Rob Bigley, fellow LBC professor of music, and I traveled to Toral, Spain to teach music for a week. There were 50 or so students from ages 14-22 who participated in either a chamber ensemble, choral/vocal group or a jazz/improvisation group which I led. We had a fantastic time working with the students and working side by side with several outstanding musicians from Spain who were teaching with us. Rob and I also had the opportunity to present a concert at a church in the mountainous region of Ponferrada. Free time was spent visiting the little village of Molinaseca, our personal favorite, and getting chased by a three-legged dog in a tiny mountain town as we made an excursion up a mountain.
The time at the music camp was fantastic. There was another composer there, Daniel, helping me with translation and with arranging music for the improv. ensemble. Also helping with translation and teaching was Barbara Moreno, who studied with me last year at the College here in Lancaster. At the end of the week we presented two concerts on Friday and Saturday night. There was a fabulous bass, Mateo Crawford who sang a beautiful and powerful aria from Mendelssohn’s Elijah translated into Spanish. Rob Bigley led the entire group in Telemann’s setting of Psalm 117, and I arranged my song O Christ Our Hope for the chamber ensemble and voices and the rhythm section. The improv group also did a fun arrangement of a Charlie Parker tune and several other jazzy items. It was a truly rich experience spiritually and musically.
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