Concert in the Parking Lot

Well, the official title is concert in the Park- as in Business Park, not green-grass park. Last night the chamber orchestra played a concert that is the 4th year of what is essentially an anniversary gift from a very romantic man to his wife of 31 years.

We had the Tchaikovsky competition winner and his billion dollar violin playing some pyrotechnic tunes. He gets to play it for a while as a prize from the competition. It really is the instrument in the guinness book for having the highest price paid at auction. There are probably some more expensive owned by the Smithsonian et al, but still. I knew the guy, sort of- I know for sure we've been at a party together, before he was the big cheese. I think it must have been in Aspen, and I remember him being friendly. Monday we have another concert and I'm looking forward to hearing him play some real music (sorry, Wienawski fans).

At the end of the concert there are fireworks (they start them up in The Stars and Stripes). The best thing about that- besides that they were quite pretty- was that there were about 15 little kids gathered up near the front and at every single explosion, they would yell and scream at the top of their lungs. One boy kept screeching, "Did you SEE that one? That was the best one."

Also, there was a guy with a kite that had a camera on its string and a remote control box so he could get stealthy pictures of the orchestra and crowd. The thing was such a phenomenon, I imagine most of his shots are of performers gawking with their mouths open and necks craning to see it.

Monday night is my last night with the orchestra, and I'm kinda sad. It isn't a bad group. And who knows when I'll be playing with people like that next. Speaking of which, audition excerpts are calling....