VISIT TO THE ALCALDE; RECITAL ON 11 NOVEMBER 2008
Bahía de Caraquéz, Ecuador, Friday, October 17, 2008

I wrote on Wednesday that we had offered to do a Liederabend in Bahía de Caráquez sometime before Christmas and met with Senora Mendoza de Quijeje, the head of Oficina de Cultura for the city. Yesterday we put on somewhat better clothes including long trousers (instead of shorts) and leather shoes (instead of sandals). Our turnout was enough to raise eyebrows and questions amongst other
cruisers and the staff at Puerto Amistad; several Ecuadorians even asked us if we were going to a funeral. But, we were making a courtesy call to the Alcalde (Mayor) or Bahía de Caráquez, Dr. Mendoza.

The meeting only took about ten minutes. But we were met first my Senora Quijeje, taken to Alcalde’s (“el Senor Alcalde”, as she always referred to him) ante-chamber where we offered something to drink while we waited making small-talk in our broken Spanish. Eventually we were ushered into the wood-panelled office where Dr. Mendoza held court. There were other people circulating in and out or sitting along the wall. At one point he interrupted to take a cellphone call. We offered a little explanation of what we were offering and showed him a sample programme. But clearly he already knew everything and had already signed off on the idea. He just wanted to meet us and thank us personally for doing the concert. He also assured us that he would be in the front row when we came to sing. A very nice courtesy call.

So, don’t miss it if you can, as they say.

SONG RECITAL / LIEDERABEND
Ronald Bird, tenor, & Kathleen Bird, piano

Songs by Schubert, Schumann, Strauss and others

Tuesday evening, 11th November 2008 at 1930
in the recital hall of
Banco Central/ Museo de Bahía de Caráquez