It was wonderful being back with my beloved Havana Lyceum Orchestra family in Havana – I hadn’t been there for a year! The 10 days were packed with exciting things: a fabulous concert with the Sarahbanda Habanera at the Fábrica de Arte Cubano, playing at the Residence of German Ambassador to Cuba with my Havana Horns, auditioning many young talented musicians for our new project – the Havana  Orchestra Academy, and our final concert – a Cuban Christmas with the Havana Lyceum Orchestra. Cuba is suffering serious power cuts and sadly, after rehearsing all afternoon in Havana Cathedral, the power cut out 30 mins before the concert. But so many people had showed up to hear the concert and we had worked so hard… so we carried our music stands outside, invited the audience to help us read the music with the lights on their mobile phones, and the show went on! It was very moving – once again showing me the power music has, especially during difficult times. I will never, ever forget this concert, have a look on my social media to see how magical it was.  La Habana, December 2024