Keystone State Boychoir on tour
The choir sang to a packed house! Calama, being a mining town at heart, is not accustomed to such grand entertainment, and the choir clearly impressed the audience – the excitement in the air was palpable. The usual post-concert South Africa medley was lively and the crowd joined in with gusto.
What a night!
After an approximately three hour bus ride, not counting stops along the way, we arrived in Calama with the strong Chilean summer sun beating down. After unloading our buses, the choir sang briefly, and then went with their homestays to settle in. Of course, they didn’t leave without a picture of them with their homestay families.
Suitcases all in a row as buses are unloaded. Calama Homestays Pickup and Sing in Calama, Chile on December 20, 2015. (Photo by E Bryan Crenshaw III).
Greeting song for homestays.
Homestays enjoying the greeting song.
Our travel day started back at the Antofagasta International School, where we began our stay in this lovely city. The ritual of travel days is a constant. Every member of the group, including chaperones, don their tour shirts. Baggage is checked. The irreplaceable formal attire is carefully checked and checked again. Final goodbyes are exchanged with the homestay families, which in Chile typically involve lots of hugs and plenty of pictures. Of course, no transition on tour is complete without a song, which inevitable is met with delight by the crowds, especially the homestay families.
On our journey to Calama, we began with “silent bus,” so the choir could write about their experience in the tour journals. Along the way, we made a couple of stops. First, at La Portada or The Gate, a natural rock formation on the coast north of Afantogasta. Second, at the Tropic of Capricorn Marker. Then, off to Calama.
Luggage Check. Farewell to Our Homestays at Antofagasta International School Antofagasta, Chile on December 20, 2015. (Photos by E Bryan Crenshaw III).
Farewells mean lots of pictures….
…and in Chile, lots of hugs…
…and of course, the farewell song…
…and sometimes a little TLC.
La Portado, “The Gate,” a natural rock formation on the coast north of Antofagasta, Chile.
Tropic of Capricorn Marker in Chile on December 20, 2015.
Today, the choir began their day by practicing under the palm trees in the main downtown park, the Plaza Colón. The park is across the street from the concert venue at the Antofagasta Cathedral. Although the facade of this cathedral appears modest from the street, once inside, it opens up to this gorgeous space with vaulted ceilings and numerous shrines and adornments along the sides of the cathedral. The space adjacent to the Cathedral – where the choir put the final touches on their performance – are brightly decorated and inviting. During the concert, we recognized the homestays, and sang “Si Vas Para Chile” to the delight of the crowd, many of whom sang along.
The choir capped the day off spending the afternoon and evening with their homestay families. They had a great time! Some of the cool activities that they shared were Christmastime on the beach where some swam in the Pacific for the first time, watching the latest Star Wars movie (in Spanish with English subtitles), checking out an auto club, not to mention the many pools, barbecues, and family gatherings that they experienced. One of the joys of the tour experience is time the boys spend with their homestay families. Many of them are using their high school Spanish, and having great conversations with their homestays.
Next up…a journey into the driest place on the planet – the Atacama Desert!
Antofasta Cathedral. Day of Keystone State Boychoir singing at at Antofagasta Cathedral , Antofagasta, Chile on December 19, 2015. (Photo by E Bryan Crenshaw III).
Inside the Cathedral.
Ironing out a few last minute details just prior to concert on the grounds of the cathedral.
The crowd joins the choir singing “Si Vas Para Chile,” and, by the look on their faces, are enjoying the song tremendously.
The crowd shows Andy, our accompanist, the appreciation he so richly deserves.
Spectacular! What a great first concert in Antofagasta. The choir spent most of the day practicing for the concert, first at the Universidad Católica del Norte (Catholic University of the North), and then in the venue at the Ruins of Huanchaca. Declared a national monument in 1974, the ruins are the remains of a silver-smelting operation. The silver processed at the one-time foundry came from Pulacayo near Uyuni in the southern highlands of Bolivia. Huanchaca is named for the Bolivian company that operated the silver mine.
The choir’s performance was at the XXII Christmas Concert, which is held every year during the week just prior to Christmas. The choir was featured on banners posted around town for the concert (see photo below). The choir’s performance matched the monumental backdrop of the venue. They sang most of their songs at the first set, and then came back for the Hallelujah chorus at the finale. The concert ended with a bang – literally – fireworks were great fun!
What a great start!
