Music and Cultural Tour of Brazil

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Meet Your Host

Judy Cantor-Navas

Judy Cantor-Navas is a Grammy-nominated writer, producer and traveler devoted to introducing new audiences to the diverse music of Spain and Latin America, and the stories of its artists and origins. She has written and spoken about classic and contemporary flamenco for media including Billboard, NPR, Radio Gladys Palmera, The Miami Herald and No Depression magazine.

Judy was Cultural Music Consultant for the 2021 Oscar-nominated Disney Animation Movie “Encanto,” and has been a music curator and writer for MTV, Google, Napster and major and independent record labels. She was nominated for a 2020 Grammy Award in the Album Notes category for the box set The Complete Cuban Jam Sessions, and was the recipient of a 2019 Latin Grammy Foundation research grant. Awards for her writing include a National Music Journalism Awards First Prize for Feature Writing, a Society of Professional Journalists’ Green Eyeshade prize for criticism and an Inter American Press Association Fellowship to Buenos Aires.

Judy is the translator of the new book Cha-Cha-Chá: A Dance and an Era, published by Madrid’s Gladys Palmera Collection. Her projects set for release in 2022 include a box set that tells the story of the pioneering Cuban record label Panart, and a podcast about Latinx punk, for which she served as story producer and lead writer. Judy’s many adventures include a stint writing for The Associated Press from Sevilla, where she covered Diego Maradona’s comeback as a player for Sevilla FC. Originally from New York City, she now lives in Barcelona with her husband and son.

Tour and Travel Details

**All of our tours are small groups to create a better and more intimate travel experience. There will be no more than 12 tour participants on any Musical Getaways departure.

Day 1 – Sept 7 (Wednesday)

  • -Arrival in Sevilla 
  • -We’ll greet you at the airport and give you an introduction to the city sights on the way to the hotel. 
  • -You´ll have time to rest and refresh or go for a stroll in the barrio Santa Cruz, whose streets and architecture dating to Roman times are testament to the Islamic, Jewish and Christian cultures that have historically inhabited the city. 
  • -We’ll meet in the evening for a welcome dinner at an authentic flamenco tablao, and an informal introduction to the Flamenco Biennial and the week’s activities. 

Day 2 – Sept 8 (Thursday)

  • -After breakfast at the hotel, we´ll take a walking tour and learn the artistic history of the Triana neighborhood, an incubator of flamenco, traditionally home to Seville’s gypsy population. Special visit to the Centro de la Cerámica de Triana, (Triana Ceramics Center), a ceramics factory founded in 1939 that now houses the Flamenco Biennial Headquarters, in a restored building that is testament to the tradition of ceramic tiles and pottery in Sevilla that dates back to the Middle Ages.
  • -Lunch in Triana on the site (as you’ll learn) of a key event in the history of pure flamenco.
  • -Toward evening, we’ll attend the Opening Ceremony of the Flamenco Biennial and convene for an informal dinner.
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Day 3 – Sept 9 (Friday)

  • -After breakfast, we’ll visit the studio of a local artist for a unique demonstration of the different rhythms and an introduction to styles of flamenco. Then we´ll head to a vibrant but hidden away market-side bar loved by locals for some of the best seafood tapas in town. 
  • -Look forward to this evening when we´ll attend a concert by one of the Biennial’s renowned headliners. Dinner on your own or with others in the group and the option of taking in a late-night flamenco show will follow.

Day 4 – Sept 10 (Saturday)

  • -An early morning paddle on Guadalquivir River for a guided tour to the sights from a kayak. Those who prefer to stay on dry land can take a walking tour or enjoy some free time. 
  • -After a dance or music workshop with flamenco musicians, we´ll head to one of Sevilla’s newer restaurants for pescaito (little fried fish) and paella.
  • -There will be free time to explore and rest before a concert that showcases the strength of the current young generation of flamenco artists.  We can recommend nearby spots for late-night  dinner or drinks on your own or with others in the group after the concert.
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Day 5 – Sept 11 (Sunday)

