20200521_MUN_GaudeamusGraduaciones

The University of Navarra Symphony Orchestra and the University of Navarra Choir have teamed up to prepare a very special gift for new graduates and their families: the video in which they perform a new version of the Gaudeamus Igitur.

Despite the fact that the coronavirus has forced the cancellation of the graduations scheduled for May and June, the students of the University of Navarra and their families will be able to enjoy from their homes this university hymn that always accompanies these events. This is an initiative promoted by the area Campus Creativo del Museo Universidad de Navarra, made possible thanks to the commitment and support of the two groups and the academic center. The piece was premiered this Wednesday at the celebration of the Alumni 'i' online event, aimed at students who this year finish their programs of study from Degree and go on to become Alumni. 

From the Orchestra, its director, Borja Quintas, explains that they have rescued "the Gaudeamus written by the famous Russian composer Kuzma Bodrov as a gift to the Orchestra. The idea is that the musicians give their fellow graduates a special Gaudeamus for them, which makes them feel the support of their colleagues with the solemnity and beauty of the music. So that they feel more supported".

The response from the members of the Orchestra and Choir, made up of students from the University of Navarra, has been a resounding yes. "It has been spectacular. The vast majority have signed up and made their recordings in a matter of days. They have been sent a demo, with which each one individually records their part, which is then mixed in the sound studio and edited in the image studio, all following certain common guidelines to give it uniformity," Quintas explains.

Ekhi Ocaña, director of the Choir, agrees that "the organization has been great because the students were very happy to be able to do this project. They received very clear instructions on how to record the video but, of course, they had to record themselves individually, alone in their rooms".

This aspect has been one of the main challenges for the group, says Ocaña: "A choir works in a very organic way, developing a surprising collective intuition and basing its strength on the work ensemble. To sing in a choir, it is essential to interact with your colleagues, to feel the breath of the person singing next to you, and to see your director, which not only sets the rhythm, but also channels the energy of each individual so that the choir feels that they are a single entity. Fortunately, during this and previous courses we have worked together a lot and have a background and experience as group that financial aid a lot in these strange circumstances. When you've sung in a choir, you learn the deeper meaning of the word trust."

The Orchestra, as its director points out, has also tackled a similar challenge: "The main challenge is that each musician records feeling the ensemble and with the emotion of the live performance, so that when it is mixed it sounds as natural as possible. The mixing is done in the studio, but the sound result is exactly the sum of each of them separately and their real sound. And that creates a live feeling that manages to thrill. Above all, because it is made with a lot of love".

The coordination between both groups and the editing work has also been crucial for the success of project. "Both the Choir and the Orchestra had very clear guidelines, in addition to the score, so unity is strength. In addition to the essential work of the technicians who mixed the individual audios and edited the video," Ocaña points out.