The day began at an early 6:30 wake up call at which we then had 30 to get ready for breakfast and prepare for an exciting day ahead. Of course, my roommate, Sydney, and I were late to eat but we made it on time for our hour long practice on the bus ride to Matanzas. In Matanzas, we stopped at a beautiful church on a mountain and performed for and watched a adult Cuban choir who had perhaps the most beautiful voices I have ever heard. Following their beautiful performance, we were able to take pictures of the breathtaking view. After a delicious lunch with a different assortment of melodious songs ranging from traditional Cuban folk to American classics we made our way back to Havana for perhaps my favorite part of the day. We walked through a park to see a rather funny statue to the liking of John Lennon on our way to the house of the National Concert of Cuba. Here, we partook in a two hour workshop with the director of the Entrevoces Chamber Choir, Digna Guerra. She helped us critique a few of our concert songs, fixing one we had been working on since the beginning of the year, "Son de Camaguey." Señora Guerra had solved a problem we had been working on for months in the span of 1 hour, all while not speaking a word of English. It was amazing to see her process as well as the results it yielded. It was definitely an experience I will remember long after leaving Cuba: one does not need to be able to understand another through language when we all share an equal understanding in song.
-Emily Weinstein
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