The next concert is at the Afantogasta Cathedral. Stay tuned.
En Español:
Antes de que partir para Chile, no sabíamos lo que pasaría. La última gira creó unas expectativas, pero Chile las ha superado. Cuando llegamos a Antofagasta, nuestra primera parada, recibimos una bienvenida muy amable de “la Perla del Norte”. Nos sorprendimos que pudiéramos cantar en las Ruinas de Huanchaca, un lugar tan grandioso y magnífico.
Banner Announcing KSB Performance at Ruins of Huanchaca Antofagasta, Chile on December 19, 2015. (Photo by E Bryan Crenshaw III).
Antofagasta Concert Day at , Antofagasta, Chile on December 18, 2015.
After a long lay over in Santiago, we had a short flight to Antofagasta, a port city in Northern Chile and the starting point for our ventures into the Atacama Desert. In Chile, Antofagasta is known as, “La Perla del Norte” or the The Pearl of the North, for its historical and economic importance.
We were met warmly by our homestay families at the “Antofagasta International School,” a beautiful, brightly-decorated campus, seemingly situated on the very edge of the desert. The choir sang briefly for their homestay families before they went home for the evening. The slide show at the bottom of the blog shows the boys with their homestay families, and a link to a full screen version of the slide show can be found below the embedded slideshow.
Antofagasta Homestays at , Antofagasta, Chile on December 17, 2015. (Photo by E Bryan Crenshaw III).
Boy, what a haul! After an overnight flight from JFK to Santiago, we spent the day in the Santiago Airport. Nonetheless, there is never time to rest, and the boys spent the day rehearsing, much to the delight of the other passengers in the terminal. In particular, the boys singing, “Si Vas para Chile,” enthralled the crowd.
The boys are in great spirits!
Well I have been to many, many cities of the world. It takes a lot at this point for me to be taken with a city, but St. Petersburg. WOW! It lives up to its reputation and more.
And as always, its the people you meet in a city that make it special. Irina, director of the TV and Radio Dethor of St. Petersburg, is my new BFF. Despite language barriers, we immediately connected. The joys and trials and tribulations of children’s choir directors are universal!
I so look forward to KSB’s visit to St. Petes. We’ll spend a night getting there on a ferry from Scandinavia, and then spend two magical nights in the city. We’ll do a concert in the Kappella Hall, and very famous venue with wonderful acoustics which is associated with the great Russian musicians Mikhail Glinka and Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. In addition, we’ll visit landmarks like St. Isaacs Basilica, the Hermitage, and my favorite the Church of Splitting Blood. Yes, that’s the actual name of it. But I bet everyone’s favorite part will be walking along the River Neva. So beautiful.
Be sure you’ve signed up for Instagram and follow us at keystonestateboychoir. Twitter too – follow us at @ksboychoir. There will be a big KSB announcement tomorrow evening. But if you want to be the first to know, you have to follow us on Instagram and Twitter.
Kappella Concert Hall, St. Petersburg
TV and Radio Dethor* of St. Peterburg performing in Kappella Concert Hall. “Dethor” means “Children’s Choir” in Russian)
In just a few hours I’ll be arriving in St. Petersburg. Called Leningrad in Soviet times, this city is an incredible blend of Russian and Scandinavian cultures that makes for one of the most unique cities in the world. And KSB will take it by storm on June 30 – thru July 2nd.
I am arriving on the HRP “Maria” – a prominent member of the Russian royal family in the late eighteen and early nineteen hundreds. Once I’ve arrived, I will have crossed the entire length of the Baltic Sea on three different ships. Seen one Baltic cruise ship, you’ve seen them all? Sure, but you boys are still going to love it. Everyone knows that boys never tire of three things: boat rides, food, and ta ti-ing.
You might have noticed I’ve been a little quiet. I did make one stop at an unknown location. Wanna know? Tune into Instagram on Sunday, November 1st to find out.
Map of St.Pete’s…for those who don’t have tour journals!
St. Petersburg – the Venice of Russia!
Famous St. Pete’s landmark…name it!
How about this one?
Or at least on the cruise ship Mighty Viking. That’s how we’ll get to St. Petersburg. It’s an overnight boat, three beds in a cabin. Restaurants on board, and a casino. If you win, you have to give half to KSB.
This is way fun. Boys, you’re going to looooooooove it.
Please be sure to sign up for Instagram. Breaking concert tour news will be posted on Instagram in the coming days!
