Michail Beresnev, 12, center, projects with the Almaty Isker Boys Choir, from Almaty, Kazakhstan, at Agua Caliente Elementary School as part of the Tucson-Almaty sister cities program. Tucson is very like Almaty, noted one member — except for the cactus. The Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus plans to visit Almaty in June.

Mamta Popat / Arizona Daily Star

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A boys choir from one of Tucson's sister cities visited a Tanque Verde-area elementary school Thursday to promote a community partnership between two cultures.

The Almaty Isker Boys Choir, from Almaty, Kazakhstan, began a weeklong tour of Arizona by performing at Agua Caliente Elementary School, then joined the Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus for a performance at Our Mother of Sorrows Catholic Church on Saturday.

The boys choir sang in front of the Arizona Legislature, took a trip to the Grand Canyon and performed at Cholla High Magnet School during their stay.

They also sang at a church and an elementary school in Sierra Vista.

The Tucson Arizona Boys Chorus hosted the Isker choir, which brought along 28 of its 40 members, said Isker conductor Dimurina Larissa.

The Isker choir was scheduled to begin the 8,700-mile journey back to Almaty today.

The trip was coordinated by the Tucson-Almaty Sister Cities Committee, which has sponsored economic, education and cultural exchange programs between the two cities since 1987, said Jerry Gary, committee chairman emeritus.

The visit represented the philosophy of the sister cities committee, Gary said.

"There's an axiom in the sister cities program that says you get more done by community partnerships than on your own," he said. "In any areas of economic development, culture and education, there's no end to the things you can exchange."

The Tucson boys chorus will visit Almaty in June.

This was the second time a Kazakh music group visited Agua Caliente. A folk ensemble performed at the school in 2004, Gary said.

The idea for last week's visit was conceived in 2003 when Gary and his wife, Sally, had a chance meeting with the choir's planning and logistics coordinator in Almaty, he said.

"My wife and I were at the hotel (when) a woman called us about the choir," he said.

The Garys were in Almaty accompanying a teenage mariachi group from Tucson at the time, he said.

About a year later, Mayor Bob Walkup and his wife, Beth, met the coordinator in Almaty, and Beth Walkup encouraged her to bring the choir here, he said.

Five years after that initial conversation, the choir boarded an airplane and flew 28 hours before arriving in Tucson on Jan. 16.

The choir performed a variety of Kazakh folk and classical songs, as well as some Irish, African and Mexican songs.

Agua Caliente Principal Lisa Yopp said she was impressed with her students' level of engagement during the performance.

"I could look into the audience and see how they were taking it in," Yopp said. "Music is a universal language. You may not know the language, but the emotion is loud and clear."

Some of Yopp's students agreed that they didn't let any language barriers deter them from enjoying the performance.

"I like how they sang a lot of songs from their country and how they spoke really clearly," said fourth-grader Logan Bradshaw, 9.

Fourth-grader Stephen Powers, 10, also enjoyed the concert.

"I like how they sang in their own language and they flew that long just to come out here," he said.

Some of the choir members were impressed by certain aspects of American life.

"People are friendly. Everyone says 'hi,'" 15-year-old Vladimir Seroshtanov said through an interpreter. "It's interesting, the nature and the food."

Almaty is similar to Tucson, except for one thing, said Levan Davydav, 14.

"Cactus," Davydav said. "Other than that, (Almaty) is the same, with mountains and desert.