  • -Breakfast at Hotel, free time
  • -We’ll attend the flamenco version of Sunday mass with a concert at a historic cathedral.
  • -After the concert, we’ll gather together for a light lunch and say farewell to travelers whose final stop is Sevilla.
  • -Those continuing on the trip will leave for  Vejer de la Frontera, Cádiz, one of Andalusia’s famed “pueblos blancos” acclaimed as one of the most beautiful towns in Spain. 
  • -We´ll check into Hotel Casa del Califa, whose central building is from 1527, with walls dating back to the Tenth Century. A unique place that feels like you are in a house the ancient Al-Andalus, as the region now called Andalusia was known under Muslim rule.
  • -At dusk, we´ll meet our guide, a Vejer native who will take us on a fascinating tour of the Arab and Jewish past of this walled city, highlighting the unique cultural context that led the way to the birth of flamenco.
  • -In the evening we´ll have our own flamenco fiesta on the terrace of the house of a flamenco dancer and historian, where they will lead us in dancing and palmas (hand-clapping) and serve a dinner of local specialties.

Day 6 – Sept 12 (Monday)

  • -After a special breakfast at the hotel, we’ll head out on a day trip to explore the Cádiz region.
  • -First stop Jerez, often known as “the cradle of flamenco,” and also for the sherry wine that bears its name. We will combine those two unique and native creations at a “tabanco,” a kind of neighborhood sherry bar and locals’ hangout found only in Jerez, where we can listen to flamenco while sipping jerez and eating tapas.
  • -Then we’ll visit San Fernando, the birthplace of the immortal flamenco icon Camerón de la Isla. 
  • -Dinner at El Jardin de Califa in the hotel, where we´ll enjoy a delicious and leisurely Moroccan dinner.

Day 7 – Sept 13 (Tuesday)

  • – After breakfast, you´ll have the option of spending the morning at El Palmar beach, a long stretch of sand on the Atlantic lined with surf shacks, where we can arrange a surfing class, or horseback riding along the shore.
  • We´ll return to Sevilla, where you’ll have a chance to rest or do some last-minute shopping before our farewell dinner.

Day 8 (Departure) – Sept 14 (Thursday)

  • -Breakfast at Hotel
  • -Transportation to the Sevilla airport for departure (or stay if you like!)

What’s included?

-Music Specialist Host

-Deluxe hotel room or suite

-All breakfasts (7 total with Vejer Add On)

-3 lunches (5 including Vejer Add On)

-Musician Tour Leaders

-Local guides

-All music, city, and historical tours

-Cultural city tour by kayak

-Prime entry into Flamenco Biennial events

-1 dinner (3 including Vejer Add On)

-Transportation to events (As needed – most events and other destinations are close by and we will walk quite a bit on this tour – please bring comfortable shoes!)

-Airport arrival and departure transportation to Sevilla, Spain (SVQ)

-Unique flamenco workshops

-Music or dance flamenco lessons

Tour dates and Pricing

Prices are per person based on one private premium hotel room (3-4.5 stars) and double occupancy. Single Supplement is for solo travelers that wish to stay in one hotel room. You are welcome to share a room with another preferred travel partner at double occupancy rates. Just let us know!

The price stated above is in US Dollars and based on an ACH bank transfer from our 3rd party merchant. If you wish to use a credit or debit card there will be a 2% fee added. We do not accept cash or checks.

Prices vary for different tours and accommodation options such as deluxe rooms and suites. Our travelers typically include both people traveling together and individual travelers. If you have any special requests please let us know. We will work with you to make sure you have the perfect space and feel comfortable during your stay.

This booking platform is for deposits of $300 per person only. Your full invoice will be sent after your deposit and booking are confirmed.

If our dates do not work for you, keep in mind that we also do personalized tours with custom dates and group sizes. More info here

Booking now

September 7th-14th, 2022 – Seville and the Flamenco Biennal, Vejer de la Frontera, Jerez and San Fernando

per person

$ 2,960
  • Hotel Double Shared Room

per person

$ 3,460
  • One Person in a Double Hotel Room

per person

$ 3,640
  • Hotel Suite (Double Occupancy)

per person

$ 4,390
  • Hotel Suite (Single Occupancy)

September 7th-14th, 2022 – Seville and the Flamenco Biennal, Vejer de la Frontera, Jerez and San Fernando

per person

$ 4,155
  • Double Shared Hotel Room

per person

$ 4,905
  • One Person in a Double Hotel Room

per person

$ 5,285
  • Hotel Suite (Double Occupancy)

per person

$ 6,515
  • Hotel Suite (Single Occupancy)

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