I have been blessed on this tour reuniting with family members, friends, former colleagues, and students! On our first stop in Kansas City, I met with a childhood friend from my hometown who now works as an artist for Hallmark Cards, which is headquartered there. In Chicago, I met up with former Philadelphia Orchestra members Charles Vernon and Chris Martin, now prominent members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra brass section. Charlie treated Blair Bollinger and me to a delicious dinner at the legendary Berghof Restaurant near the concert hall, while Chris invited me along with several other colleagues to a party at his nearby high-rise condo after the concert.
Three cousins - one of whom I hadn't seen in fifty years! - drove many miles to hear our concert in Omaha. So far on this tour, my favorite hall in most respects has been the Holland Center in Omaha. The sound of the orchestra seemed extra *hot* there with extra resonance. Since our flight from Omaha to San Francisco was a charter flight, the pilot announced that the cockpit would be open throughout the trip and welcomed anyone who was interested to come up for a visit. I took advantage of this opportunity (see photo under Davis, CA pictures on the orchestra tour Web site) and enjoyed particularly the panoramic view of the snow-capped Rocky Mountains from the cockpit.
My wife joined me on the tour in San Francisco, to my great delight, and will remain until our last concert in California on Sunday. Once we got to LA, my wife and I were escorted all over the area by a former student, Jay Cohen, who is the bugler for the Santa Anita Racetrack. We got a private tour of the race track and when we were out to dinner, I even got to meet famous Panamanian jockey Laffit Pincay, Jr!
It has really been a pleasure to have had these personal contacts along the way. Looking forward to the remaining concerts!
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