Day 8: Concert in Mexico City

The day began with the gaggle of ninety Glee Clubbers, a little tired after a week of travel, visiting the Old City of Mexico City. We passed by the Victory Column carrying the golden Angel of Independence as the busses drove down Reforma Avenue towards the old quarter. We spent the morning on a guided tour exploring the cobblestone streets of this charming part of “town”— if one could call a city of 26 million a “town”. Side by side stood Neoclassical churches, cafes with Moorish tessellations decorating their facades, Art Deco hotels. I am always struck by the architectural synthesis one finds in Mexico. Many of these buildings have a small porcelain plate beneath their current street name. These porcelain plates all read something to this extent:” Calle de —, 18xx-1928”. They denote the original name of the street before the great flood of 1928 that had the city under nearly 1.5m of water.

We also explored the Cathedral of Mexico City and Templo de Mayor. The cathedral was built upon the Aztec temple. In the square by the cathedral, there is a large gathering of Aztec shamanic healers and dancers. The juxtaposition and tension between the “new religion” and “old gods” still exist at the very heart of the capital.

That evening, we sang our last concert of the tour. It was a concert to end all concerts. We had over a thousand people show up for this final performance. They were a warm and responsive crowd who clapped with great appreciation and enthusiasm. I thought that I had performed for engaged audiences in the US but this was a whole new level. Perhaps the most memorable instance of this amazing audience was their palpable excitement and uncontainable joy after Mariana finished conducting Besame Mucho. Many of her relatives and family friends were present to watch her sing and conduct. I could see how special this final performance of Besame Mucho was for her as she took her place centre stage facing all of us. With her usual elegant gestures, her attentive direction to the choir, and her overflowing passion, Mariana led us through the now-familiar rhythmic landscape and lyrical journey of this bolero. We responded to her directions with ease—it was the established rapport between a conductor and her choir. After our final chord, a jazzy sforzando, the audience exploded with applause. Members of Mariana’s family called out in support. From onstage, it felt as if I was hit with a sea of claps, cheers, and joy.

Our evening ended with the farewell banquet at the Hacienda de los Morales. We toasted to the hardwork of our concert manager Mariana, tour manager Colton, and Gabriel. Much deserved revelry and camaraderie made for an incredible conclusion to our tour. Of course, we didn’t leave the banquet without singing Old Nassau.

Joanna Zhang ‘21

Photos courtesy of Jacqueline Pothier ‘22 and Joanna Zhang ‘21

Day 7: Teotihuacan and Mexico City

Today we finally made it to Mexico City! We left Queretaro a bit later than we originally planned, driving for two and a half hours to get near the pyramids of Teotihuacan. I mostly read during the drive, but sometimes I’d look out the window and see sleepy towns or rolling countryside.

We had lunch before exploring the pyramids, and a mariachi band performed classic tunes while we ate. Many of us couldn’t resist singing along when the band started playing Besame Mucho. We were shocked with how large the pyramids looked as they appeared in the background, and we got fair warning about how much climbing we would be doing in the next few hours.

Once we got off the bus, we had a short guided tour explaining some of the history and art of Teotihuacan. Towards the end of the tour, we looked at the sun through obsidian and saw an artisan demonstrate how to get different kinds of colors from different plants for painting. The acoustics of the plaza center were extraordinary — if you whistled or clapped your hands, you could hear countless loud reverberations.

After the tour, we were on our own for a while. I chose to scale the Temple of the Moon first. The stairs were consistently steep, but the view at the top was amazing, and it provided an excellent location to take photos with the even taller Temple of the Sun in the background. Going back down the stairs was a difficult endeavor; I was very grateful that there was a railing to hold onto. The Temple of the Sun was even taller, but the stairs were generally less steep (except for one short bit where it felt like climbing a ladder). The lighting at the top of the temple was perfect for photos, and the near-constant wind added to the spectacle of the temple’s height. Right before leaving, everyone in Glee took a photo together at the base of the temple before we continued our journey to Mexico City.

The countryside quickly turned into sprawling cityscape as we approached our destination in the center of Mexico City. Due to rush hour traffic and the small size of the hotel lobby, we had to stagger the bus arrival times, so now I am contemplating dinner options for tonight from my hotel room while the other bus is still en route. Tonight is a free evening after a busy day of travel and climbing. I’m looking forward to hanging out with people and exploring the area of the city we’re staying in!

