In April 2023, I taught for four days at the Conservatorio Superior de Música de Castilla-La Mancha (CSMCLM) in the city of Albacete, in south-eastern Spain.

Raquel Violero Casero, who several years ago attended one of my masterclasses, is now professor for viola at the Conservatorio and invited me to give a masterclass there as part of the Erasmus programme.

Following the contractual formalities between the mdw and the CSMCLM, my journey could begin.

I found the CSMCLM to be a relatively small but excellent conservatory with students who play at a very high international level.

Raquel had invited the conservatory’s teachers of violin and chamber music to participate as well, so I was able to teach violin, viola, and string quartet in my accustomed manner. Numerous conversations provided the opportunity for a lively exchange of ideas among us colleagues as well as with the students.

In general, my stay Albacete definitely motivated me to continue my collaboration with the CSMCLM.