Back on the road
Just arrived for my opening week in Kitchener-Waterloo after a quick concert on Sunday with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at Millennium Park. A very nice place for a concert, indeed …
The orchestra was just back from vacation, but sounded wonderful as expected (they know Pictures at an Exhibition pretty well — haha). I got to work with the orchestra’s new principal trumpet, Chris Martin, for the first time. A phenomenal, big, beautiful sound, and a wonderful thoughtful musician.
Also had fun with Savion Glover, who tapped away to music by Duke Ellington (The River). Cool guy, amazing dancer.
In Kitchener, we started Beethoven 5 today, and there was plenty to rehearse, even though we all know it quite well. And anyway, as music director, I’m already thinking in the long term. I’m trying to build a sound and establish ways of playing together.
Exciting.