Theo Trevisan ‘21

Photos courtesy of Joanna Zhang ‘21 and Sloan Huebner ‘23.

Day 6: Concert in Queretaro

The historic silver camino of Querétaro runs by Jardin Zenea, a beautiful garden-plaza near the centre of the Old City. This was once another wealthy mining town, like Guanajuato. Across the jardin stands a magnificent Mexican Baroque church with strong Neoclassical features—San Francisco Church. This is our concert location for tonight. The facade of this baroque edifice is a little simpler in design than the oft overly-ornate embellishments of its contemporaneous buildings. High above the large wooden church doors, a frieze of St James (here St Iago) slaying his enemies on horseback and flying cape pays tribute to the eponymous saint of the city.

Legend goes that St James had appeared here in the sky to local residents upon the founding of the city. His apparition was also accompanied by a giant Cross. This led to a particular local devotion to the saint. Similarly, we see a parallel between St James’ “presence” in this Mexican city and his patronage of Spain as its first evangelist. And, here in Mexico, local pre-colonial beliefs of indigenous peoples melded with “the new religion” of their conquerors. Syncretism describes the phenomenon of Aztec, or pre-conquest, practices becoming an integrated part of Mexican-Catholic ritual. One such example of syncretism is the three-day dance festival that takes place on the small plaza beside San Francisco every September. This festival synthesizes Aztec dance and devotion to St James and the apparition of the Holy Cross in the sky.

We walked from St Francisco to Plaza de Independencia, a large square lined by neatly manicured Indian laurels. By the plaza is the Palacio de la Corredigora—the “governor’s house” of sorts during Mexico’s 300-year colonial period. This house became a gathering place for independence conspirators in the 19th century as both the Corredigor himself and his wife Josefa Ortiz de Dominguez hosted “parties” on the second floor of their residence that were really pro-independence meetings. Today, to commemorate the Corredigor and his wife, their statues stand in the courtyard of the Palacio. Around them, three murals commemorate the figures and events of the 1810 Mexican War of Independence.

We also visited the ex-convent of St Augustine which is now an art gallery. You can still see the beautiful moorish-baroque murals—tessellations of dusty orange and red— covering the walls and vaulted ceiling of its cloisters. Another exemplary edifice of many architectural styles is the Templo de Santa Rosa de Viterbo. The flying buttresses are a Gothic revival, its exterior murals and bell tower are a Moorish masterwork, and its dome is distinctly Baroque. Inside the parish, we were greeted by dazzling Baroque side altars with floral embellishments. It was a sight to behold!

Our concert in the San Francisco Church was an exhilarating experience. We were able to focus on certain performance details such as particularities in phrasing and dynamics that Gabriel had emphasized during the rehearsal earlier in the afternoon. The resonance of the nave was incredible too — 4 seconds of reverberation. Our voices quite literally shook the walls of this cavernous space and lingered in the air long after we had breathed out our last chords. The Allegri Miserere took particular advantage of this acoustic feature by placing soloists in the transects, near the entrance at the end of the aisle, and on the balcony. This placement created a varied soundscape and antiphonal effects that enhanced our performance. There was a little girl sitting in the front pew who looked absolutely captivated by our music. To see her eyes light up and her enthusiastic clapping at the end of every piece meant the world to me and reminded me of why we perform: to bring joy and beauty to our audiences.

To end our evening, we performed not one but two encores. I don’t think the audience would have minded a third.

Joanna Zhang ‘21

Photos courtesy of Joanna Zhang ‘21

Day 5: Guanajuato to Queretaro

We got to sleep a little later yesterday, leaving Guanajuato around 9. Our bus retraced the roads that we had taken into the city, largely—descending west and south out of the steeply rocky environs of Guanajuato and down into the more gently rolling hills of the plain below. The land was largely a sort of pale tan from dried grass, with squat trees and shrubs dotting the landscape with dark green. Various fences delineated the grazing grounds for sheep, cattle, and a few chestnut-colored horses, as the road twisted through small towns and villages en route. The terrain reminded me of nothing so much as the glimpse of central Spain that I caught on our last Glee Club tour, when we, having arrived in Madrid on our red-eye flight, immediately embarked on a 5 hour bus ride to Bilbao. New Spain, indeed.

