Here is one last entry from Hornist Katie Dunkle’s mom Liz Dunkle. At the moment we are at the Havana airport waiting for our 6:00 am flight to Mexico City. The kids happen to also be in our vicinity although they are on a different flight entirely to Panama City. All of our day started […]
This whole trip has been absolutely amazing, but this day in particular was very special to me and I’m sure for everyone else. It started off with us visiting the house Ernest Hemingway lived in while he was in Cuba. In his home, we found many unique treasures. There were hundreds of books available to […]
Supporter member Liz Dunkle here again. We will have spent two nights at the Melia Varaderos resort on a thin peninsula on the northern coast, about two hours from our soon to be final destination of Havana. We drove through the heart of Central Cuba for a long three hour drive that eventually got us […]
Today was our final day in Santa Clara for our tour. I awoke at the crack of 8:30 for breakfast at the Los Caneyes hotel, and by 10:00 we embarked on our guided tour of the city. Santa Clara is known as the city of Che Guevara. It is home to his monument and the […]
The center of Santa Clara is a busy and bustling town, unlike the more provincial towns of Cienfuegos and Trinidad, where tourism is more prevalent. Due to the limited time we had, we supporters received a brief tour of the central plaza, where there were attacks from decades ago. With just enough time for a […]
Hornist Katie Dunkle”s mom Liz Dunkle here again on Day 5 of the supporters group. Since our arrival, our group has acquainted with one another, going on excursions and explorations, learning about the rich history and culture, indulging in some shopping, even wayward souls in search of beaches and salsa dancing. We are becoming friends, […]
The audience was the best yet! Packed house, everyone dressed up for the occasion, and extremely enthusiastic. One local audience member who spoke fantastic English said that he has seen five youth orchestra perform at the Teatro La Caridad in Santa Clara, and the the Oakland Symphony Youth Orchestra was the most refined, energetic, and […]
The cultural differences which Anoosh and I have experienced so far have been vast and shocking. Today we traveled to the beautiful city of Trinidad. We were given four hours to explore the cobblestone streets and colonial architecture, during which we had the opportunity to observe—and in some cases become acquainted with—the locals of the […]
Hola, this is from French Hornist Katie Dunkle’s mom, Liz Dunkle. This is day two of the supporters group Cuban adventure paralleling our OYO musical tour. We are a group of 36 family, friends, and supporters, guided by our lovely local guides Luiz and Lucie, as we explore the capital city of Havana, and surrounding […]
“Soundcheck in the beautiful (and VERY humid!) Teatro Tomas Terry in the city of Cienfuegos, featuring our brilliant violin soloist from the Cuban National Orchestra, Ariel Sarduy.”