Por Fin! Finally a night off. Things have been pretty intense since we've arrived. It hasn't even been a week but it feels like much longer. Where to begin? Well for starters, getting here was not as bad as I thought it would be. Everything went smoothly and ran pretty much on time. The fleet of Lan Chile, the domestic airline, is made up entirely of AirBus planes which for the record are way nicer than the Boeing we flew down on. We touched down in a small airport in La Serena, Chile, the site of our residency. And when I say small I mean one landing strip small.

The next day, things were off and running. We are spending the first part of our time in Chile in residency at the University de La Serena Conservatorio de Musicia. Here is where we will practice and rehearse for the next 10 days or so. The building is old but charming an provides a great view of the surrounding mountains.

The first few days consisted of seating auditions and section coachings in all the repertoire we are preparing for the tour. We are doing some great, albeit challenging, stuff: Shostakovich's Fifth Symphony, Brahms' Fourth Symphony, and Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition to name just a few. However the real treat to date came on Saturday when we were invited back to the University to hear a private concert from the local youth orchestra. We were the guests of honor and it was really a special thing to see these young kids play so well. It was a real reminder that some things, like music, are truly universal. Despite the location, quality of the instruments, etc, everything was there. The sound, the feeling, interpretation, etc. Really a memorable evening.

Afterwards we got to mingle a bit and all the kids (and their parents) seemed genuinely thrilled to have us there and to host us. I think this treatment may be a sign of things to come.

Unfortunately we haven't had much time to get out and see this town as our days have consisted of meals, bus rides and rehearsals, but hopefully we'll get a chance to spend some time in town before start the tour.

It hasn't been all business though. I've been sampling the local fare trying exotic treats like orange flavored Oreo's and mystery flavored Dorito's. But that's a story for another time. Until then I'll leave you with some shots of the beach, yes beach, that we are staying near.I zoomed in, hence the fuzziness.

More Mountains.

Oh yes, and the sunsets (when we are not rehearsing and get to see them) are pretty special. EAL