We arrived in late morning to San Miguel de Allende. Because of its position along the road linking the mines of the north and west to Mexico City, the town flourished in colonial times—as we learned, it was larger than either New York or Boston in the mid-18th century. After end of colonial rule, however, San Miguel declined in both wealth and population, coincidentally preserving the late Baroque splendor of the town’s apogee. In the mid-20th century, though, the town was “discovered” by American beatniks, bohemians, and hippies, the beginning of a large expat community that remains today. We walked into one hip-looking coffeeshop on a corner, only to find that the staff and customers were entirely American—a bit of a surprise. San Miguel’s sights were wonderful, from the eccentric Parroquia, mixing the Baroque and the Neo-Gothic, to the various artisanal markets around town. The largely pedestrian core reminded us of the charms of a city built for people, and not for cars. One of my own favorite scenes was the view down one of the steep cobblestone streets, looking down onto the central plaza and the plains beyond.

After lunch, we boarded the bus again to head for Santiago de Querétaro (though I took a little siesta and didn’t wake up until we arrived at our hotel). Dinner was at a restaurant in town that we had fully reserved, situated in the courtyard of a beautiful colonial mansion. A few others and I wandered off to explore further after dinner— chancing upon the best tacos I’ve had in my life at a little hole-in-the-wall (the mini-fries in each taco added crunch and delicious substance). When we got back to the hotel before midnight, we were healthy, happy, and quite full.

Tajin Rogers ‘20

Photos courtesy of Tajin Rogers ‘20

Day 4: Concert in Guanajuato

The Glee Club awoke after a whirlwind of travel in the beautiful Hotel Misión, enjoying breakfast together before embarking on our day. Vans took us through the narrow tunnels to the historic center of Guanajuato, where a breathtaking view of the city greeted us. Walking down the steep steps, we became immediately immersed in the city’s pastel colors, balconies, flowers, and cobblestones. We split into tour groups — one of which was in Spanish — to learn about Guanajuato’s history. After the tours, we had plenty of time to explore the city on our own and enjoy some delicious food. Quesadillas, enchiladas, huevos rancheros, and more filled our stomachs. A highlight of the tour was el Callejón del Beso, where some of our glee clubbers stole a kiss on the adjacent balconies. #gluv!

We continued our day with a rehearsal in the church. It was so exciting to experiment with the acoustics of this historic and beautiful space. We all had to make adjustments to our breathing techniques as we got used to the air at 6,600 feet above sea level. We especially enjoyed collaborating with the Coro de la Universidad de Guanajuato on two pieces. 

After a day of walking we took a quick rest at the hotel and then headed back to the church for the concert. Walking through the streets of Guanajuato at night under a crescent moon was another new and beautiful experience. The street performers next to the Teatro Juàrez were a highlight! The concert was a magical, spiritual experience. Singing with the church choir under the gorgeous soaring ceilings gave our music new meaning. 

We are so grateful to have experienced Guanajuato on such a gorgeous day with those who share our love of music. We solidified old friendships and forged new ones as we explored the city. Another day of glee bonding and musical transcendence in the books! We can’t wait to experience more of the Mexican sun in the days to come. 

Much Gluv,

Hannah Bein ‘22 and Chloe Horner ‘22

Photos courtesy of Joanna Zhang ‘21 and Maddy Kushan ‘20.

Day 3: Travelling to Guanajuato

After a supremely early morning— the later of our two buses left Florida at 6:00 am— we have finally made it to Mexico. The world around us has exploded into bright reds and yellows and greens, and tiny snippets of Spanish are beginning to come out.

Flying into Mexico, I was struck by how green and mountainous it all was. Tiny pieces of towns appeared below us, linked by winding roads that skimmed along the tops of the hills. Even from above, it was easy to imagine a travel advertisement filmed below us, a tiny picture of a world simultaneously so close and far from our own.

As we began to approach Mexico City, the land below us changed from vibrant green to a kind of gold color. Cacti emerged, carefully planted in ramrod straight lines, and the shapes of neighborhoods became clearer. No longer were there simply clusters of buildings scattered in the crook of a hillside, but instead clearly defined clumps of homes and buildings, carefully arranged into defined sections.

We landed, clumped together and made our way past customs, where we were met by Silvia, our tour guide. After giving us time to use restrooms, fill up water bottles, and exchange money into pesos, we got on the bus. It was a long ride, and minutes began to seep more and more into the last as we got out of the metropolitan district and the landscape began to blur into one seamless parade of green grass and occasional trucks. We entertained ourselves by telling stories, becoming louder and giddier as the time wore on.

