On June 12, 2022, twenty-five members of the Chicago Consort, along with 42 family members and friends departed from Chicago for Barcelona, Spain. This tour was a long time in the making. Originally planned for June of 2020, the students waited patiently for the world to be safe enough to travel again.
The tour was a huge success on all levels, musically, culturally and socially. The students prepared and performed well under the leadership of Music Director, Patrick Connolly. Our tour company, Culture Path, created an amazing itinerary for us which included 4 concerts in Barcelona, Valencia and Madrid. The highlight of the tour was meeting the students and faculty at the Musica Temprana Suzuki program in Valencia. Our students had the opportunity to rehearse, share a meal, make new musical friends and perform together with the students from this school.
In addition to our performances, we also were able to include a rigorous schedule of sightseeing which included a tour of Goudi’s Sagrada Familia and the Palau de Musica in Barcelona, a boat ride and visit to a Paella feast in Valencia where the dish originated, and The Prada Museum in Madrid.