They're hard to see, but those little black dots are the Mission Viejo Orchestra on stage at Carnegie Hall. They were amazing! (Yes, I snuck some photos.)
UPDATE: Just got home from New York and I wanted to expound on the experience at Carnegie Hall a bit. The evening started at 6pm when our entourage of 90 or so musicians and chaperones left the Sheraton Hotel at 53rd & 7th Ave. and walked three blocks north to 56th Street and the Stage entrance at Carnegie Hall. Just so you can picture the scene, all the kids were in their tuxes and evening wear for the girls and were bringing all their instruments with them, including cellos. Trying to get all those people and instruments up the sidewalk on 7th Ave. and rush hour was really something.
The kids sound checked and had their first experience on the big stage at 6:50, and then were brought around to the front of the Hall for this group photo:
After watching the afternoon performances from the floor seating, I got some tickets in the Dress Circle which is basically the third level of the balcony. I nearly had a stroke climbing all the way up there but it was worth it. I was in the front row which gave me a wonderful view of the stage, and even better, there was a little opening in the front of the railing through which I could stick my camera. The folks at Carnegie have a real burr in their saddle about people taking pictures in the auditorium, even threatening to take your camera. Well, I didn't spend all that money, time and effort to see my daughter on stage at Carnegie Hall to walk away without some pictures. Never say no to a proud dad, and henceforth, the photo above.
The kids absolutely knocked it out, playing as well as I've ever heard them. We just sat in awe that these kids who we'd been touring New York with for several days, and seeing them at their craziest, and yet watching them on that hallowed stage playing their guts out and making wonderful music.
Just to give you a sense of how the parents were feeling, one of the girls in my group had a very important solo at the beginning of one of the pieces that was kind of a make or break deal. She had to set the tone for the whole piece, and it was a tough part. Her dad made the trip and was sitting down the row from me. After she absolutely knocked the solo out of the park, I looked over at her dad to give him a thumbs up...and he was bawling like a baby. Seeing that got me going and I spend the rest of the song sniffling and wiping away tears. It was pretty emotional for all of us.
During the prolonged standing ovation at the end of their stand I snapped the photo above using the folks on either side of me as a shield (we had it all worked out).
Following the performance's end at around 10:30, none of us had eaten dinner, so I took four of my group's out for a quick bite. This part of Manhattan is full of all kinds of small storefront eateries, and we made a quick stop at a pizza joint for some late night munching. We got back around 11:30 pm, and everybody had to be up, packed and ready to leave the hotel at 3:45 am. It was a short night.
I will have much more as I get a chance to review my 151 pictures from the trip. But now, I've got to get ready for my daughter's graduation which starts in 3 hours. It's also my son's 16th birthday today, so my day will continue for awhile longer.
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