New York is a magical city, but if you’re careless, it can end up being a machine that eats up the dreams and even the entire lives of those who “cross the pond.” And although you have to earn a living, even working in various jobs, those who are artists, in the best style of good jugglers, try to avoid routine to keep their art alive, create a community and connect with their musical roots.
Rehearsing, enjoying, putting on the best outfit and giving the public concerts, where talent and discipline mix with “the desire to help heal the soul” and “touch the hearts of the audience” are principles that push musicians and singers like Alexandra Castaño to “not just dive headlong” into work but to find time to cultivate her passion: choral singing.
And as if it were a chain of wishes, dreams, commitment and desire to show the world that in the Big Apple, Latin artists have much to show, and that they offer a platform for musicians from other parts of the country and the world to present their art, the first International Festival of Latin American Choirs was inaugurated in New York over the weekend. Under the baton of the Cappella Sur choir, promoter of the event, and with the support of the Latin American Workshop, other groups such as the Puig-Reig Polyphonic Choir from Barcelona, the Argentine Choir from Minnesota, and the United Nations choir SRC Singers, are the protagonists.
“This festival is a great achievement, because we have worked hard to make it possible, especially when this kind of event is needed for the Hispanic community, because it is a way to preserve and cultivate our musical culture through singing, while we can also teach the people of New York everything that our diverse cultures have to offer,” says the Colombian soprano, who has combined her love of music with all kinds of jobs since she left her country almost 20 years ago.
“I came here as just another immigrant, without any kind of privilege. I have worked in restaurants, cafes and bakeries, but I have always been looking for music, because it is my passion and I believe that we cannot just work and work but that we must also feed our passions,” says Alexandra, who initially formed a music duo with which she played in various places while continuing to work. “Those of us who make up the choir do all kinds of jobs and when we finish we take off our overalls and put on our artists’ capes to do what we like most, which is singing. We are clear that art heals and this Festival is also a way to make ourselves known, to raise our value as Hispanics in New York and to celebrate our diversity and be happy: singing makes us happy and is a way to heal us.”
Guillermo Vaisman, director of the Cappella Sur choir and founder of the First Latin Choir Festival in the Big Apple, shares this sentiment and warns that despite the work responsibilities that most Latinos in the city have to deal with, time must be made not only to give free rein to dreams and passions but also to appreciate the examples that choral singing artists have to share.
“Most of us immigrants who come to New York did not come because we like the weather, but because we are looking forward to working harder and having better opportunities. Many even arrive desperate because of situations in which their lives are at risk. And although in the first years here the connection with cultural activity is somewhat blurred, over time curiosity reconnects us with the arts and many artists re-emerge and flourish,” says the musician, who has been directing choirs for almost 50 years since he lived in his native Río Piedras, Argentina.
The choral director also explains that the idea of the Festival was born from the need to join with other choirs to share their passions.
“Cappella Sur is a small chamber choir in which we play music in Spanish from South American and Caribbean towns, and we decided to invite other choirs to an event that we see as a gathering of friends because we share the love for choral singing. Musicians from Spain, Minnesota and artists from New York come,” says the Argentine, while calling on Latinos from the Big Apple to get closer to the repertoire that choral groups offer. “We lack more awareness among Latino brothers to participate in these events. The cultural expressions of the places where we come from are very attractive, and many Latinos are wonderful artists not only in music but in other fields; there are sculptors, dancers, poets, there is everything and although today they are in various jobs that are not in decline, they have a lot to offer.”
And when speaking about the choir he founded in the heart of the Big Apple, Vaisman describes it as “a group of artists, singers, musicians, immigrants, and travelers who are dedicated to promoting Latin American music through choral works in New York and the United States in general.”
Ramón Holguin, a member of the city’s choral music movement who makes a living in a different field of work than music, has distinguished himself with interpretations of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, Mozart’s Mass in C, Antonio Estévez’s Cantata Criolla, and Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 in E flat major. He does not hide the pride he feels in showing his art in the Big Apple.
“Of all the artistic experiences, the most rewarding and important is the opportunity to represent and spread the folklore and music of Latin America in a city as multicultural as New York, especially at a time when immigration is being viewed in a negative light,” says the Venezuelan tenor. “The opportunity to be part of the creation of the First Latin American Choir Festival Cappella Sur in a place and time like this is of great importance and a source of pride. It is the opportunity to show the cultural richness, happiness and diversity that the immigrant population brings to this universal melting pot that is New York.”
Mariela Alonso, who has lived in the City of Skyscrapers since 2003, insists that the choir she belongs to, Cappella Sur, not only allows her to disconnect from her daily routine but also becomes her medicine to rekindle her passion for music and, in the process, connect with the hearts of other musicians.
“All of this gives me a space for musical expression, for creativity, for developing friendships, especially in a new country. It allows me to connect with the culture to keep my own roots alive and the possibility of connecting with the roots of other Latin American countries, which is very important,” says the performer, who describes choral music as a space for solidarity and community building.
Guillermo Vaisman, director of the Cappella Sur choir and founder of the First Latin Choir Festival. Photo Edwin Martinez.
The singer adds that the Latin choirs, which include interpretations of Cuban son songs, boleros, chamamé, and other Latin American rhythms, seek to connect people and move hearts.
“This festival is a very important event for us in the development of choral music, and it is great for us to express ourselves and promote Latin culture and our Latin rhythms that are so complex but at the same time make you tap your feet and make you want to move and sing, and touch people’s hearts. It excites us and it excites the audience,” says the choral artist.
“We want to bring a little bit of the heart that we share to the Latinos of New York, and we also invite those who are not Latino to experience these wonderful rhythms that will make them dance and fill them with emotion,” he says.
Choral singers rehearsing for their performance at the Festival. Photo Edwin Martínez