Palace, Passion, Performance...

Hello everyone!

Today was our first full day in Spain and it was full of fun activities. We started the day bright and early with a small walking tour of Sevilla which culminated in us arriving at the palace Alcazar. The palace was absolutely beautiful. It was built by Muslims during the 12th century when Muslims ruled Spain. The palace was later rebuilt for the new Christian king of Spain. However, he loved the gothic style of the Muslims and loved their culture that he mostly kept the palace the same, except adding the crown, cross and lion symbols which were symbols of the Christian monarchy. Seeing the palace was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen. Each room was so delicately crafted with stone, wood, paint, and tiles. The color had lasted so vibrantly and everything was grand and elegant, perfect for a royal family. The palace was also surrounded by stunning gardens and a balcony which had a view of the palace, gardens and the whole city of Sevilla. Once we left the Alcazar, we headed over to a beautiful theatre where we saw St. Matthews Passion. The music was so beautiful and the soloists were incredible, my personal favorite was the counter tenor, his voice carried so well through the hall and I think the songs he sang were the best composed. The oratorio was so amazing to hear on Palm Sunday and after leaving, we saw the ends of processions also for Palm Sunday. The city was just so beautiful and I loved getting to walk around there. Later, we drove to a monastery where we had our first concert of the week. There were a few bumps in the road but overall it was a great start to our week full of singing. In all, our day was so crammed but so fun and I had such a great time seeing all around Sevilla. 

-Paloma :)

Alcazar

Teatro Maestranza

Our first concert in Spain!