February in Philadelphia can be cold and dreary, but days are long and pleasant in southern Chile. So in the winter of 2008, I headed south to play a couple concerts at a well-known summer festival in South America called "Semanas Musicales de Frutillar," which means Musical Weeks in the town of Frutillar. Frutillar has a charming atmosphere, and is located on a lake in the shadow of a massive, snow-capped volcano.
The beach at Frutillar (Lake Llanquihue)
The festival started 40 years ago with Flora Inostroza. Frutillar is her summer residence. I spent a great deal of time at Flora's house on the beach. The beach is one of the main things that makes Frutillar a popular vacation spot. Looking down through the glass doors of her veranda, I'd see people swimming, tanning, playing ball, sailing, and picnicking.
Every year Flora spent her summers in Frutillar, and 40 years ago decided to put on a concert for everyone there. She is a pianist, and had friends who played music, so they got some people together and played right on the beach. Everyone loved it so much that they decided to do it again the following summer.
Flora Inostroza
Things picked up after that and the folks from out of town came to expect these concerts on the beach and told their friends to come vacation with them. Soon they began charging a small fee, and brought in an orchestra. This eventually evolved into the most popular classical music festival of the country. But because of the small, informal beginnings, it still retains a friendly feel even though they now hire the best soloists in South America, the Symphony Orchestra of Chile, and a few international artists.
Party with the volunteers working at Semanas Musicales
Flora and her family became my close friends, especially her two grandsons, who were college students home from Santiago and Concepción. There were many young volunteers helping with the concerts who were also university students home for the summer. We ate meals together, played soccer and rugby on the beach, and sailed tiny boats on the lake.
I was having so much fun in Frutillar that when the festival was over I stayed with Flora’s family another week and went camping in a remote area on the Pacific coast, close to the southern tip of the continent.
On the Pacific Ocean
