MY CONVENTION

Day 1

The lead up to the event brought what is now a common feeling after soo many festivals, performances and events, anticipation, excitement and a bit of nervousness, albeit a bit less as the years go by, nervousness that is. One thing never fails, an immediate call to duty and a harkening back to my time as a caloiro. Portugal was not new to me, but to many others participating in the conference it would be and so I had a clear task and way to be of help to the event. The first day is always full of greetings and new faces and my first thought was, how is this going to be different from the other events I’ve attended as a tuno? Would there be the same atmosphere? The same amount of comradery, music and exuberance? The answer was blatantly clear by the end of the first night. Music late at night, in the middle of the town square with everyone participating, laughing, cheering and smiling while getting acquainted and reacquainted with each other.

Day 2

The conference had little time to spare and on the second day business was on the forefront of the agenda. A general meeting along with some discussion about the specifics of TUDI as well as the general world of Tunas and how we can move forward and grow the tradition through youth. I will be honest, an opportunity was presented to be able to speak regarding this subject, and I had been waiting for over a decade to be able to participate and contribute to such a conversation. A small symbolic opportunity to be able to voice, in person, to who I consider to be a group of people who truly care about this tradition, the experiences and traditions of tuno’s in Canada. I took full advantage and spoke what I could and thanked everyone for all the work done to be able to have such a forum in order to recognize Canada’s particular tuna tradition and all of the other countries represented at the event. This was truly a fulfilling experience. The day was capped with beautiful performance at the church.

Day 3

Practices and fine tunning were needed to prep for the variety of performances on and off stage for the coming days. It is always interesting to see the similarities and differences in the way practices are held by different tuna traditions when trying to work out the music. I was also weird to be on the other side of the practice as I have spent soo many years leading practices in my own tuna. The level of quality was astounding and the speed at which problems were corrected, and changes made was impressive to say the least. Another performance the cap the day at the Associacao Familiar vimaranense.

Day 4

A visit to Porto with a cruise of the Douro river and an opportunity to really chat with the Dutch delegation. It almost seem that both of our delegations were drawn to each other because we both are from countries that wouldn’t typically be associated to this tradition. Although the Dutch delegations tuna tradition reflected much more the Spanish tradition and my tuna in particular reflected the Portuguese, it was interesting to see the similarities and differences in the challenges we faced. It was a truly enlightening conversation and one I cherish for many years.

Day 5

A major performance at a newly renovated theatre in Guimaraes was top of mind and extra time was made for sound check as well as practicing. It was interesting to see the typical flurry of changes and stress leading up to an important performance but also the calm just before as well as the confidence. The performance was spectacular, and the crowd did not disappoint. At the end of the performance a very special coincidence occurred. After the performance an old but familiar face leaped up onto the stage to say hello. I had not seen this friend for over a decade, but this was no coincidence. During my early days as a caloiro my tuna was going through a rough spell, we had lost some of the expertise and knowledge typically past down from one generation to the next and in particular the pandeireta department. I reached out to a tuno that happened to be living in Canada at the time who helped start a tuna in Portugal and also played pandeireta. He was also a family friend. Fernando did not hesitate to help teach and encourage my tuna giving us valuable tips and spending a significant amount of time helping us execute, train and perfect our skills. After all this time, it was great to see him there and to witness the fruits of that labour.

Day 6

After a successful performance a day of sight seeing and calm was a perfect way to cap my last day in the conference. A guided tour of Coimbra and Fatima was followed by another great dinner in the town square followed by the typical eruption of improvised and unplanned music and good times. It would be my last day participating in the conference and was felt like good byes were really just thanks and acknowledgments for all that everyone had done for this special event and this very special tradition. Miguel Dias "Captain Picard" TUDI CANADA