Music, wine and local cuisine will come together in a unique natural and historic setting for our trip to La Rioja Festival, located in Spain’s most acclaimed vineyard region.
Founded and programmed by Pablo Sainz Villegas, a new generation master of the Spanish guitar who is a native of the famed wine region, La Rioja Festival features concerts by diverse young Spanish classical musicians staged at historic wineries, in Cathedrals and monasteries, amidst beautiful landscapes of mountains and valleys, and in the urban environment of the city of Logroño’s historic streets.
We´ll walk a picturesque portion of the Camino de Santiago, culminating in an outdoor concert at an unexpected location. We’ll stroll through the Wurth Museum of art, accompanied by live music in the galleries, and spend spring evenings enjoying conversation with local wine experts, artists and our fellow travelers.
A program that invites the public to discover the magic of classical music while highlighting popular musical traditions of Spain will feature performers ranging from a string quartet to a brass quintet, an organ master playing in a medieval monastery, acclaimed bolero singers, renowned pianists and, of course, Pablo Sainz Villegas himself on guitar.
In addition to the Rioja Festival’s program of concerts and other activities, as Festival partners, Musical Getaways will have access to specially designed performances and unique events combining food, wine, local agriculture and nature. We´ll attend exclusive wine tastings and learn about the Rioja vineyards and the region’s culture and history.
Spain travel host and Cultural Music Consultant Judy Cantor-Navas shares her love for music ranging from flamenco to jazz to Spanish regional traditional styles and contemporary fusions, and her knowledge of its cultural and historical context with Musical Getaways travelers. Judy creates itineraries for MG’s Deep Flamenco and Barcelona + Jazz tours and accompanies our travelers.
A resident of Barcelona, Judy is a journalist, producer, and Grammy-nominated liner notes writer. Her recent credits include Story Producer and Lead Writer of the Audible Original podcast Punk in Translation, about Latinos in punk; Cultural Music Consultant for Disney Animation’s Oscar-Winning Encanto, and translator of the book Cha-Cha-Cha: A Dance and an Era. Over her career, her writing on music, travel, food and culture has appeared in publications including Billboard, the Miami Herald, the New York Times, the Buenos Aires Herald and American Airlines inflight magazines. Accolades for her work include a National Music Journalism Awards first prize, an Inter American Press Association fellowship and a research grant from the Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation.
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