Congratulations on Two Successful Concerts D99 Jazz Ensemble!!!

Today we spent the majority of the day outside of Barcelona in two cities, Lleida and Alpicat.  The Jazz Ensemble performed two concerts.  Our first concert in Lleida was in a BRAND NEW performing space called Sala del Ball.  We literally opened the new theatre!!!  Both the Mayor and the Minister of Culture were present at our concert, which was attended by many of the town's families and especially children, who enjoyed dancing to the music.  After the concert, we were given two books about the history of the area, in Catalan, of course!  Also, because the town is known for its production and distribution of fruit, we were given three big cases of apples, nectarines and pears to enjoy throughout the remainder of the day. 

After our first concert, we headed to a group dinner, where we enjoyed a four-course dinner and then headed toward Alpicat, where the Jazz Ensemble performed their next concert.

In Alpicat, the Jazz Ensemble performed in a beautiful and impressive theatre, especially for a smaller town.  On a night when Spain was competing in a World Cup Soccer match (they won!), we half expected there to be no audience, but ALAS!  We are in Europe!  There was a great audience of locals, and the students in the Jazz Ensemble performed their best concert.  The music really came together well.  The students seemed relaxed on stage and really enjoyed the performance.  They were listening very well to each other.  The concert was simply spectacular.

We returned back to the hostel around 1:00 a.m., and the students are now getting ready for bed in order to get plenty of rest for tomorrow's excursion to the city of El Vendrell, the birthplace of famed cellist Pablo Casals, where the D99 Chamber Winds and the D99 Orchestra will perform their final concert of the tour.