Singing Across the Sea: Duke Chorale’s Musical Exchange in Puerto Rico
In early March, the Duke University Chorale carried its sound beyond Durham—across the ocean to Puerto Rico—where music became a shared language of connection, culture, and community.
From March 9–14, the ensemble traveled across the island, performing in churches, schools, and concert spaces while engaging deeply with local musicians and audiences. Their program—shaped by Puerto Rican and Spanish musical traditions and centered on themes of resilience and renewal—took on new meaning in each setting, shaped by the people and places they encountered.
A Return to Tradition
For Director Allan Friedman, the tour marked both a return and a milestone. Overseas travel has long been a defining feature of the Chorale experience, paused in recent years.
“Overseas touring has been a tradition in the Chorale for decades, interrupted by the pandemic. We wanted to give the current senior class the chance to go abroad as a celebration of their contribution to the choir and as a means of spreading goodwill,” Friedman said.
Puerto Rico offered a setting where that tradition could continue with purpose—its musical history, cultural richness, and accessibility allowing the Chorale to engage fully with the communities they visited.
Music as Exchange
Throughout the week, the Chorale’s performances became points of connection. The ensemble rehearsed with San Juan Bautista Orfeo, shared a friendship concert with Coralia, and participated in both Christian and Jewish worship services. At the Robinson School, Chorale members worked with middle and high school students in a combined concert and workshop, while a performance at Temple Beth Shalom brought their music into a vibrant congregational space.
Each collaboration expanded the ensemble’s understanding of music as a shared practice rather than a one-sided presentation.
“The Chorale had a chance to sing with four different Puerto Rican groups. We helped to lead Christian and Jewish worship services and were conducted by three expert Puerto Rican maestros. We also had the chance to work with high school singers at a local prep school, including time for dancing and karaoke!” Friedman noted.
Students encountered both sacred and secular traditions, hearing how repertoire, language, and performance practices reflected the island’s history and identity.
A Strengthened Community
At the same time, the tour strengthened the Chorale from within. This spring’s 47-person ensemble reflected renewed energy, further deepening the group’s close-knit community.
Traveling together, navigating unfamiliar spaces, and performing night after night created a shared rhythm that deepened relationships. The experience offered time to connect in ways that the academic calendar rarely allows.
“One evening, there were fifteen of us piled into a hotel room telling stories, and those are the memories I think I will always be first reminded of from Chorale Tours,” reflected Lilly Gessner, a member of the Duke Chorale and Class of 2027.
Moments like these—informal, unstructured, and deeply human—became as central to the tour as the performances themselves.
Moments Beyond the Stage
Some of the most memorable music-making happened outside formal venues. In the streets and churches of Old San Juan, Chorale members began singing spontaneously, their sound drawing in passersby who paused, listened, and gathered.
“It felt incredibly special to share our music,” Gessner recalled.
At the Robinson School, that same spirit of openness carried into the classroom. Students remained after the performance, eager to talk, sing, and share their own musical interests—offering tours of their campus and introducing the Chorale to spaces like their recording studio.
These exchanges blurred the line between performer and audience, creating a sense of mutual curiosity and inspiration.
What emerged from these moments was not just a series of performances, but a shared musical dialogue—one that transcended language, background, and setting. Whether in a concert hall, a classroom, or a cobblestone street, the Chorale’s presence invited connection, reminding both singers and listeners that music is as much about listening and exchange as it is about sound itself.
Resilience in Practice
Behind the scenes, the tour demanded flexibility. In the weeks leading up to departure, the Chorale prepared a challenging program, including works by Puerto Rican composers—one of whom, Guarionex Morales-Matos, they later met in person.
Travel delays, including a flight delayed more than 12 hours, added further complications. The ensemble adapted quickly, even performing early concerts with reduced voice parts.
“Our group was super flexible and rose up to the occasion,” Gessner said.
That adaptability mirrored the themes of their repertoire—music centered on perseverance, resilience, and rising in the face of adversity.
A Broader Perspective
Beyond performances, the Chorale experienced the island’s natural landscape, from the rainforest of El Yunque to bioluminescent kayaking along the coast. These moments offered space to reflect on the connections between environment, culture, and artistic expression.
Students returned not only with new musical insights, but with a broader understanding of the cultural contexts that shape the music they perform.
These experiences deepened their awareness of how place informs sound—how history, language, and landscape are embedded in musical traditions. In Puerto Rico, that connection felt immediate and alive, encouraging Chorale members to approach their own repertoire with renewed sensitivity, curiosity, and a greater sense of responsibility as performers.
Time spent outside the concert setting also strengthened the ensemble itself. Shared experiences—whether navigating forest trails, paddling through glowing waters, or simply taking in the island’s rhythms and pace—fostered a deeper sense of trust and cohesion among the singers. That sense of connection carried back into their music-making, shaping not only how they listened to one another, but how they communicated emotion and meaning to audiences.
Lasting Impact
The Puerto Rico tour ultimately reaffirmed the Chorale’s role as both an artistic ensemble and a community—one that extends beyond its members to include the audiences, collaborators, and spaces it encounters.
“We learned from the sacred and secular musical traditions of Puerto Rico and gained appreciation for the history and culture of the Island,” Friedman added.
Through collaboration, shared performance, and moments of spontaneous connection, the ensemble experienced firsthand how music can bridge differences—linking people across cultures, languages, and backgrounds. Just as importantly, the tour underscored the importance of listening: to one another, to the communities they engaged with, and to the cultural traditions that shaped each musical exchange.
For many students, those connections will endure long after the tour itself—echoing in the relationships they formed, the music they shared, and the communities they encountered along the way. In carrying those experiences forward, Chorale members return not only as more refined musicians, but as more thoughtful ambassadors of their art, equipped with a deeper sense of purpose, perspective, and connection.