Last week, the CMUS Profesional in Vigo once again welcomed a visit from several colleagues from the Central Ostrobothnian Conservatory in Kokkola (Finland) and the MUBA in Tallinn (Estonia).

Between 9 and 13 March, we welcomed several visiting lecturers as part of a new Erasmus exchange programme. On this occasion, Esa Klapuri (Saxophone and Composition), Toni Honkala (Folk and Music Technology) and Juhani Koivisto (Violin and Erasmus Coordinator at his institution), lecturers from the Central Ostrobothnian Conservatory in Kokkola, together with Arina Makarenko (Piano) and Kaur Pennert (Solfège and Music Theory), lecturers at MUBA in Tallinn, acted as ambassadors for their institutions in Vigo.

Over the course of these days, our European colleagues attended classes in instrumental specialisms, theoretical and practical subjects, and various ensemble classes, such as chamber music, bagpipe ensemble and orchestra.

There was also time to hold meetings with the management team, the Erasmus team, Enclave Morada and the library coordinator, as well as to attend an open day for Coñece o teu conservatorio.

In addition, as part of Equality Week, our guests attended a number of activities organised by the Enclave Morada team, which aims to raise the profile of women in the arts, particularly in music. Among other events, they were able to enjoy the concert-lecture dedicated to the composer Ester Vela, the piano concert dedicated to Carmen Santiago de Merás, the Rías Baixas Chamber Choir, the Ampersand concert and the concert marathon Unha tarde entre mulleres.

To round off the week, we had the opportunity to enjoy a talk on the Finnish education system and Finnish folk music, given by teachers from Kokkola. You’ll be able to read a summary of this activity in upcoming blog posts.

As you can see, it was a very special week during which our colleagues from Finland and Estonia were able to experience the vibrant academic and cultural life of our school. All five returned to their respective countries delighted with their stay in Vigo and keen to come back.

We in the Erasmus team are delighted with the visit and would like to thank the academic staff and all other staff at CMUS for their cooperation and dedication in organising the activities, and for the warm welcome they gave our colleagues.

Here are some photos that capture the excitement of these past few days!

Esa, Toni, Juhani, Arina y Kaur with our colleagues Blanca and Baldomero.

Esa, Sara, Toni and Juhani

Sara, Arina, Kaur, Virginia and Carmen