We paused at a rest stop to eat food. The outside of the building was a vibrant rust color, and inside Mexican travelers entertained themselves by playing foosball, as young children toddled around. We ate simple food— quesadillas, beans, rice, chicken— ordered in Spanish from the non-anglophone staff. After that, back to the bus for three more hours. The sun was setting in our eyes so we pulled the shades and turned into ourselves to chat and laugh.

We arrived in Guanajuato late, taking a cobblestone street down the hill to our hotel. The building is appropriately named Mision Guanajuato, and is reminiscent of the missions of the old American Southwest. It’s a bit of a labyrinth to get around, but there are quotes painted in red on the stucco walls, and there’s a kind of old mysticism to the place.

The night finished with a fancy reception dinner provided for us, that seemed to attempt to combine both the American and the Mexican— the pasta had a slight flavor of chili in it, and there was flan at the desert table. We went back to our rooms, and the night finished as some of the Glee Club sang a rousing rendition of Besame Mucho, a famous bolero that we will be performing in our concerts.

And with that, the day ended, as quiet conversations in each room began to fizzle out. It’s an early morning tomorrow, but if even the travel days can manage to be this special, I look forward to what the rest of tour has to offer.

Laura Robertson ‘23

Photos courtesy of Theo Trevisan ‘21, Natalie Stein ‘21, and Zoe Kahana ‘21

Day 1 + Day 2: Naples, FL

Sun, Sand, Song — Naples 

The adventure begins in Naples, Florida. I am staying at the Glee BnB (Jenny Dounchis ‘90 and her parents’ house) with over thirty fellow choristers. Landing in Fort Myers yesterday, in the afternoon, we were greeted by overwhelming sunlight and an immediate un-layering of coats and scarves. We are not in New Jersey anymore. After a bus ride, passing by the signature wetland flora and fauna of Florida, we arrived at our concert venue for our Naples performance.

We were met with a warm welcome banquet hosted by the Princeton Club of Southwest Florida at Vanderbilt Presbyterian Church. Special shout outs to Trey Farmer ‘93 and Jenny Dounchis ‘90 for making this leg of our trip possible! The amazing Jenny, especially, took on the Herculean task of opening the “Glee B’n’ B”—hosting over thirty of us. She also coordinated housing overall for our entire crew: a logistical masterwork!

This morning, many of us took advantage of the beautiful beachfront. After a morning of sun and sand, we returned to Vanderbilt Presbyterian for a brief rehearsal before our 4pm performance. The high ceiling and tower “chute” above the stage gave a particular resonance to our concert space. We also utilized the narthex to create the far-offish acoustic effect of the Allegri Miserere solo quartet. By 3pm, we already had audience members arrive and begin filling up the pews.

My highlight of the concert was the John Tavener Hymn to the Mother of God. This double-choir composition structures as a cannon separated by three beats is a new project we undertook before tour. The minimalist incandescence of Tavener’s chordal progressions and immensely passionate dynamics was ideal in the open knave of the church. I loved the subliminal quality of simple homorythmic chords that evoke the essence of plainchant. The power of our 90 or so voices united in harmony was an experience to behold.

After the concert, we were treated to a gorgeous, magnificent sunset on the beach. Then dinner. A crowd of hungry singers were we.

Do not envy us for a 4:30 start tomorrow as we fly out of Miami to Mexico City then take a five hour bus ride to Guanajuato.

Before I close this post, I just want to thank the Princeton Club of Southwest Florida, Vanderbilt Presbyterian Church, and our wonderful, generous hosts again. You have made our first two days of tour extraordinarily special.

Signing off—

Joanna Zhang ‘21

Photos courtesy of Liam Seeley ‘23, Devin Kilpatrick ‘19.

Q&A with Concert Manager Mariana Corichi Gómez '21

Image courtesy of Mariana Corichi Gómez ‘21

Mariana Corichi Gómez is a junior in the Music Department. She is also pursuing a Certificate in Conducting. She grew up in Mexico City and Morelia, Mexico. This Fall, Mariana conducted two pieces for Glee Club and prepared us for Mexico as our Spanish coach. Outside of Glee, she is the student conductor of Camerata (a student orchestra) and William Trego Singers. Her directions for Besame Mucho and Franz Schubert’s Psalm 23 (Gott ist Meine Hert) have been invaluable for our performances.

***

Let’s jump right in. What were some preparations that you made for conducting the Glee Club this fall?

