Gettysburg College Choir Tours Costa Rica

Posted By Ella Prieto on Mar 30, 2023 | 1 comment

By Ella Prieto, Assistant News Editor

Choir on tour in Costa Rica, 2023 (Photo provided)

Over spring break this year, the Gettysburg College Choir traveled to Costa Rica to perform across the country. This included visiting San José, an excursion to Poás Volcano National Park, performing at Los Angeles Basilica, and more. 

The choir, which consists of students from all class years, was able to expand their viewpoints during the trip through the places they traveled to and the people they met. 

“It was really cool, interacting with a culture that was so different from ours,” said Hugo Pochan ’26. 

The trip began with the choir touching down at San José, where they checked into a hotel. They then traveled to Poás Volcano National Park, which has a summit of 8,900 feet, performed at Los Angeles Basilica, toured the Doka Coffee Estate, visited Sarchi, had a school exchange with the Instituto Músico Vocal de Occidente, and swam in the hot springs.

The students then traveled to Arenal, where they went river rafting, toured the El Silencio trails, visited the Finca Educativa Don Juan educational farm, and performed at the Ciudad Quesada Cathedral.

Finally, the choir headed to Puntarenas and enjoyed a Pura Vida cooking class, performed at the National Technical University in Puntarenas, and visited the Manuel Antonio National Park. 

During the trip, the performances consisted of various songs by Spanish-speaking artists. These pieces included “Mañanitas de mi Tierra” by Julio Fonseca, “Esto Les Digo” by Kinley Lange, and “Son de la Vida” by José Galván. 

Students who went on the trip enjoyed the various performances and expressed what it meant to them to be able to travel with the College Choir.

“The choir tour was an incredible experience, I loved getting to sing in and be surrounded by a different culture,” said Jack Young ’26. “We did a lot of amazing activities while we were there, but my favorite was the coffee plantation.” 

Emily Femino ’24 also commented on her favorite part of the trip, stating, “My favorite experience was speaking to the rock band that opened for our choir at the National Technical University in Puntarenas. Being in a band myself with other members of the choir, it was really fun to talk to them about the kind of music they played and even swap some of our favorite songs. Even a couple of weeks after the tour, I’ve been keeping in touch with the students from the University.” 

Femino also spoke about how impactful it was for her and other members of the Choir to interact with the locals, as they were able to have meaningful conversations and learn new things. 

For the senior members of the choir, this trip was especially significant. 

“Our spring break international tour experience was truly unforgettable,” said Zane Kazmarski ’23. “As a senior, I have only experienced two half tours with the Gettysburg College Choir as our first-year tour was cut short due to the rising COVID-19 pandemic. Being able to share music with people in another country, and experience tours to the fullest extent, was a really emotional experience and it was heartwarming to hear the locals share how much our music meant to them.”

Director of Choral Activities at Gettysburg College Dr. Robert Natter, who led the trip, also commented “We had a terrific opportunity to learn about Costa Rica and to sing four performances in venues around the country. We grew as musicians, and also as a musical community and team, and that will have a positive impact on the Choir well into the future.”

The choir was also able to perform the songs from the trip after they returned through a concert at Paul Recital Hall, which students, faculty, family, and choir alumni attended. 

At the concert, choir members read statements about what the trip meant to them. While introducing a song, Ana María Griffin Morimoto ’25 said, “We were so fortunate to get the chance to really share our life, and the beauty of our life, with the beauty of life in Costa Rica. We not only got to see the animals in the ocean, the earth, but a bunch of beautiful people there. And we got to exchange a little bit of our lives that will forever be connected.” 

The choir also thanked individuals who donated to “The Parker B. and Helen D. Wagnild College Choir Tour Fund.” 

Natter explained that “The tour was supported by an endowment created by Gettysburg College Choir alumni and friends in honor of the choir’s founding director, Parker Wagnild. Proceeds from this fund greatly subsidized the cost of the tour, making it possible for students to travel for only a fraction of the real cost. The tour would not have been possible without this support.” 

Choir members expressed that they look forward to future performances and tours that they will be able to embark on during their time at Gettysburg College.