Hi everyone!

I just wanted to share with you my last days of this beautiful summer. After three week, the Lucerne Festival Academy ended its summer program, and I feel very honored to had have the opportunity to perform and learn so much from my coaches and colleagues. My trumpet coach was Jean-Jacques Gaudon, and I had a great time playing for him, listening to his advice, trying new things, and having his support. His stories about Maurice Andre were awesome, he used to practice with him and they prepared together for the Munich competition. One of my dreams in life was to meet Maurice Andre, and sadly I was not able to, but Jean-Jacques made me feel much closer than even to Maurice.
As a I wrote before, I was very lucky to spent this three weeks with awesome trumpet players that also participated in the Lucerne Music Festival Academy Orchestra. Mary Bowden (USA), Jonah Levy (USA), Matthew Conley (USA), Oscar Martín Martín (Spain), y Julian Goldstein (Argentina). We had a great time together, and I learn things from each one of them, it is great when you have the opportunity to share so many hours of rehearsals and talking time together. I believe that everything happens for a reason, and in this case I feel like I have grown a lot just by listening to them, and playing with them as well. Thank you guys!, I hope we will play together again soon.
Dominik, Lea, Katharina, and each one of the member of the stuff made our stay very enjoyable. I had the chance to listen to rehearsals and performance of the Berlin Philharmonic, Concertgebouw Orchestra, Staatskapelle Dresden, Lucerne Festival Orchestra, Bavarian Orchestra, and many conductor and soloist, among them one of my favorite piano soloists: Mitsuko Uchida. I got to meet the trumpet section of the Berlin Philharmonic, talk to Gabor Tarkovi, and meet Sarah Willis from the horn section. I also met one of my trumpet heros: Reinhold Friedrich, and had a great impression of him as a person (something that for me is even more important than anything else, believe me). I was in contact with Professor Markus Würsch, even when we couldn't meet, but hopefully next time. I met a ton of people but I could take day to write they names down, but in resume, all of this made this summer, the greatest experience ever.

After Lucerne I spent four days in the Netherlands, at my friend Rob van den Ent's house, together with his family: Marijke, Minke, Tim, and two adorable cats (well...four and a rabbit, if we count the ones at Minke and Tim's home). They made me feel at home. I tried several traditional dishes, and I cooked some for them as well! We visited several places, and rode the Spido boat for a tour along the Rotterdam's harbor, visited the miniature city, as well as the beautiful countryside. I am definitely going back some day, I feel very lucky to get to know so many great people.

My experiences at the Basel airport, as well at the Amsterdam airport, were not so great, but I survived (well...kind of). Seems like rushing, last moment issues with cards, money, and baggage, and other unexpected issues are starting to become part of my travel schedule, haha!

Best for all of you,

Carlos