I absolutely loved my time at the Chilean Flute Convention in Villarica, Chile. Organized by Hernan Jara, the event was a beautiful exchange between the Chilean flute students and the various guest artists which included Michele Bellavance and the multi-talented Juan Pablo Aguayo. The Festival, now in its 15th year, was superbly organized and showcased a wonderful range of activities, masterclasses, recitals, flute choirs, flute exhibits and competitions. The town of Villarica is located in the incredibly scenic lake region of Chile. The concert hall overlooked a lake that is at the foot of a majestic snow capped (dormant) volcano. The festival hotel lodging was walking distance away thru the lakeside trail. I felt enchanted the whole time I was there, performing, teaching and smiling all the way. My birth country’s long, long coastline has many different climates and a varied geography, but the Chilean people are uniformly welcoming and places such as Villarica are undiscovered jewels off most people’s radar. Like the amazing Las Torres Del Paine National Park in southern Chile, the lake district offers lots of natural beauty that you can have practically to yourself, if you’re willing to forego having your double macchiato creme latte from a certain Seattle-based chain before setting out in the morning.
