BY KRIS BOYLE
kris@newsroom.byu.edu
Friday morning started out relatively normal for employees of a Conoco station outside of Cuba, N.M.
But by 9 a.m., the day was anything but normal. Buses with over 100 college-age men made a rest stop at the station. Before boarding the buses, they lined up and down the aisles of the store and began singing.
Just three hours later, these same men were spotted at the Hometown Buffet, an all-you-can-eat restaurant in Albuquerque, N.M. The group had stopped for lunch. Once again, before leaving, the assembly gathered together and began singing.
The men were members of the BYU Men's Chorus, who were on a four-day tour of New Mexico. The group, made up of nearly 200 men, left last Wednesday and returned Sunday.
According to James Favero, co-president of the Men's Chorus, the tour had been in the planning stages since last semester.
Favero, 23, a junior from Welton, Conn., majoring in business, said the idea was discussed and first presented before the choir. Members were asked for contacts in New Mexico who would be willing to help organize the tour.
Favero said coincidentally, as the idea of a tour to New Mexico was being discussed, Diana Lacey from Farmington, N.M., contacted the choir asking if they would be interested in performing in Farmington. Also members of the choir with family in New Mexico came forward.
The choir first traveled to Farmington, N.M. On Thursday, the choir performed three times, once for elementary school kids, once for junior high students, and once for the general public.
The choir's tour program consisted of variety of songs, from spiritual hymns to popular folk songs.
On Friday, the choir traveled to Albuquerque. Their first performance was for students at Rio Grande High School. Before they began, the choir was informed that most of the students had never been to a choir performance, so be prepared for any kind of reaction.
However, the banner reading 'Welcome BYU', which hung on the gymnasium wall, reflected the response the choir would receive.
After the first song, the students erupted, surprising many, including Rosalind Hall, the choir's director.
Hall said as the audience rose to their feet after a set of opera pieces, only ten minutes into the show, a thought crossed her mind.
'I was reminded of the incredible power of music,' Hall said.
The school's boy's choir joined the chorus for one song, an upbeat gospel hymn. It brought an overwhelming response from the audience.
Later that evening, Joe Jimenez, shared the impact he felt the choir had on the school.
'You have done more in one hour than we've done in five years of missionary work,' he said.
That evening, the choir gave their final formal performance in the Kiva Auditorium in downtown Albuquerque.
Cindy Brennan and her daughter, Marnie Thorn, both from Albuquerque, attended the show. Thorn, 17, brought along two of her non-member friends.
Thorn said having the choir perform opened the eyes of non-members, including her friends, to the church.
'It showed people that Mormons aren't stuffy,' Thorn said.
On Saturday morning, the choir attended the open house for the newly completed Albuquerque Temple. Before leaving the temple, the group sang two spiritual pieces for the public waiting to attend the open house.
After a stop to at the Sandia Peak Tramway, the group traveled back to Provo.
Favero said he was really pleased with the way the tour went. He said he was particularly impressed with the spiritual nature of the tour.
He said he felt Men's Chorus really had an impact on those the choir associate with.
'We've had a great ability as a choir to turn something really good into something amazing,' Favero said.
Hall said she particularly enjoyed being with members of the choir outside of class time and seeing them interact with each other.
Favero said he hoped the tour would also bring members of the choir closer together.