Umpqua Singers tour Spain

<i>Editor's note: The Umpqua Singers graciously agreed to blog about their musical trip to Spain. Unfortunately, a crush of holiday news-related business kept the newsroom from posting these blogs in a timely manner. For this, we offer our most humble apologies. We hope our readers still enjoy the snapshot of Spain offered by Jason Heald and his talented troupe, starting with their first dispatch, sent in mid-December.</i>

Hola, Amigos!

Greetings from Spain! After a long day of travel from Barcelona to Madrid, the Umpqua Singers woke up in Aranda de Duero this morning. It was a brisk 25 degrees Farenheit when P.J. and I took an early walk to get the lay of the land. Hace mucho frio! Aranda de Duero is a beautiful town that looks much like the high desert in Oregon.

Our hostess, Araceli Gala, is the Minister of Culture for the city, and she graciously took us on a terrific tour of the city center which included a tour of the tunnels and underground bodegas of Aranda. Her hospitality has been tremendous, and we are looking forward to performing later today.

Our first concert will be for La Escuela de Musica in Aranda, and the second will be in the auditorium at La Casa de Cultura. Tomorrow, we will travel to Penafiel and finish with a performance in Lerma. Spirits are high in the group, and as the photos will testify, we are having a fantastic time.

Hasta Luego!

Jason Heald / The Umpqua Singers