile, and wit were a shining star throughout the entirety of this trip. I am SO happy that you came with us, and hope this gave you many stories to tell (more than just getting trapped under the bus).
To our newest fans abroad:
As I said during our performances, these two countries are BEAUTIFUL. Lisbon, Granada, Seville, Faro - all had their own unique flavor that made me fall in love over and over again. For the choir overall, that love translated to how we made music, and I hope that it came across to you. For 5 nights we poured our hearts into venues like Iglesia Santo Angel and the Sé. We were received with open arms, packed houses, and more love than one ever could have imagined. For a choir all the way from Atlanta Georgia to have performed for over 700 people across the Atlantic Ocean is surreal. Thank you for attending and engaging with us. We love you.
Lastly, to my peers in the choir:
As I sit on our plane back to Atlanta, I am reminded that takeoffs are a product of choice - but landings are not. Each and every one of us decided to embark on a journey that included historic landmarks like the Alhambra, cathedrals like the Jaén, waterfronts like those in Faro & Lisbon. We decided to, in many of these spaces, take off the layers that so often hinder us from creating music in its most vulnerable form. We decided that although we were often annoyed with each other, we would keep enjoying this otherworldly experience that now only we can say we shared. All of the late nights, early mornings, long bus rides, tourist sites, deep conversations, spurts of fear, hours of laughter - all of this made the past 10 days into something none of us should ever forget. As a senior headed into the "real world," having the opportunity to create and experience beauty like this with all of you was the perfect way to graduate Emory. It reminded me of the importance of landing. As I said, landing is not optional (because what goes up must come down). But who is to say that we can't decide where and how we land? This trip was not only a vacation, but a challenge to raise the bar, to take this choir somewhere completely new. It is my deepest hope that the underclassmen accept this challenge and provide experiences like this to all who come through the doors of Schwartz back home. If we do that, this tour does not end here. It's impact has the potential to last for at least 4 more years. Fall in love with each semester's repertoire, and always sing with the grandiose, cathedral-esk conviction that I saw us have on this trip.
To those who have followed this blog, we hope you have gotten a sense of the how this trip changed lives. There is a clear importance in experiences like this - experiences that we hope to pass on to future choir members but can only do with your help. Your continued support is crucial, and as always, forever appreciated.
- With MUCH love,
Malik Alexander, c/o 2017
(Español)
Voy a empezar por decir que nunca por mi vida pensé que tendría una experiencia asombrosa como ese viaje. Personalmente, era mi primera vez conocer España y Portugal, y solamente puedo decir "WOW." Al reflejar, hay muchas personas y grupos que son dignos de un gran gracias.
Primeramente, a Dr. Nelson:
Como un estudiante en mi año final, me da feliz haber estado contigo por muchos años. Esos 10 días no solamente era un regalo perfecto para graduación, pero una acumulación perfecta de nuestra relación también. Gracias por confiarnos navegar las ciudades, cantar con belleza en los espacios que visitamos, y más importante por soportar diariamente con nuestros "shenanigans." ¡Después de un año de planar y mucho estrés, nos fuimos y volvimos en uno pieza!
A Marianne, nuestra guía fenomenal del ACFEA:
Ese viaje no hubiera sido posible sin ti. Ahora eres una extensión de la familia del Coro Concierto (¡Bienvenidos!) y esperamos que nos amas como te amamos. Tú conocimiento, ingenio, y dedicación a excelencia nos llevaron por desafíos con la comida de catering, los autobuses, visitas a los museos, y más. No sea posible que tengamos una guía mejor que ti. (Y también, si los habla, diga un "hola y gracias" a Rafael y Tiago. ¡Eran los mejores conductores de los buses que he visto por mi vida!)
A Señora Nelson:
Tú eres el pegamento "invisible" que conecta este coro. Tus snacks, tú sonrisa constante, y tu ingenio eran una estrella brillante por todo del viaje. Me alegra muchísimo que viajó con nosotros, y ojalá que la experiencia te dio muchas historias decir (más que estar atrapado al bajo del bus).
A nuestros aficionados nuevos del mundo:
Como os dije por nuestros conciertos, los dos países son tan hermosos. Lisbon, Granada, Seville, Faro - todo tienen un sabor único que me enamoran una y otra vez. Para el coro en general, este amor transformó como cantamos nuestra música, y ojalá que podríais sentir el cambio. Por cinco noches, dimos nuestros corazones a lugares como Iglesia Santo Angel y El Sé. Éramos recibidos con brazos abiertos, casas llenas, y más amor que alguien podría imaginar. Para un coro de Atlanta Georgia - a través del océano - cantar para más que 700 personas es surreal. Gracias por venir y por comprometernos. Os amamos.
Y finalmente, a mis compañeros del coro:
Mientras me siento en nuestro avión para Atlanta, estoy recordado que los despegues son productos de elección - pero los aterrizajes no son. Cada persona de este grupo hice la decisión embarcar por un trayecto que incluyó hitos históricos como el Alhambra, catedrales como el Jaén, frentes Del Mar como de Faro y Lisbon. En esas lugares, decidimos removimos las capas que normalmente nos obstaculizan crear música en su forma más vulnerable. Decidimos que a pesar de seríamos estar irritado con nosotros, seguiríamos disfrutar esa experiencia increíble que ahora solo nosotros podemos decir que lo compartimos. Todos de las noches tardes, mañanas tempranas, paseos largos por bus, sitos turísticos, conversaciones profundas, momentos de miedo, horas de risas - todo de eso creó algo que nadie va a olvidar. Como un señor que va a estar en el mundo "real," tener la oportunidad crear y experimentar belleza como eso con todo de ustedes era la manera perfecta terminar mi tiempo con Emory. Me recordó de la importancia de aterrizar. Como he dicho, aterrizar no es opcional (porque todo lo que sube tiene que bajar). Pero creo que podemos decidir donde y como aterrizamos. Este viaje no solamente era una vacación, pero un desafío subir la barra, llevar el coro hacia un lugar completamente nuevo. Es mi esperanza profunda que los de sus primeros por terceros años aceptan ese desafío y proveer experiencias como eso a todos que llegan por las puertas de Schwartz en nuestra casa. Si lo hacen eso, el viaje no va a parar acá. Su impacto tiene la potential continuar al menos de cuatro años más. Se enamoran con la música de cada semestre, y cantan con la convicción grandiosa con que cantamos durante de este experiencia.
A todos que han seguido este blog, esperamos que han comprendido el sentido de este viaje y como lo ha cambiado nuestras vidas. Hay una importancia muy clara en experiencias como eso - experiencias que deseamos pasar a los miembros futuros del coro, pero solamente se puede hecho con su ayuda. Su apoya seguida es crucial, y como siempre, apreciado.
- Con mucho amor,
Malik Alexander
Malik Alexander is a graduate from the Class of 2017 who majored in Business.
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