Three Days in Spain

Here we are in Spain.


As the orchestra played the last note of Shostakovich’s violin concerto tonight in San Sebastian, thunders of applause broke in the concert hall. Buoyed by the enthusiasm, the conductor and soloist beamed ear to ear. Maestro Judd reached off-stage behind the curtain and gestured animatedly, “They were absolutely magnificent!”



Indeed AYO’s second performance in Spain was a huge success, enchanting the audience in San Sebastian as they fell in love with the orchestra. There were delighted smiles everywhere in the packed Kursaal Event Hall. The concert hall, surrounded by tall regal buildings under a cool, grey sky, overlooks the calm waters of the Bay of Biscay. A giant banner hung from the building’s facade, with space dedicated to the AYO among the featured performances of the month. We liked seeing that very much.




It was two days earlier that we had arrived in Bilbao from Toulouse, settling into the Meliá Hotel. Our first concert in Spain, also hugely successful, was held in the city of Santander on the north coast of Spain. It was at the Palacio de Festivales de Cantabria, located in a picturesque setting with palm trees swaying gently in each incoming breeze from the ocean. The Palacio has become an architectural symbol of the millennial for the capital city of the Cantabria region. To this hall, we attracted a full house audience, eager for violin soloist Vadim Repin to play with the AYO under Maestro Judd's baton.

Picture credit: Liu I Cheng


Between the two wonderful concerts in Spain, we had one free morning to look around and be a tourist. How happy we were to be able to enjoy Spain’s colourful summer festivals in nearby parks around Bilbao. Opera singers, jugglers, magicians – street performers were showing off their talent here and there. We even saw elephants snacking on fruit in between their shows at a local circus.


But the highlight of our tour was our stroll to gorgeous Guggenheim Museum in the city center of Bilbao.


All in all, our three days in Spain have been full of excitement. For today, adiós from Spain. We will be traveling back to sunny Italy tomorrow. 

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