Thursday, July 3, 2008 by jozjozjoz.

See? I learned some Spanish on this trip.

Ok, I lied. I didn’t really pick up any Spanish on this trip. I cheated and consulted babelfish for a translation of Home Sweet Home.

The point is: WE’RE HOME!

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Wednesday, July 2, 2008 by jozjozjoz.

Having a great time, but some of us are a little Kranky.

Others of us are doubly Kranky.

Our farewell dinner is tonight, which means that our magical trip is almost over.

(Note: Click on pictures to see their expressions even better!)

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Tuesday, July 1, 2008 by jozjozjoz.

Yes, Helen is here with us in spirit!

We left San Miguel de Allende this afternoon after having some free time in the morning to wander (or sleep in, if you chose).

The bus ride from San Miguel to Guadalajara was long but relatively uneventful. It took over 5 hours to get here! As busride entertainment, we watched “August Rush.” It rained (and the bus was a little leaky, so we had a little “weather” inside), but we all got here safely and got checked into the hotel pretty quickly.

It’s about 8pm now and the hotel is holding a nice evening reception for us. Margaritas all around!

PS - Hi Lesili!  Hope you’re well!  We know you’re reading, even though you’re not commenting!

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Monday, June 30, 2008 by jozjozjoz.

Seeing as I still haven’t completed my post from the other day about Vox’s first concert in Mexico, I probably shouldn’t start writing about the last concert too much… I should leave it to someone else to write about.

But I’ll say just a few things.

Today was an amazing day.

After a day of sightseeing in San Miguel de Allende, Vox visited the Casa Hogar Don Bosco, a home for young & teenage girls who were in need of a home, but have now found one there. The girls immediately welcomed the ladies of Vox with open arms and shared some songs together. We didn’t have a lot of time together, but bonds were formed instantly… what an amazing experience for us to meet such lovely young ladies!

Shortly thereafter, Vox rushed from the home and back into the heart of San Miguel to take the stage at Teatro Angela Peralta, an opera house opened by the Mexican opera diva herself. The girls of Casa Hogar were sitting in the front rows! After intermission, the girls and Vox shared the stage as the girls performed a small set with Vox as the ultimate backup singers!

Then Vox wrapped up the concert with an amazing standing ovation with the entire audience calling for an encore!

Ok, for someone who wasn’t going to blog about the concert, I just did, but there is so much to say about this performance, I hope someone else will fill in all that I left out. And there were lots and lots of pictures taken today… will any of the Voxxies and friends please share?!?!?

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Sunday, June 29, 2008 by jozjozjoz.

Allie keeps poking me and bumping into me right now and is making it hard for me to type, so apologies in advance for anything funky that I might type.

This morning we are sitting in the lobby of our hotel in Mexico City, all checked out and waiting for our bus. But that’s another story.

Last night, the Voxxies sounded absolutely amazing in their first concert in Mexico! But for us lucky audience members, we got two concerts in one! Vox Femina’s first performance of their first international tour was a joint concert with Coro Karites, Mexico’s only women’s chorus. The concert venue was the Museo Antiguo Palacio del Arzobispado, a preserved 16th-century home which been transformed into a museum that traces the development of Mexican art from pre-Columbian times to modern day. What a treat to see and hear Vox perform in such beautiful and historic venue!

Kárites, a chorus of six women led by Gabriela Franco, took the stage first. Their program consisted of:

>Yoik; Canto de Laponia
Non nobis domine; William Byrd (1543-1622)
Akai hana, shirio hana; Mie Nakabayashi (arranged by Nachiko Terashima)
Txeru; Norberto Alamadoz (1893-1970)
Festive alleluya; Lyn Williams (1952)
Si de noche vez que brillan; Cancion venezolana S.XIX
La estrella Azul; Carlos Oscar “Peteco Carabajal” (1956) (arranged by Eduardo Ferraudi)
Seberianita; Cancion Purepecha
Cancion con Todos; Cesar Isella (1938) (arranged by Ruben Caceres)

…

The women of Kárites were so welcoming and dedicated the final two songs of the concert to the women of Vox.

Vox’s set began with:

Ave generosa; Hildegard von Bingen
Nigra Sum; Pablo Casals
Esto les Digo; Kinley Lange
Ave Maria; David McIntyre
I Thank You God; Gwyneth Walker

It was absolutely stunning to hear Vox in this wonderful space… when they finished Ave Maria, the audience audibly sighed at the beauty of this piece.

Vox commissioned Roger Bourland to set poetry by Francisco X. Alarcon to music a few years ago; the next set was a selection from the Alarcon Madrigals.

In a Neighborhood in LA
Both Page and Pen
Body in Flames
Lamentario
Face and Heart
Guardian Angel

(To be continued… bus is here!)

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