The First Night countdown is skipping right along. Yesterday, Henry and I rehearsed our music, Ryan and I took a tango lesson with Roxanne, and my musician friends who live upstairs gave their stamp of approval on my new dress. It’s fancy.
Today, I’m sitting in the Symphony box office. The glass doors allow me a great view of the falling snow, and Powell Hall is about as festive a place you can find this time of year. Amidst the chatter of my fellow box officers and visiting patrons, I’m hearing the St. Louis Symphony rehearse its NYE concert (I won’t tell you what they’re playing, or who the special guest is. It’s top secret. Suffice it to say, I’m sad I’m missing the concert.)
Staring at the falling snow takes me back a couple of weeks to Berlin and the LaBarge family extravaganza. We spent days walking around Berlin, where intermittent flakes regularly made the Christmas markets a dusty white. And hearing our Symphony reminds me of the enthusiastic audiences at the Berlin Philharmonic. I’ve never seen a group of concert goers celebrate music the way those Berliners did. The applause for the Brahms Requiem continued long after the Atlanta Symphony Chorus members had closed their mouths, Donald Runnicles had lowered his baton, and the orchestra members had set down their instruments.
Yes indeed, now is a very good time to make and hear and applaud music. Happy New Year!