April 4, 2023, marked the last day I spent in my birth country. I shared breakfast with my brother and mother, showed my boarding pass, and within minutes, I was on a plane to London. What happened during all that time?
Well, to say that I traveled enough miles to circle the world one and a half times, performed concerts, visited amazing places, and met people who changed my life would be to state the cliché, to scratch only the surface. I want to share with you much more than that.
I aim to answer questions like, "What drove me to make this decision? What comes next? Why live as a nomad? What's the next goal?" While many of these questions remain under consideration, I hope this text can shed light and tell a story that inspires, helping us to connect and know each other better.
To start this story, we need to go back to the beginning, the context. It's no surprise to anyone that the economic and social situation in Argentina is alarming. I saw the tsunami wave coming at full speed and knew I had to do something. To give you an idea, at that time, inflation was officially at 100% (now 211%), it was an election year with all weak candidates and poor policies, and on top of that, a law that only allows you to transact 200 dollars a month. What would you do in such a situation? It was absolutely unsustainable to stay there.
Moreover, I felt out of place in Argentine social life, with friends I saw very occasionally and all my work opportunities outside of Argentina. It was hard, because it meant not seeing my family for an indefinite time, heading into the unknown, but it was either that or stay and wonder "what if," and I didn't want to live with that regret. So, I bought a ticket to London and left. If one has to make a difficult decision, at least do it with style, right?
First Stage:
And yes, London welcomed me with more opportunities than Argentina. Within days, I was meeting with The Gesualdo Six rehearsing Land of Angels, O Magnum Mysterium, and O Crux. Then, Sarah from Cambridge University kindly met me for coffee, and within days, we were meeting with Vox Anima, Paul Mealor, and, unforgettable, Eric Whitacre. Situations that could never have existed in Argentina. This is the first stage, when everything shines, and I felt vindicated by life, simply saying, "London, it's my place in the world!"
To stay indefinitely, I needed a visa. I wanted to apply for an artist visa but apparently, years of contributions to that culture are required for it. So, after a few months living there, summer simply arrived, and the city slowly began to slow down. So, like a bird seeking better pastures, I migrated to better lands and - after a beautiful encounter in Milan with Jonathan Talberg and my friend and composer Giulio De Carlo - I arrived in Spain.
There, everything felt tastier (the food in Spain is delicious!) and I built connections thinking more of the long term, hoping to return one day to support festivals. It was beautiful to see that I was very well received, with proposals that will be surprising when they materialize. But my heart returned to London once more.
A Global Talent Visa In The USA
That's when I found out one of my great friends from Argentina, Micaela Carballo, was leaving London, and with that, the idea of obtaining a global talent visa in the USA started to take flight in me. Although she was the one applying, it made me realize that indeed, I could do it too. I've contributed to 58 university programs and have a vast history of supporting culture there.
Then I remembered what my friend and great composer Sander Choi told me, you must have done something big because we know these important names in the niche of choral music, but to a judge, they are nobody. You need to achieve something that even a judge would recognize. In summary, you need to win a Grammy, work for Disney, or have a concert in Carnegie Hall (Hey, that's possible!). And with a sense of purpose flooding me, I realized I needed to do great things, that I couldn't afford to fail or do mediocre things. I also realized I couldn't stay in London spending a fortune when I needed to save to pay lawyers. And so, I devised my next projects, initiatives that would make noise. And that's how the next stage began.
Stage 2, The Plan:
I took a paper and pen and wrote, "bring well-being to as many people as possible." That was the point of the whole plan. From there, everything could branch out to achieve this goal of having a home again but in a less chaotic place than where I was living. And so, I devised the Eternal Unity Mass - a movement a year in the form of a consortium until 2030. This idea was revolutionary. It combined my purpose of bringing people together and providing a lot of music. At the same time, it's such an innovative proposal that it could eventually be taken to Carnegie Hall, Disney Concert Hall, and moreover, it was worth talking about.
Then I devised Dear Earth (working on it), a piece that would donate part of its earnings to plant 5,000 trees. These are ideas that no one could overlook. Plus, the music I wrote and am writing has the potency needed to be heard. I've never written music with such epic sound.
Parallel to this, I moved to Peru. This allowed me to save with rents of 400 dollars a month, get in shape, and write all the music I needed to write to achieve the plan. And as always when life improves, one's soul improves, naturally I began to feel more comfortable with life and soon everything expanded, and a beautiful woman who is now my girlfriend and follows me on all trips appeared. And I think that unexpected visit to Peru, where I could also invite my mom to spend days together, was a moment of great happiness. I had a plan, I was executing it, and everything started to go incredibly well.
Stage 3, Action:
On October 22, I already had an appointment with Jonathan Talberg and his magnificent CSULB Chamber Choir. I traveled to Long Beach determined to give my best, with the bestseller Galaxias under my arm I went and we rehearsed. Plus, Jonathan is a great friend, it was a very happy week, and even Gjeilo came to the concert we gave and told me he liked my piece. No small feat coming from him.
Then that unforgettable visit to Utah visiting Randy, BYU, learning about the entire Mormon culture, that was fascinating! And once the concerts were over, I bought a ticket to Mexico. Why Mexico?
Well, it's simple. To have more exposure in the USA (something that increases the chances to apply for the Global Talent), you need to be in as many concerts as possible, and since I can't be more than a certain number of days a year in the USA - added to the fact that going back and forth every one or two months from Peru is expensive - I decided to stay as close as possible to the USA.
Then, to my surprise, the girl I was dating in Peru told me "Santi, I want to live with you, I don't care if we have to travel or whatever, I follow you". And she came to Mexico with me. Shortly after, Julian Bryson also came to coordinate the concert we would give in March premiering the Kyrie of the Mass. And do you remember when I said that in Argentina I felt lonely or didn't feel like my work was happening in that territory? Well, here I felt complete. Friends, girlfriend, work, everything happening at the same time.
I must mention that Mexico has treated me very well. They have organized masterclasses so that I can continue contributing to the community, and they have always welcomed me with open arms and a lot of food. How delicious is the food in Mexico! Returning to the narrative, after a few days, I went back to the USA to premiere the Kyrie and to the ACDA. After that, I began organizing a tour that I will announce in a few days. But in summary, that's more or less where I am now. Again in Mexico after a visit in the USA and a few days away from starting another.
Conclusions: Within The Plan, Where Am I Now?
As I said at the beginning, if you're going to do something difficult, do it with style. So, in truth, I'm looking for a way to achieve my Global Talent in the USA but, having only a tourist visa in the countries I visit, sooner or later this visa expires and I have to leave the country.
I'm already at the limit of the Mexican visa (5 months) so I have to embark on another tour for 3 months. That means many concerts on the way. But to be honest, now at 34, I want to arrive at a place, plant some plants, adopt a dog, and hang a picture saying "sweet home". And until I achieve Carnegie Hall, I can't apply for the visa. It's like having that part of life on pause. Both DCINY and National Concerts have contacted me to offer me concerts. They need directors and choirs, and we're working on it.
On the other hand, the queen of all my initiatives is the Mass. I strongly believe in and love that work and everything it is and will be. That's why I've reserved all the "June-September" periods to write that work. I assume this plus an album will give me the possibility to apply for a Global Talent visa in the USA and thus have a legal place to live indefinitely. Until then, I'll continue to be a stylish nomad.
So, it is with enthusiasm that I write this, giving life to my dreams and with the desire to provide something incredible for the world to achieve the goal of having a space called home.
Thank you for reading this far, I hope I have inspired you in some way. Simply follow your dreams.
Santiago Veros
www.santiagoveros.site
