Samantha Price
  • Visual Arts (Digital Art)/English (Creative Writing)
  • Class of 2019
  • Cheshire, CT

Eastern Singer Samantha Price Tours Post-Hurricane Puerto Rico

2018 Apr 6

A group of talented vocalists from Eastern Connecticut State University embarked on a unique tour of post-hurricane Puerto Rico this spring break. From March 9-15, members of the Chamber Singers performed in concerts and worked on service projects in the slowly recovering island.

Among the singers is Samantha Price '18 of Cheshire. Price is an alto and majors in Visual Arts and English.

In addition to three performances in San Juan, the group volunteered in the hurricane-battered neighborhood of La Perla, just beyond the walls of Old San Juan. Divided into three work crews, they cleared away debris from the residential section of the neighborhood while others repaired roofs and restored gardens.

The Chamber Singers performed for enthusiastic crowds at Stella Maris Parish and Escuela Libre de Musica (Music School in San Juan).

David Belles, conductor of the ensemble, said of the demands of the tour: "Seeing our students have to kick it up a notch and adjust immediately to a new environment, new audiences, new spaces-having music be the only language many of us had in common-was a moment when all the work preparing for this endeavor really paid off."

The Chamber Singers is Eastern's premier vocal ensemble, composed of 20-25 auditioned singers from various academic departments. Performance repertoire encompasses chamber music from more than four centuries. The annual spring tour serves to enrich the musical live of audiences near and far, and enhance the cultural experience of members of the ensemble while studying at Eastern.