Where are we going in 2009?

When the results were tallied of the poll asking people in the chorus to choose between Cuba and Estonia/Russia as our next destination, we threw ourselves headlong into finding out how to put together the best application to our Department of the Treasury for permission to go to Cuba in the late spring of 2009. Many more of you wanted to go there; it would be more affordable than some of our more recent trips, and it is a fascinating place to visit.

The travel agency that we worked with in the past is not very encouraging, telling us that the current Administration is reluctant to grant licenses to performing groups. Still, we have applied for a license, including some supporting documents which we hope will be helpful, but at this point we are on hold as to whether we will be able to go to Cuba or not.

If we do go, we would use the same agencies we have used on past trips. We would expect to meet our friends from the Matanzas Chorus again, and perhaps find a way of singing with Electo Silva and the Orfeon again. Wherever we go, we want to sing at schools and hospitals.

If we find that we cannot travel to Cuba, we will have to decide whether our members can support another expensive trip, to Estonia and Russia or Siberia, or whether we need to find another destination closer to home. Jamaica, Puerto Rico and Mexico have all been suggested, as has a trip to Mondial Choral Loto-Quebec, a choral festival in Laval, Canada.

Stay tuned!