So, as you know, I am doing the Conducting Certificate and I’ve had the great fortune of being here where there’s a very blossoming culture of student groups—which have been important for me in my development. And I’ve had great mentors. But, specifically, at the beginning of the year, Gabriel and I were talking about Mexico Tour. We had discussed the possibility of doing a Mexican Piece. I suggested a bolero and we came to this arrangement.

What do you think is the most important aspect of being a conductor and leading the choir?

Maybe it’s cliché, but I think that for rehearsals, especially, it is important to feel the music in my body. I prepare pieces which are in the Western cannon, and some are not in this cannon. Sometimes, now, I can tell when the music is not in my body and when it is there—not necessarily memorised, but that you understand how it’s supposed to flow and how to fix certain things.

And what does that “flow” feel like?

I think when conducting, you have to be very in-tune with your body. So when there’s disconnect, that’s when a lot of things could go wrong. I struggle with that as well. For example, when I was conducting both the Schubert and Besame Mucho, if I had to describe it, it’s like a circuit, the music comes into you and you have to process it in two milliseconds and react to it. It’s constantly reacting. I can’t just go in and rehearse exactly what I am going to do. It has to be a reaction to how people are singing. Then they react to me. I love how it’s very conversational. It’s not just “go” but more “sing with me: you give me more and I give you more.” That’s what I mean by “connection with the music.”

You brought up the two pieces you conducted this fall and talked about the fundamental similarities in how you approached them, are there big differences between conducting the Schubert and Besame Mucho?

Well yes and no. Yes, the Schubert and Besame are totally different but, like I said earlier, the approach to conducting them is surprisingly similar.

Can you give us an example?

Yes. So, even though the structure of the pieces, the flow, and the rhythms, are completely different, ideally the fundamentals to conducting remain constant. This is something I am also piecing together. My musical brain is sometimes separated between “Mexican-Latin American-Non-Western” and “Western”—this is Besame, this is Schubert. I’m trying to better bridge them. I think they share so much more than we are aware and add to each other: the same fundamentals of harmony, voices, polyphony, and humans. The connection of love and dance to our bodies is just as powerful as the connection of bodies to the divine.

A major point of technical difference, however, is the pieces’ the rhythmic structures: Besame has a lot of polyrhythm while the Schubert is very homophonic and homo-rhythmic. In some sense, the Schubert gives you nowhere to hide. You really have to be true to certain movements, flowing the score closely, and be really clean with your technique. We spent a lot of time on details, like cut-offs. Mistakes are obvious. Whereas with Besame, if the flow and the authenticity are not there, that’s also very obvious.

Let’s now zoom in on Besame Mucho and the bolero. How would you introduce this piece to someone who has never encountered a bolero?

First, Besame mucho is very well known in the Latin American world—it originates from Mexico—and I guess is one of country more important and influential pieces. Everyone in Mexico knows it.

And, what is the bolero?

Most simply put, the bolero is a love-song but with specific rhythmic structures that mirror Latin American dances. Salsa, bachata, merengue…Everything is a dance. It’s all connected to movement. That’s why all of these pieces are based on syncopation, inspired by the movement of the body.

Can you tell a little about the bolero’s history?

A very brief history, it originated in Cuba and Mexico. There had been a lot of musical exchange between Mexico and Cuba in the late 19th Century and the early 20th Century. Cuba’s the “birthing place” of Caribbean music. The bolero became very popular in the 40s and 50s—my grandparents’ era—which was also the golden age of cinema in Mexico. Then, it fizzled out. But in the late 80s, 90s, the “pop king” of Mexico Luis Miguel started recording a lot of the old songs. And that’s how my generation knows them again. They were reborn. And that’s what inspired other artists in Latin America. It’s a really beautiful thing.

Returning to your experience of conducting this piece, what was the greatest challenge in preparing Glee Club for Besame Mucho?

I think it is possible for everyone to feel the flow of the music, if you listen and work on it. A lot of the challenge is getting 4-beat and 3-beat patterns out of our head because in Besame, the line is not metric. In these traditions, people don’t learn the rhythmic subdivisions but are more in tune with the overall theme. That’s why it feels so free. Also, for a lot of Latin music, the common syncopation is 3 against 2, which is an effect that you lose when you subdivide into 4-beat patterns. And that a reference to Latin dances. This is something we will continue to work on as we prepare for the Mexico Tour.

And to end, what does performing Besame Mucho in Mexico mean for you?

A lot of family members who have never seen me perform are coming to our Mexico City concert. I am so excited. It’s beyond special.