This week the teacher is Paul Merkelo, principal trumpet of the Montreal symphony 
and the other teacher who will be here both weeks is the principal of the Sau Paulo Symphony. (please excuse my lack of accents and lack of accurate dates throughout) They are both good teachers and put a lot of energy into the masterclasses and seem to care about us on an individual level as well. This is kind of remarkable since there are so many students in the class. Paul doesn't speak Portuguese, but people can interpret for him so it works out well. Paul went to Eastman and Fernando went to Julliard.We have been playing and drinking a lot. They have a regional drink here that is very sugary and strong. It made me late to masterclass today, but time is only a suggestion here. Schedules are very relaxed, and most of the organization is completely non-existent. I'm starting to enjoy it, even if I am a bit compulsive-schedule-oriented.
We arrived one day late to the festival and subsequently missed auditions, so none of the Oberlin people will be placed in the Rite of Spring concert, but we have been placed in other ensembles. I am the only Obie in band. It is my favorite part of the day, but I don't know how long that feeling will last. I'm supposed to play first and second parts, but there seems to be no part assignments anyways and very random seating. The rehearsal is three hours long, from 2-5. I've made a lot of Brasilian friends who try very hard to speak English. Some cannot or do not try, but many are very friendly. The band practices in an outdoor, covered, fenced basketball court.
Tomorrow I want to find postcards and stamps and practice piccolo. We shall see . . .
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