“It was 1:01 p.m. Wednesday when Delta Flight 8876 hit the tarmac at José Martí International Airport in Havana,” writes Graydon Royce in Thursday’s (5/14) Star Tribune (Minneapolis). “ ‘Yubba yubba dee,’ shouted violist Michael Adams. ‘Yubba diah,’ responded his mates near the rear of the airplane as the Minnesota Orchestra and a group of cultural ambassadors landed in Cuba for a historic five-day visit.… Adams explained later that the phrase simply mimics the tempo and melody of Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony. ‘It’s a tradition on any tour when the wheels hit the ground,’ Adams said as his orchestra becomes the first major U.S. orchestra to travel to Cuba since President Obama’s December overture to normalize relations. The orchestra will perform at the Teatro Nacional on Friday and Saturday nights, and coach music students from a high school, university and conservatory…. The scene at José Martí was jubilant.… Music director Osmo Vänskä and concertmaster Erin Keefe posed for a selfie with the airplane in the background.… The board members, donors and community supporters—who are traveling with the orchestra on ‘people to people’ cultural-exchange licenses—will visit cultural sites, talk with Cuban artists and, of course, attend the concerts.”
A photo gallery can be found at Minnesota Public Radio’s website.
Posted May 15, 2015
Pictured: The Minnesota Orchestra poses at Havana’s José Martí International Airport on Wednesday, May 13. Photo by Leila Navidi for the Star Tribune
