Our first full day in Cuba was extremely eventful. We had breakfast in the hotel at 7, and got on the bus to leave for our first concert at 8:15. It was a long ride to Matanzas and since we were all a little rough on the music, we practiced on the bus. Everyone was nervous for our first concert and we knew we were going to be singing for and then listening to another choir. We were worried that we would be really bad compared to the other choir, and you know what, we were right. When the other choir got up on the "stage" of the beautiful monastery, they made a strange combination. They weren't wearing performance clothes like our choir was and they were all different ages and had distinct styles, making it almost look like a bunch of strangers just wandered onto stage together. One guy looked like he should be part of the cast of the Jersey Shore, and right next to him stood a guy rocking the punk look, complete with piercings and gauges. They all seemed so different, but as soon as they started singing, it sounded like one beautiful voice and it was truly breathtaking. I'm not sure that angels exist, but if they do I'm convinced that they must sound exactly like that choir.
After the concert we took a bunch of pictures because the view by the monastery was beautiful, filled with flush vegetation and overlooking the small town.
After Doughty finally dragged us away from the beautiful scenery, we went to lunch at a nearby place where a band played for us through the whole meal.
Back in Havana, we got to have a singing workshop with the director of the Cuban National Choir. She was a sweet old lady with a powerful voice, and even though she spoke in Spanish, we learned more from her in one hour than we do in a week for concert choir. She made all the sopranos sing individually and then arranged their seats so that they sat from the thinnest voice to the thickest. It was magical to watch, although I'm really glad she didn't get to the altos because I'm too embarrassed to sing by myself.
After the workshop we had a lovely dinner and then walked along the water, called el Malecón, before going back to our hotel. All in all it was a great way to start the trip.
-Cole DiGrazia
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