Saturday, November 21st, 2009 (cont.) I was able to see the beautiful coastline and mountains when our plane started to land. Arnaldo Moncada, Director of Festival, met me at the airport. Then we headed west to Guarenas where I would be based out of for the next four (4) days.

Monday, November 23rd, 2009, I was driven back to Caracas to give a master class at the oldest music conservatory in South America, Escuela Superior de Musica. While there, I taught three students who played music by Antonio Lauro (Venezuelan composer) and Heitor Villa-Lobos (Brazilian composer). The master class was very well attended and the audience seemed very excited to have me at the Conservatory. At the conclusion of the master class, I was given a certificate of appreciation for teaching and was given the honorary title of “Maestro Gabriel Ayala”. I cannot even begin to tell you how honored I felt to have been given such a prestigious title. The Director of Escuela Superior de Musica, Floria Paredes, asked me to play a song for those in attendance and I humbly accepted. I played my own arrangement of Verano Porteno by Astor Piazzolla that was featured on my 2008 CD release entitled, “Tango!”. Immediately following the performance, guitarists asked me where they could get my arrangements and I informed them it was not published. I hope to publish all of my arrangements/transcriptions in the near future. After the master class, we headed over to the heart of Caracas where I would be featured on a television show that is broadcast all across Venezuela. It was a culture shock to see armed military walking around freely. At the television station, I was able to perform two songs and then give a 15 minute interview.

Tuesday, November 24th, 2009, my morning started off with a brief presentation and I had the rest of the day free. The committee decided to take me to the beach “la playa”. We drove for a couple of hours before arriving at an incredible location (see attached photo). At the beach, they wanted me to have a traditional Venezuelan meal and ordered me a fresh fish platter. The fish we ate (photo attached) was called a Roncador “snoring fish”; the platter also included coleslaw and fried green bananas topped with mayonnaise, cheese and ketchup. A side dish you’ll just have to try yourself one day. That evening my friend, Director Arnaldo Moncada, gave a solo recital of his own compositions.  As an artist, I hardly get the chance to see other performances and was very happy to hear the influences of traditional Venezuelan music that was being played.

Stay tuned for part two, coming soon!