UW Collegiate Chorale Launches YouFund Campaign for Spain Tour

Now is the chance to help send the 32-voice University of Wyoming Collegiate Chorale to compete in a prestigious contest in Spain this fall.

A YouFund campaign has been created to help purchase airfare for the chorale members, says choir Director Nicole Lamartine, UW Department of Music associate professor.

“All expenses are paid once the choir gets to Europe, so the YouFund campaign is raising funds for student airfare,” she says.

The UW Collegiate Chorale recently was selected to compete in the 49th Tolosa Choral Contest in Tolosa, Spain, Oct. 29-Nov. 6. UW’s group is the only choir from the United States that has been invited to compete with 15 other invited choirs from Asia, Europe and South America. Winners from the Tolosa contest go on to compete in the European Grand Prix.

“The Collegiate Chorale is honored to represent UW and the state of Wyoming on the international stage in this contest,” Lamartine says.

Contributions can be made through the YouFund site at www.uwyo.edu/foundation/crowdfunding.

In addition to the contest, the Collegiate Chorale will present concerts in surrounding communities, such as Borja, Ordizia, Pamplona, San Sebastian and Urretxu.

“Any contribution to the YouFund campaign will ensure that a generation of young people will have the opportunity to share music with other cultures and be recognized for their excellence,” Lamartine says. “You also will support the distinct connection between Wyoming's Basque culture and the Spanish Basque culture.”

UW Collegiate Chorale students are largely nonmusic majors.

“The impact on their degree programs, and the larger view of the world, is significant,” Lamartine adds. “It makes the world a smaller and more understandable place for the 21st century student.”

For more information, call Lamartine at (307) 288-0042 or email choir@uwyo.edu.