In May 2025, the Wake Forest University Chamber Choir toured Brazil, starting in the historic town of Paraty. Highlights included a capoeira workshop, a visit to the Campinho da Independência community, and a full concert at Casa da Cultura where the audience—delighted by the choir’s Portuguese rendition of Muié Rendêra—demanded an encore.
In Rio de Janeiro, the choir shared an exchange concert with the IBEU Choir, followed by a joyful dinner with new friends. They performed to a packed house at São Paulo Apóstolo Church, explored the Rio Botanical Gardens and Cidade do Samba, browsed the Copacabana night market, and took in the views from Sugarloaf Mountain.
It was an unforgettable mix of music, culture, and connection—made possible by a generous gift given by Frank ‘61 and Kathy Bragg ‘62, P ’88, P ’90, P ’93, P ’97, GP ’20, GP ’23, GP ’24, GP ’25, GP ’25, GP ’27. Enjoy our photos of the experience below!
Choir Tour has been the highlight of my WFU experience. Not only has it allowed me to travel and explore new experiences and cultures, but it has granted me a unique perspective on the power of music and allowed me to forge connections with my choir peers unlike anything else.
—Nora Resk ('25), Major: Business & Enterprise Management; Minor: Music
Forsaken Peaks: An Andean Exile
new work by composer Javier Farias
From choral director Dr. Chris Gilliam:
“Forsaken Peaks: An Andean Exile began as a conversation between guitarist and composer Javier Farias, my colleague and guitarist Marco Sartor, and myself, to commission a work to accompany the composer’s “Long Walk Project” detailing the immigrant experience. Given the relevant and timely topic, Marco and I knew that elevating the story of a local immigrant in Winston-Salem—a longtime and respected business owner and language teacher, Renza Wallace—would be something the students would not only benefit from, but also give them a voice—through their singing—to magnify the beauty and value immigrants bring to all our communities.
The students not only got to premiere the composition, but they also performed it in our end-of-year Farewell to Seniors concert, and twice in Brazil—once in Paraty, and once in Rio). At the end of the semester, they met the composer and Ms. Wallace virtually. In that meeting, the students learned about the composer’s process, inquiring about the meaning behind and structure of the three movements and the compositional techniques utilized throughout the musical score. They also learned about the history of the “Long Walk Project,” and the relevance of Renza’s story in it. Renza also shared more about her personal life, and the beautiful love story she and her husband lived together. All which made learning the piece—and premiering it and performing it throughout Brazil—more relevant and meaningful for each of the students.
Our sincere gratitude goes out to the Music Department and Wake the Arts, the Latin American and Latino Studies Program, and the Dr. Brian Gorelick Fund for Choral Activities, which made the commission possible.”
Singing in the Chamber Choir while on tour and back at Wake was such an integral part of my time at Wake. I was able to meet so many wonderful people and grow my love for singing. This group taught me how wonderful things can be made when everyone works towards a common goal, and being in this group has fulfilled me in ways I never expected.
—Conner Milstead ('25)
Looking back on my time at Wake Forest, chamber choir has truly been the most rewarding and transformative part of my experience. It gave me a place of belonging, a space where people from all different years and majors came together to create something meaningful, and where I formed friendships I never would have made otherwise.
—Sophie Keeley ('25)
Throughout my four years at Wake Forest, Chamber Choir has been my favorite thing in which I have participated, without a doubt. I am very thankful for the opportunity choir has given me to participate in campuswide events, as it builds a stronger connection between the students and the broader Wake Forest community. Of all the tours I've been on, the most recent one to Brazil was the most impactful. Not only did I have the chance to explore a new culture and part of the world with some of my best friends, but I also experienced concerts unlike anything else.
—Alexandra Eliasek ('25)
A message from Dr. Gilliam:
“Having conducted 8 international choral tours and many more domestic tours throughout my career, I can say unequivocally that my choirs have never experienced more enthusiastic or supportive audiences than we enjoyed in Brazil! Each of our three concerts received standing ovations and requests for an encore. The warmth of the Brazilian people, the beauty of their music, and the depth of their culture is unparalleled. WFU student collaboration with the Instituto Brasil-Estados Unido student choir underscores the inextricable value singing has to promote equity and understanding across cultures, dismantling the barriers of communication, and promoting artistry and appreciation for people of all races and ages.
From our impromptu singing for the masses at the foot of Christ the Redeemer, the many educational lectures we received from our guides, the culturally significant sites we were able to visit, to the dedicated artistry the WFU students displayed in concerts throughout Brazil, in my opinion there’s not a more life-changing or more relevant activity the students can engage in to teach them about the power of music in a world desperate for beauty, meaning, and respite.
We again offer our sincere thanks to Frank and Kathy Bragg for the Thane McDonald Tour Endowment—along with other unnamed donors—who have helped to make these tour experiences possible for our amazing students! We’re also grateful to the Music Department and its faculty for its ongoing and invaluable support for these students.”
Support the Choral Program
The Wake Forest Chamber Choir Tour in 2025 is made possible by alumni, families and friends who share our vision. Wake Forest alumni Frank ‘61 and Kathy ‘62 Bragg P ’88, P ’90, P ’93, P ’97, GP ’20, GP ’23, GP ’24, GP ’25, GP ’25, GP ’27, have given a $1M gift to endow The Thane McDonald Wake Forest Choir Tour Fund. This generous gift initiates an effort to build a $3.5M fund that will allow students participating in the University’s Chamber Choir to take their performances across the U.S. and to international locales without concern for cost.
Please consider a gift to support this growing movement of artistry, collaboration, leadership and creativity. Please reach out to Beth McAlhany mcalhabd@wfu.edu (336-209-4272) for a conversation about your ideas and interests.