The musicians of the Australia Ensemble’s schedules were jammed-packed with adventure as they performed around the world during the recent holiday season. We heard from David Griffiths who reported on a rewarding summer break, filled with chamber music and opportunity in Santiago, Chile. David shares here what he got up to:

“Over the break, Svetlana, Nina, and I had the incredible opportunity to return to the Portillo Festival for the second time. It’s held at the Portillo Hotel in the Andes Mountains, about 2.5 hours northeast of Santiago, Chile. 
The festival brings together a team of nine faculty members and 52 students, and it’s an amazing experience.The faculty includes the American String Quartet from New York, five wind players (including myself), and four principal players from top South American orchestras. The 52 students, ranging from 18 to 30, are selected through competitive international auditions.The students are split into 8 string quartets and 4 wind quintets, and the festival is divided into two main parts. 
In the first phase, they get 4-5 hours of chamber music coaching each day, plus other activities like yoga, non-musical coaching, and a daily evening concert followed by an interview and Q&A session. Every student ensemble gets a chance to perform in one of the evening concerts. 
In the second phase, all the students come together to form an orchestra, which rehearses for three days leading up to a final concert. 
This year, the orchestra also went on a 5-concert tour across various cities in Chile, which was a really special experience! The students come from many different countries from all over the world. Last year we had one student from Australia, and this year we actually had nine! The faculty all performed in the evening concerts. I had the opportunity to perform Brahms’ Quintet with the American string Quartet along with the Brahms’ trio with Ensemble Liaison. Portillo is a stunning location set in the mountains opposite a gorgeous lake. 
We all had the opportunity to go hiking, kayaking and various other activities. We will definitely be going back next year! “