First day of GEMS2021!

July 5th,

I had just arrived in Madrid from Asturias. My feet were leading me through a city that, like a genuine hive, saturates the senses while immense blocks, monuments of progress, grow on both sides as I walk. Someone coming from a small town, like me, could feel that had arrived at the center of the world, with a certain nervousness, to present myself in front of professionals of such high level.

(Seriously, I arrived 2 hours in advance lol).

The day was opened by a professional guitarist, who welcomed us to the sound of bulerías and seguidillas. An ideal start that helps all my international colleagues to integrate into the amalgam of colors of Madrid. For me, it helped me to relax.

And then we had Pete Anthony. From the first moment you realize why he is who he is. How he introduces you to his subject matter, in a way that beginners can get into and those of us who have some experience can expand our knowledge. As I write this I have on hand the scores we have analyzed with him in class. I am still discovering new things and details and taking notes to assemble my orchestral template.

Neil Brand continued the second part of the day. And with him I discovered a new facet of my craft, when he told us about -my beloved- Miklos Rosza as a dramaturg. Making music is not just about putting notes and making it sound beautiful, it's also about telling a story and that... that's a whole science!

It was a day of meeting a lot of people all at once. As well as meeting Nigel and tutors Juanjo and Francesco, my classmates seem to be people who show passion in what they do, and that fills me with inspiration and makes me feel that I am among my own, in a completely musical home.