Why Sine Nomine?
In January of 2010 I first went to Cuba and was met by a
friendly guy in an old ratty car who arranged to introduce me to various choirs
and teachers in music schools in Havana. As I entered the tree lined courtyard
of a beautiful yellow colonial building, I saw a full dinosaur skeleton. I then
heard high pitched “whooo’s” like our Young Men’s Ensemble might do in their
warm up. It was Sine Nomine warming
up and I realized here was a Cuban Chanticleer.
I then attended their rehearsal and listened to them sing - Renaissance music,
Danny Boy and Beatles songs. Their intonation and phrasing was perfect, but
more impressive and moving was their deep emotional engagement in the music. By
the time we left, we were all in tears.
I learned that in Cuba there are many professional choirs (in
the USA there is only one). The Cuban
economic system pays professional Cuban choristers the same salary as the hotel
porters and the brain surgeons: $20/month. Most like the surgeons (and unlike
the porters) they go through rigorous training to achieve their profession. I
heard more of these fine professional choirs,
but Sine Nomine stole my heart.
Looking at this group of eight young men, you would never
believe they sang so beautifully. They represent all the diversity of ethnic
groups in Cuba and definitely look like “cool guys.” I realized that we needed
to show our community at home that people of all backgrounds can come together
in music. Serious classical music does not exist only for a small, elite Western
European population. This music belongs to everyone.
That is when I decided I had to find a way to bring Ragazzi to meet them. In June 2011, 68
of us arrived in Havana and our first workshop was with Leonor Suárez Dulzaides,
the conductor of this eight-voice gem. We were pretty jet lagged, but we met Sine Nomine in a decommissioned church
with sun streaming through the stained glass windows. We received excellent
coaching from Leonor, who repeatedly exhorted us to “relate to the text.” At
the time we were attempting the furiously difficult “Chanson d’Oiseaux” by
Jannequin.
In 2012 I again went to Cuba on an educational tour and
Leonor arranged to meet me and invited me to a rehearsal of her guys. They did
a special performance for just me and a few friends. Imagine my surprise when
at the 2012 American Choral Conductors Conference in Reno, I heard a small
voice calling, “Joyce, Joyce!” and I turned and saw Leonor. She had been
brought to the USA through the national leadership of ACDA as one of seven fine
Cuban conductors. It was my luck that she was invited to the Western Region
conference, my home region. We spent a lot of time together, haltingly trying
to communicate - she in her limited English and me in my limited Spanish. None
of the ACDA organizers realized the extent of the limitations placed on Cuban
travelers in the U.S. She had no money
(she’s paid that same $20 per month) and no credit card (no Cuban plastic would
have been allowed, anyway) to put down at the hotel. I helped her to get meals
and to figure out the conference schedule.
At the conference, I approached the leadership and said,
“You have to get Sine Nomine to the
2014 convention.” While they we stunned by the artistry of this group as shown
by examples from Sine Nomine ‘s CD, the
ACDA leadership was extremely reluctant to agree. They claimed they didn’t have
money to cover the expenses, that it was really difficult to get Cuban groups
into the USA, etc. etc. I then said, “I will organize this.” In the back of my
mind was the desire to get these singers in front of our Redwood City community,
including our local immigrant families, many from parts of Mexico and Central
and South America, and show them that this music belongs to them too. Maybe, I
hoped, we could expand our recruitment of local boys by getting them to connect
with these singers who look and speak like them.
Tina Duyk, Ragazzi board member, offered to help me and we
began to set up concerts all over California. Each presenting organization
agreed to pay a fee and somehow we pieced together support enough for visas, immigration
attorney fees and transportation. There were many nail biting moments as
various strategies failed, but as of January 24, the last airfare was paid and
confirmed.
Tina spearheaded efforts to connect with Redwood City Civic Cultural
Commission and the schools. After months of trying to contact the schools
directly and failing, Tina was able to go through Music for Minors and the Redwood
City Education Foundation to gain performance opportunities for these singers
in four Redwood City elementary schools during six morning assemblies.
Ragazzi is also sponsoring a concert at 6 p.m. on Wednesday,
February 26 at Carrington Hall on Sequoia High School campus, free to children
(thanks to a $1,000 grant from the Redwood City Civic Cultural Commission) and
only $5 for adults. It’s the best bargain you’ll get for any live music
performance this year – and these are world-class singers. As someone said, “I paid just $30 to hear
Chanticleer!”
This group epitomizes excellence combined with warmth and
emotional engagement. Please tell your friends and actively promote this
opportunity to share these great musicians and this great music.
