playing a stringed instrument. I mixed these words in with the Spanish I had learned in junior high. In addition, every day in my hotel I studied Portuguese verb tenses and the basics of the language. By the end of the month, I could have a simple conversation in Portuguese and I was proud about that. It was thrilling to be able to return to South America with the New York Philharmonic only a few weeks later. I was definitely psyched! The tour started in Caracas, Venezuela- at that time an oil rich economy. We continued to Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo where I got to see some of my former students again.` Also, by then, I could actually chat with them in their own language. I hung out with the best bass player in the group- Sergio de Oliveira e Silva. He was a “wiz” with virtuoso bass repertoire but spoke absolutely no English.
Festival do Inverno teachers (note oboist Bill Bennett on right)
The JaƯe family. I met them in Campos- this is from a 1984 concert at the University of Illinois
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