We had no idea where the seats would be, and while my daughter didn't either, she must have picked them with inspiration because they were the ultimate brass player's parents "geek seats". Located on the mezzanine level (1 level above the stage) we were right above the cellos and the brass section. So close that I could look over the little railing and READ the music on the stand of the cello below me!
Now you who don't know me well won't get why this was so exciting.....I never got to play in the band. I had rheumatic fever and developed a heart murmur back in the days that they told you not to do anything strenous, so I wasn't allowed gym class (oh well) or band (oh NO!). So it was indeed a special treat for me to have a "bird's eye" view of all the inner workings of that magic world that all of our children got to be a part of.
And what a program it was! Titled "100 Years of Music America Loves Best", they began with Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma, followed next with songs by Dorsey and then the Glenn Miller American Patrol.
Next up was the featured vocalist (good, but I always think my daughter is better, and in this case, she is!) who sang two pieces, one of which was Arlen's Over the Rainbow (ok, another odd coincidence as this song ALWAYS reminds me of my daughter!) The vocalist also did All that Jazz from Chicago, and 2 other Kander/Ebb pieces in the second act.
Its clear that the conductor is at heart a brass player, as he featured a trumpet player that truly rivals Doc Severinson at hitting those HIGH! notes (and he holds them longer). He also had arranged a medly of Beatles songs (Yesterday, Hey Jude, Penny Lane) that allowed the trumpet player to show off his skills with the Bb trumpet, the piccolo trumpet and the flugal horn.
There were pieces with a jazz quartet that included a jazz flute (not often heard), an wonderful selection from Webber's Phantom of the Opera (here they tread on thin ice---box 5 was NOT kept empty), and an awesome performance by Lawrence Leighton Smith (the Music Director for the Philharmonic) of Gershwin's Concerto in F.
And of course there was traditional song for mignight --- done at midnight New York time --- complete with balloons and confetti dropping from a net in the ceiling.
It was truly worth the travel over still icy roads to get to this ----
This morning I took this picture of our neighbor's dog. Now if this looks a bit odd to you, it should. The dog is standing on a snow drift that is level with a 6 foot fence!
Our dog watched these proceedings, barked at the goings on, and timidly made an attempt at the drift in our back yard, but I called her back into the house -- call me the big chicken, but I'm afraid she'd either fall through the crust and we'd have to dig her out or she'd get hurt on the pickets at the top of the fence.
A TV station in Denver (CW2 for you in our area) runs a digital picture contest, so I sent this photo in. We'll see if they use it.
Today will be a pretty lazy day, working on bead pieces (I'm about half way through the sunburst brooch) stitching some animals and maybe doing a little work on changing some things on our website.
I'm sure tomorrow will start us in to the day to day commotion again, for today, may you all have PEACE!
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