UT Dallas Choir Hits High Note with Spanish Tour

04.17.2023

Twenty-eight members of The University of Texas at Dallas’ Chamber Singers – UTD’s premier student choir – traveled recently to Spain, marking the first time that a University musical ensemble has performed overseas.

The four-city goodwill trip included three performances.

“I wanted the students to feel connected through our music with those who live in a different part of the world,” said Dr. Jonathan Palant, associate dean of the arts and director of choral activities in the School of Arts, Humanities, and Technology (AHT).

Palant, associate professor of instruction in AHT, was inspired to set up the trip after he participated in a 2021 music exchange program with the Superior Conservatory of Music of Málaga in Spain, where he spent a week leading workshops and working with faculty.

After that experience, Palant said he was determined to bring a UT Dallas choir to Spain and the conservatory. In addition to singing with choral groups in Málaga and Madrid, the student musicians also visited Toledo and Jaén.

Besides Palant, other faculty and staff joining the trip included Dr. Nils Roemer, AHT dean, as well as pianist Artem Arutyunyan and voice teacher Nili Riemer Buckert, both AHT lecturers.

“I wanted the students to feel connected through our music with those who live in a different part of the world.”
–Dr. Jonathan Palant, associate dean of the arts and director of choral activities

Undergraduate students of any major can audition to join the Chamber Singers.

Gerson Fuentes, a computer science senior and a tenor in the choir, said the trip enabled him to use his Spanish language proficiency in a new country, experience an unfamiliar culture and grow closer to his fellow choir members.

“It not only brought us together, but it allowed us to grow our relationships and to express ourselves in new ways,” he said. “It was a great experience.”

Palant said his message to the students was that music can bring communities together. He also wants to build the culture of choral singing at UT Dallas.

“Our students had quite an experience and made an impact,” he said. “Word gets out, and I hope other people want to be a part of it.

“This is something that we’ve not previously experienced at UT Dallas – a robust singing community. With 31,000 students, there’s no reason we can’t increase the number of student singers on our campus from our current 100 to 400 people.”

–Phil Roth