10:40 a.m., Dec. 3, 2010----Students who make up the University of Delaware Chorale say their recent trip to an international choral competition in Spain was so inspiring and transformative that the four awards they brought home were almost beside the point.

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The UD Chorale won three second-place awards and a third-place award at the 42nd International Tolosa Choral Contest in the Basque region of Spain, placing in every category in which it competed against more than 20 choirs from around the world. One of only two U.S. groups that participated this year, the University Chorale was invited because of its 2007 first-place award at the 10th International Choir Festival in Tallinn, Estonia.

Freshman Jon Smith called the trip “life-changing” and noted that it was his first time traveling abroad. “It was the perfect mix of experiencing the culture of Europe and doing what I love most -- singing,” Smith said. “The competition was a great learning experience, and the fact that we placed second among some of the world's finest choirs proves that UD is a talent magnet.”

After arriving in Spain, the group performed in churches in several Basque villages before joining the other choirs for the two-day festival and competition. Students said they generally had time to explore and see the sights in the villages before it was time to prepare for the evening concerts, held in impressive venues.

“In a musical and emotional sense, the Chorale was able to sing in beautiful churches with breathtaking acoustics,” said junior Rachel Clark, the Chorale's student president-elect. “The opportunity to sing in these centuries-old cathedrals was incredible in itself, but the chance to do that with our best friends was absolutely amazing.”

Students had formed a fairly tight-knit group before traveling to Spain, senior Luke Wallace said, “but the trip really brought us together as a bonding experience.”

Like Wallace, Katlyn Lucio, a senior voice major, took part in the 2007 trip to Estonia and said the Basque festival brought back fond memories of that experience of performing on the international stage. “The most rewarding part of this trip for me was seeing other people in the Chorale be able to have the kinds of experiences we had in Estonia,” she said. “A big part of the experience is being able to connect with the audience no matter where you are -- of seeing how music transcends language.”

Competitive festivals provide students with insights into other cultures and also inspire excellence in their performances, said Prof. Paul D. Head, chair of the Department of Music, director of choral studies and director of the UD Chorale for 14 years.

“Students have uniformly spoken about how this experience has deepened their musicianship and discipline for the highest levels of artistry,” Head said of the Tolosa festival.

Clark agreed, saying that the Chorale's intensive preparation for the competition allowed the singers to spend the performances focused on the music itself and on the audience.

“In a technical sense, our level of musicianship as an ensemble greatly increased simply because we all knew that we were going to be competing against some incredible choirs, and we wanted to show the world what Delaware could do,” she said.

For senior Katie Meloro, the Chorale's current student president, one memorable experience occurred when the UD students ate in a restaurant with choirs from Germany and Ukraine and joined them in singing a piece that all the competitors had prepared for their festival appearance.

“Through music and art, we had an international bonding experience with these two choirs that I'm not sure would be possible among a group of scientists or businessmen,” she said.

Article by Ann Manser
Photos by Zach Hook-Bluett and Katlyn Lucio