When we arrived in El Vendrell, students had the choice of going to the beach or spending their own money to go to the Pau Casals museum, and then going to the (magnificent) beach later. Having this choice, I was really impressed by the dozen students who chose to go to the museum and experience something that could have only been experienced in El Vendrell. I think this is a great example of the students' level of sophistication and maturity, and a sign that we have some life-long learners with us!
After the beach, we headed to Esglesia Parroquial de Sant Salvador, a Catholic church where Pau Casals' father was once church organist. The church was ornate to say the least. You simply do not see detail in construction like this ever in the United States. The alter of this church was modeled after the alter in the Vatican...that might give you a more accurate idea of what this church looked like on the inside. The students had a very brief rehearsal to get used to the new acoustics. The reverb in this church was incredible. It literally made our orchestra consisting of 44 members sound as if we had 100 instrumentalists, if not more. The tone was lush and enveloping. Because of the reverb, however, our students in the Chamber Winds and Orchestra needed to adjust their playing in order for the balance and articulation to sound appropriate. It also required us to concentrate intensely on listening and watching in order to stay together. The students met the challenge, and performed amazingly well. Both the current church organist and the organizer of our concerts in Spain said that the ensembles exceeded their expectations and sounded more like the college orchestras they have heard perform in the church. They couldn't believe that we were from a public high school. There was some truly organic music made tonight. Students, you should be very proud of yourselves!
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