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- Choir Exchange Builds Bridges of Faith, Music, and Identity
Recently there was a profoundly emotional and even transformative exchange between members of a Waldensian choir from Colonia Cosmopolita, Uruguay, and a Waldensian choir from Italy. This article combines reports from two organizers of the exchange, Carlos Negrín and Sonia Benech.
This story begins in 2020, when the popular South American Waldensian singing group from the Uruguayan town of Cosmopolita was invited to visit the Waldensian Valleys in Italy. The COVID pandemic forced the visit to be delayed, but the desire for the visit remained alive and ultimately came to fruition in February 2024. In all about 20 people traveled from Uruguay to Italy to sing in multiple venues in the Waldensian Valleys.
As Carlos Negrín, one of the trip organizers explained: “After our visit to the Valleys in 2024, on both the Italian and the South American sides there was a desire for our Italian Waldensian sisters and brothers also to get to know of our congregations. With the special help of Pastor Carola Tron, this return visit took place a little over a year after that first trip.”
One of the South American hosts’ main objectives was to allow the Italian visitors to learn firsthand about the projects supported by the Otto per Mille program established by the Italian government. The ministries visited included the home for disabled people Hogar Valdense El Sarandí, the children’s ministry Hogar Nimmo, the senior home Hogar Para Ancianos, the ecotheology-oriented Emmanuel Center, the campground Parque 17 de Febrero, and Palmares de la Coronilla on Uruguay’s lush Atlantic coast. At each stop, locals and visitors shared moments of spirituality, culture, and affection.
The visitors brought with them a musical program built on five key words: roots, journey, borders, freedom, and smile. “It was as beautiful as it was emotional. It touched all of us who are the descendants of the original Waldensian settlers in the Rio de la Plata,” said Sonia.
After the music was over, what remained was the experience of shared life, mutual commitment, and faith lived in community.
In many local churches, there were also moments of inter-cultural sharing, including shared meals, songs in both Italian and Spanish, and the warmth of homestays at various stops. “When the visit was over, you felt different. It was something special. I can’t explain it,” Sonia said.
This exchange will probably be more than just a one-time experience. Both musically and spiritually a bond was forged. New songs have already begun to circulate, and a deep desire for a reunion remains.
Beyond geographical distances and language differences, what was important in this exchange was the mutually felt desire to share, to encounter each other, and to allow oneself to be transformed by others.
This experience was a powerful witness to the ability of music to unite as well as to the incalculable value of personal encounters with others when lived out with a generous dose of hospitality and a shared faith.