The Theme
The Impact of Music on Basque Culture
This Project’s Title
Txoria Txori – Thank You For Letting Me Fly
“Growing up, I spent a lot of meaningful time with my family in Euskadi. As I’ve gotten older, life has grown more complicated- loved ones pass, school becomes life, and returning to the Basque Country becomes harder and harder. In that distance, I have found myself feeling more and more disconnected from my heritage. The song Txoria Txori, which translates to “The Bird is a Bird,” tells the story of someone who loves a bird so much that they won’t clip its wings. It’s a metaphor for freedom, and it reminded me of my own family, especially my mother, who grew up in Euskadi and shared this song with me. I am proud to come from a family that let me spread my wings as a student of music, and who encouraged me to experience my culture independently, sending me to live with my incredible host family, the Aristis, in Vitoria-Gasteiz at a young age. In this performance, I sing Txoria Txori in Euskera as a way of honoring my heritage and reconnecting with my identity as a Basque-American. In this video I sing in the garden my grandmother planted when she emigrated from Euskadi to the United States in the 1980s, a space that has become a living symbol of our roots growing in new soil. The images in my video pay tribute to my time in the Basque Country, both with my host family and on visits to see relatives and loved ones. As a future music educator, I believe in the power of music to tell stories, preserve language, and bring people home to themselves. Basque music is more than tradition. It is a living, evolving reminder of who we are. Through this performance, I join a centuries-long tradition of Basque voices, and I carry that legacy forward.”