Saturday, February 28, 2015

Memorable Day in New York City


In a typical blog post, I'll use more pictures than words, letting the images tell the story of an event.  For this post, I'll use more words than pictures to try and lend a description that provides clarity to the events of the day.

Before I describe the day, I need to describe the students musicians with whom we have the privilege of traveling.  We are moving with a group of 350 students and 7 coaches and have left every departure point in a timely manner.  Tour guides, bus drivers and restaurant staff continue to tell us how impressed they are with the behavior of the students.  Our guide at Radio City Music Hall told us we were her favorite group of the day, maybe of the month.  The students are respectful and engaged while still having a great time.  We are so proud and fortunate to travel with these students.

Now, a bit about the experiences today.

Today was about an experiential spectrum with significant width.  We started our morning at the 9-11 Museum.  The depth of the human condition as exposed in this horrific tragedy was significant.  We ended our evening hearing the New York Philharmonic performing Brahm's Second Symphony, which ends in a D major triad played by the trombones that exposes the depth of jubilation in the human condition.  We were at the Top of The Rock, we were at the level of the street  We experienced some chilly temperatures outside, we experienced some warm tours and meals.  The depth and breadth of the spectrum of experiences today, even for this seasoned traveler, was significant.

Tomorrow, we will tour by bus and boat and experience a Broadway show followed by a group dinner on Times Square.  The trajectory of the tour continues to point us towards Monday evening, where we will practice and perform in Carnegie Hall, but for now, we are expanding our boundaries by experiencing some of the most amazing things this remarkable city has to offer.