Annapolis Symphony musicians at the Palau de Les Arts Fundació Comunitat Valenciana in Valencia, Spain. Photo: Annapolis Symphony
“ ‘Magnifico’ … That’s how one Spanish music critic described the Annapolis Symphony’s debut performance in Madrid last week, when the orchestra launched a four-city tour of the Iberian Peninsula,” writes Rebecca in Friday’s (7/15) Baltimore Sun. “Nearly two-dozen Anne Arundel County business leaders and philanthropists financed the $700,000 trip, and a bus full of supporters are along for the ride, traveling … with 73 musicians. Edgar Herrera, the Mexican-born managing director of the orchestra, described the trip as a bonding experience for both the musicians and their fans…. Herrera arranged the trip alongside music director José-Luis Novo, who hails from the city of Valladolid north of Madrid…. ‘Touring is a form of cultural diplomacy, and local businesses often use it as an opportunity to introduce their companies to new audiences overseas’ [while touring with their hometown orchestra] … explained Rachelle Schlosser, a spokeswoman for the League of American Orchestras…. The orchestra booked famed Spanish guitarist Pepe Romero to play the most beloved piece in his country’s classical cannon: Joaquin Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez.’ … The concert also included Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Symphony No. 3…. Annapolis Symphony [opened] all four of its concerts with … ‘Chapultepec’ by Manuel Ponce…. From Madrid, the tour progressed to Zaragoza and Valencia, ending in Granada.”
