Bos días from Barcelona. I won't lie to you: we do have a bit of morriña. It's been an intense weekend, full of music, reunions, and great conversations.

Sometimes you don't need to travel far to see the enormous talent you have nearby. Being an active part of this community just confirms why we do what we do and what Odisei Music means.

Headed to Lalín, the Clarinet Capital

The trip started bright and early: backpacks, luggage shipped a week ahead, route maps, and a booth that Clara M and I had to get ready before opening. Carlos Toupiño picked us up—named after his roots in Lalín—a real public relations guy on the drive: a boas tardes here, a boas noites there. He took us straight to the Lalín Auditorium, the main space where almost everything would happen, though that week Lalín became, by its own merit, the clarinet capital.

Let's skip the trickiest part of setting up the stand: 30 loose pieces that had to end up forming a rectangular structure with LED lights. We pulled it off in the end, partly thanks to the colleagues from the neighboring stands who saw us looking stressed and gave us a hand.


A Masterclass and Sweet Dreams Live

During the day the Auditorium hallways were packed with people rehearsing and testing reeds for the concerts. To close out the day, Bartolomé and Clara gave an hour-and-a-half masterclass telling the story of Odisei Music and why we created the Travel Clarinet: how to use it, when, and why. Bartolomé really left people amazed performing Sweet Dreams live with the Travel Clarinet as a MIDI controller, creating all the loops and instruments on the spot. Plus he showed how it can sound like a clarinet, an accordion, or even Gregorian chanting. Some really good questions came up and we got a couple of key ideas to keep improving.


Over 100 Clarinetists in the Competition

Saturday was the festival's clarinetist competition. Over 100 students participated in it. We did our bit by awarding a Travel Clarinet to Andrea, who won in category B. Congrats again!

Praza das Pipas and the Community on the Other Side of the Counter

At Praza das Pipas the orchestras of Michelle Anderson (Canada) and Deborah Andrus (U.S.) came together—they've been bringing together clarinetists of all ages and from all over the world for years. It was great crossing paths with musicians from our community, like Donna and Karen, two sisters who came from California and told us how they use the Travel Clarinet to practice in the car or while traveling without bothering anyone.


We're Back with Batteries Charged

We're back in Barcelona tired but with our batteries charged. Thanks to the Galicia Clarinet Fest organization for treating us so well and to everyone who stopped by the stand to try it out or say hello. See you next time! <3