Dr. Glenn Block

Sharing with you all my last blog post! Now in Argentina enjoying my sabbatical year.

English: https://www.maestroglennblock.com/my-sabbatical-year-is-starting
Spanish: https://www.maestroglennblock.com/es/comienza-mi-ano-sabatico

Stay tuned for what's next! 😄

¡Comienza mi año sabático! | Dr. Glenn Block | Conductor and Professor Entramos en una primavera florida en Illinois. Comienzan los días de sol y el clima cálido, y con ello mi jardín de azafranes y tulipanes ha estado floreciendo ¡Vi un eclipse total el lunes 8 de abril!

Traveling to Europe this week.. until end of July.. this week in Italy, then Serene Republic of San Marino, Spain and Portugal!!!

[Versión en español abajo] Dear friends and colleagues across the United States, South America and Europe:

I am writing from Buenos Aires, Argentina where I am spending the holidays and New Year with friends. I am planning for an exciting Spring semester, 2024 at Illinois State University with concerts! I also have recently received good news from my university that I will be on sabbatical for the Fall semester, 2024, returning after summer concerts in South America and Italy. My research project includes learning more repertoire from Argentine composers such as Astor Piazzola, Ariel Ramirez and Claudio Alsuyet.

I am planning to release a Blog every week in the New Year touching on personal comments and musical/conducting issues! Stay tuned!

These are some photos of my last weeks visiting my three grown children, their families and grandkids in Pittsburgh, Minneapolis and Boston. A beautiful Thanksgiving holiday! 🙏🏼

Happy holidays to all! Hoping you will all celebrate the New Year 2024 happily, safely and with good health! 🥂✨

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Queridos amigos y colegas de Estados Unidos, Sudamérica y Europa:

Les escribo desde Buenos Aires, Argentina, donde pasaré las vacaciones y el Año Nuevo con amigos. Quiero contarles que estoy planeando un emocionante semestre de conciertos en la Universidad Estatal de Illinois! Luego me tomaré el semestre y regresaré después de los conciertos en Sudamérica e Italia.

Además, estoy trabajando en un proyecto de investigación que incluye aprender más repertorio de compositores argentinos como Astor Piazzola, Ariel Ramirez y Claudio Alsuyet.

Para el 2024, estoy planeando publicar un blog para compartir con ustedes reflexiones personales y temáticas musicales/de dirección ¡Manténganse al tanto!

Estas son algunas fotos de lo que fueron mis últimas semanas, en las que estuve visitando a mis tres hijos, sus familias y nietos en Pittsburgh, Minneapolis y Boston. Compartimos unos lindos días de Acción de Gracias 🙏🏼

¡Felices fiestas! ¡Les deseo un nuevo año de gratitud y buena salud!🥂✨

I hope you are closing a great year and that the next year will be more prosperous and successful for you and all you love!

Here's to more projects together! 🥂

Greetings to my friends here in the United States and across the waters! We are immersed in our fall seasons with temperatures getting cooler each day, daylight getting shorter each day, and the tree colors are changing!

I am in the middle of rehearsals to take the ISU Symphony on tour to Chicago for October 18-19 and a concert on campus Sunday, October 22! We are in the middle of wonderful rehearsals for Brahms SYMPHONY NO. 2, Sibelius VIOLIN CONCERTO with ISU artist professor of violin Dr. Igor Kalnin as soloist, and the world premiere of ISU faculty Dr. Mark Grizzard's AMERICAN FOOTBALL!

I am also honored to be invited in May, 2024 to return to Posadas/Misiones, Argentina to conduct the Orquesta de la Parque Conocimiento in a Beethoven NINTH SYMPHONY "CHORAL" with the local chorus and soloists. I also will lead two weeks of conducting seminars May 8-18.

Day 29 Italia.. Puccini Festival, Torre del Lago Part II: LA BOHEME.. wonderful production, great singers, huge Act II Finale!

Day 28 Italia… Puccini Festival a Torre del Lago a ver MADAMA BUTTERFLY.. Puccini home/museum
that publisher Ricordi bought for Puccini! Morning Viareggio R and R on the beaches that Puccini enjoyed! Tomorrow, back to the Festival for LA BOHEME!

Delighted to share captivating moments from the unforgettable REQUIEM concert I had the privilege to conduct this past weekend in the charming town of Guardiagrele! 🎻 Proudly presented as part of the esteemed Opera (GO) Festival.

Thank you to the incredible Maestro Maurizio Colasanti for the gracious invitation! It was an absolute thrill to collaborate and create music together. 🙌🏼

“The show "The poisoned note" staged last night in the cloister of San Francesco di Guardiagrele with the splendid reciting voice of Nicole Millo, the musical direction of the American Glenn Block, who christened the birth of the young Fuori Comune Orchestra, will remain in the annals of our festival.
The learned and intelligent introduction by Professor Giacomo Fornari, academician of the Salzburg Mozarteum, transported us into the world of one of humanity's greatest geniuses, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The show to follow did the rest.
It was a magical evening, full of emotion and beauty, which not even the disturbance of a nearby pizza festival was able to scratch. On the contrary. Our public, which year after year is becoming a community, numerous beyond all rosy expectations, has shown that it appreciates the food of the soul rather than that of the belly.
Art serves and will always serve the communities to forge free and heavy men, people who look far ahead and know how to imagine a better future for themselves and for their people. For this we exist and will exist. In the distracted world of satiety and social media, being cultured, loving beauty and art is a revolutionary act. It's nice to see how more and more revolutionaries are approaching the GO Festival. We love you.
In the end, as always, a mega spaghetti dinner in the square.
Because even with art you eat.”

In Guadiagrele this week to conduct Mozart REQUIEM in production for Guadiagrele Opera (GO) Festival! Grazie a gran Mtro MAURIZIO Colasanti per la invitada! Montagne di Abruzzo from our hotel, concert last night in medieval mountain of Crecchio!

Day 17 Italy.. last day Firenze.. Uffizi Galeria (The Botticellis, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo’s and Raffaellos!), Ponte Vecchio, Pitti Palace and Santa Croce Cathedral where Rossini, among others, is buried! Tomorrow, on to Guadiagrele GO Opera Festival, in mountains of Abruzzo for a week to conduct Mozart REQUIEM!