First Rehearsal After the Earthquakes

This past Monday, the 14th, marked the choir's first gathering since that infamous June 24th, when our city was violently shaken by a double earthquake that changed our lives. As I mentioned at some point over these last three months, all 90 members of our choir, the group that always comes together to sin, are safe and well, and thankfully, so are our immediate families. Among the musicians around me, the losses were purely material, though very significant; one of our contraltos, for instance, lost her apartment when her building collapsed in La Guaira. Yet, I know that she and all of us will rise above this experience, and music will play a vital role in that recovery.

Of course, these photos aren't from that first day back at work; I took them long before the tragedy. I hadn't really had a reason to share them until now, but, modesty aside, I really love them. It’s rare for me to get such beautiful shots of the hall without people wandering into the frame. I wanted to share them in this post because this space, which has brought me so much joy, was one of the areas at our main headquarters that suffered the most damage. It isn't completely ruined, in fact, repairs have been underway over the past few months, but, for instance, that beautiful piano in the photo was crushed by a spotlight that fell from high above. That incident, combined with other setbacks, means our first rehearsal won't be taking place in this sacred space; in fact, the concerts we had scheduled for October and November still cannot be held here.

At this first meeting, we were informed that the only concert scheduled for the hall is set for December, when everything is expected to be ready, though with any luck, and if things are completed sooner, we might be able to hold a few events. There is a smaller hall, but a choir like ours cannot sing in such a small space; the powerful sound would become distorted, something we have experienced before. The bottom line is that things are going very well here; in fact, I am surprised we started rehearsals today, given how much work remains to be done. This year, 2026, marks our 20th anniversary, yet we obviously haven't celebrated it the way we would have liked, and the schedule for the coming months will be quite modest.

Our conductor is currently away on a brief tour between Spain and Greece, but since this group is overflowing with talent 😅 we’ll still be holding a concert during the first half of October, led by our four section leaders. The repertoire is delightful and entirely sacred, essentially a tribute to the earthquake victims—though we’ll also perform some Christmas music, including pieces by Morten Lauridsen and Felix Mendelssohn (among others). Later on, we’ll tackle Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, and I’m hoping Maestro Gustavo Dudamel will visit us to reprise Beethoven’s opera Fidelio, though that remains up in the air. And, as there always has to be a quirky moment 😀, we’ll be paying tribute to Willie Colón; we’ll be singing salsa again, not the whole choir, just a small selection of singers, but I’ve been included, so in November I’ll write a bit about the experience of blending Latin rhythms with symphonic instruments and voices... It promises to be an interesting season after all, and I think we deserve it after a year filled with such extreme surprises for my country 🙏