For 7 weeks I had the opportunity to realize an artistic residence in Almeria, Spain, conducting the FIMA Symphonic Orchestra.

During that period we rehearsed and performed various programs. In the first three week, we did a classical repertoire based on opera arias, such as “Elisir d’Amore” of Donizetti and Mozart’s “Magic Flute”.

In the fourth week, we performed the original arrangements written by Claus Ogerman for Jobim albums of sixties and seventies. In the following week, we did the “Clifford Brown with Strings”, the 1955 album with the string arrangements by Neal Hefti. Unable to find an edition of the original arrangements of that session, we asked me to make an exact transcription of the disc, with the aim to perform all this charts in a public concert.

We performed the final concert with Julian Sanchez as guest solist on trumpet. In the last week we did the music form “Focus”, a jazz album recorded in 1961, featuring Stan Getz on tenor saxophone with a string orchestra. The album is a suite which was originally commissioned by Getz from composer and arranger Eddie Sauter. The music of “Focus” is full inspiration of western contemporary music, such as Bela Bartok and Stravinsky, and the orchestration has a rhythmic drive and harmonic sophistication unmatched at the time. We performed it on July 18th with FIMA Symphonic Orchestra and Pedro Cortejosa as guest on tenor saxophone.