Laredo Philharmonic Chorale performs at Carnegie Hall

By Paul de la Peña-Franceschi

For the first time in 10 years the Laredo Philharmonic Chorale performed at the prestigious Carnegie Hall in New York City during the Memorial Day weekend. The 35-member chorus joined with choirs from Colorado Springs, CO, De Kalb, IL, Lexington, KY, and Gwynedd Valley, PA. Accompanied by director Dr. Joseph Crabtree, the chorale performed the great "Requiem Mass in D minor" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. British composer and conductor John Rutter also presented his own compositions, "A Children's Gloria," and his "Te Deum." As a member of the Chorale I had the good fortune of this lifetime experience.
The mood was electric at the San Antonio International Airport where one by one, the members of the Laredo Chorale arrived with anticipation of joining the ranks of great musicians and artists who have performed on stage at Carnegie Hall's Isaac Stern Auditorium, such as, Tchichovsky, Stravinsky, Copeland, Ives, Pavarotti, Iglesias, Perlman, and Stern -- names that have long ago entered music halls of fame around the world.
As we sat in the airport waiting for the other members of the chorale, we noticed a tall athletic figure emerge from behind the security checkpoint. On second glance, we realized it was two time NBA world champion Magic Johnson. I walked up and introduced myself and was overwhelmed by his size. He was in town to help TNT anchor the NBA Western Conference Finals featuring the San Antonio Spurs versus the Dallas Mavericks. He seemed sad, since the Spurs just unseated the L.A. Lakers the week before. As it turns out, the Spurs would go on to defeat the Mavericks, and make a second return to the NBA finals.
Being the Historian for the LPC, one of my jobs is to document LPC's events for the year, so I had a daunting task ahead of me, documenting our movement across the country on planes, buses, boats, taxis, horses, and automobiles. We were well supplied with classic burlap "Laredo Ambassador Bags" provided by the Laredo Convention and Visitors Bureau to be given out along the way and while in New York City.
With the nation on Orange Alert for the Memorial Day Weekend, most of the LPC seemed happy but cautious. About half of the 48 Laredo participants had ever been to the Big Apple, so this made for interesting conversations about where to go and what to see. Some members even became experts on self-defense and the intricacies of dealing with street people!
Our journey first took to us to St. Louis, MO then onto New York's La Guardia International Airport. Security seemed normal and there were no signs of concern in the eyes of most travelers.
Although we were supposed to have our luggage picked up and taken straight to the hotel by the tour company, the heightened security measures added a bit of discomfort and time loss on the ground. Otherwise, all our flights went off without a hitch.
The Grand Hyatt in New York City was indeed grand, if you consider it is in the middle of Manhattan. While the lobby and meeting rooms were indeed grand, the guest rooms left something to be desired. They were small and congested, considering that we were staying four to a room. Needless to say, we did not have much time to spend in the quarters because of all the practice time required for the concert on Sunday.
Some members of our group took taxis from the airport early and attended Broadway shows such as Beauty and Beast, Gypsy, The Lion King, The Producers, La Mancha, 42nd Street, and Salome.
We were all happily surprised that New York's famous Yellow taxis were not as expensive as we had been told. The average ride cost about $7 dollars covering a 15-block area. Of course, this cost would go up if one were in rush hour traffic on a regular business day. The taxi drivers were courteous, and we never had a problem. On the other hand, it is a law that you can only have four people to ride in one taxi at a time, even if you are a group of five, no exceptions.
The food was outstanding! From the corner hotdog stands to the delis and fine dining restaurants - the city had something for every taste. Across from the Grand Hyatt was a simple little Italian deli which my group frequented a good bit because of its proximity. Cipriani's was also the family name of a huge hall across the street on 42nd had been an old bank at the turn of the century. We learned from the security guard at the front door that Cipriani's has played host to Sting, Brittany Spears, Madonna, Elton John, Billy Joel, and Shakira, to name a few for a recent reception with a hefty price tag. From our vantage point overlooking the street in the Manhattan Sky Bar, it was fun to watch the limos and private vehicles drive up and drop off celebrities and guests. According to our waitress, the party we saw was low end, because on other occasions they place a canopy, and a red carpet for larger events. Ciprani's has restaurants in Rome, Paris, New York, and Hong Kong.
For three days the Laredo Chorale rehearsed and prepared for their big moment at Carnegie Hall. John Rutter used every possible tactic to draw energy and passion from the near 500 hundred-voice choir. Truly a gentleman, he never had a bad bit of criticism, utilizing humor to get across his points. He challenged the altos to develop "alto pride," and pleaded at times with the soprani to not be shy. His remarkable candor and knowledge of music made singing Mozart easy at times, but his task to blend the five choir sound into one unified chorus was a challenge nonetheless. Rutter used many different vocal techniques to bend and stretch the choral sound to one, which he thought was true to Mozart's desires. From singing scat rhythms on the arpeggios, to singing forte passages in lower tones, he made tremendous progress in three days of rehearsals. The chorus, drawing from his energy, was impassioned by his desire for perfection. Rutter reminded us, "If you give to Carnegie, Carnegie will give to you." This he proved to us at Sunday's rehearsal as we sang the "Dies Irae" a cappella. Not surprisingly, the sound came right back to us from the back of the auditorium!
With only 45 minutes to find something to eat before performance, the intensity built. To make matters more interesting, there was a street festival on 7th Avenue with hundreds of vendors selling arts and crafts and delicious food. We barely had the opportunity to visit the tiny gift shop and take a last minute photo in front of Carnegie Hall.
The hour was now upon us to enter our names in the history books forever. The many hours of hard work and preparation were coming to a close as we re-entered the backstage door. Cramping into the downstairs waiting room designed for perhaps a hundred, we managed to fit over 400!
We entered the Isaac Stern Auditorium, now filled to near capacity, and the mood was awesome. To add to the moment, there were a number of flashes from cameras, which were not allowed. In any event, the presence of all the great performers seemed to be with us at that single moment. One could only smile and enjoy the sheer pleasure of preparing to perform in this great hall.
As the soloist entered, followed by conductor Rutter, we were now poised to give the concert of a lifetime. With the downbeat of the baton, the New England Philharmonic Ensemble began the concert with elegance. From the introit to the lacrymosa the five choirs became one voice as the conductor's vision became a reality.
As the chorus ended, there was thunderous applause and cheers of acclaim. "Bravo" could be heard on stage as we marveled at the completion of the concert. There were two encores as the soloist and conductor enjoyed the jubilant crowd of well wishers.
At the end of the concert, we were seated in the third balcony to watch the second half of the concert, which was equally enjoyable.
The evening ended with an early evening cruise in the bay featuring a catered meal, disc jockey, and a splendid view of the Statue of Liberty. We were even treated to impromptu Spanish songs by director Joe Crabtree, and the youngest member of the LPC, Ricky Holguin.
Besides seeing stars like Matchbox 20, Matt Dillon, Charliez Theron, Ruben, (the new American Idol), and others, the fact that the LPC had made an impact in the heart of New York City at the world's greatest musical venue was the bast. As ambassadors for Texas, the Laredo Philharmonic Chorale had the second largest group in the chorus, and most importantly was well prepared for the engagement. As proof of their diligence, the Chorale members have already been invited to return for future concerts.
Thanks to the generosity of the people of Laredo, and city and county government, the LPC had an outstanding experience at Carnegie Hall and New York City. We look forward to continued support for the performing arts in Laredo. May God continue to bless Laredo and its leaders for their vision, courage, and support of the arts.