The difficulty in describing last night’s gala concert is knowing where to begin. The guest artists? The staggering amount of money raised, including a surprise announcement that shocked nearly everyone in attendance? The past-concert party with 800 of our closest friends on the Southam Hall stage?

I should probably start with the music. Daphne had assembled the greatest concert line-up in the Centre’s history. Start with four of the biggest names in classical music – Yo-Yo Ma, Emanuel Ax, Gil Shaham, and Pinchas. Throw in Natalie MacMaster to add some cross-over appeal and you had an extremely potent mix.

It was a perfect gala program. Each of the guest artists was featured at some point during the concert, either as soloist or in a chamber work. The interplay between Gil, Pinchas, and Manny was so much fun to watch – some people around me were laughing at Gil’s goofy grin as he seemingly tried to out-do Yo-Yo’s grand gestures.

The highlight for many, though, was surprise guest Jan Lisiecki. Jan is an 11-year old pianist from Calgary, and he’s one of those ridiculously gifted kids who can do anything – music, math, science, writing. He played three solo works, and you could only marvel at how someone so young could play with such elegant phrasing and pathos. Pinchas was right on when he said Jan is an old soul.

The gala raises money for the NAC’s National Youth and Education Trust, and last night was a record-setting event. The concert began with an announcement that the concert has raised $1 million. Then, in the second half, there was a special surprise announcement. Richard Li, an extremely wealthy Hong Kong businessman, was at the concert and agreed to donate another $1 million. If you include the $500,000 endowment that was set up to honour David Leighton, it was unquestionably the most successful single evening in the Centre’s history.

I’ve left a lot out – the glamourous socialites, the leaders of industry, free wine and martinis, fine food on stage, cleavage, gifts from Holt Renfrew. It was a fairytale evening, and easily ranks as one of the most memorable events I’ve been part of.

Overheard at breakfast the other morning:

Me: “Aidan, why aren’t you eating your cereal?”

Aidan: “I’m just waiting for my penis to get smaller”

Me: “Um…(long pause)…O.K.”

In the classical music world, there are a handful of artists who transcend the genre and gain recognition among the greater public. Yo-Yo Ma is probably the most famous and bankable star in our business. He’s practically a cultural brand – superstar cellist, chamber musician, UN Peace Messenger, and frequent guest on children’s programming like Sesame Street and Arthur (where he was called Yo Ma-Ma).

Yo-Yo (does anyone call him Mr. Ma?) is in town for two nights of performances. Tonight he performed a recital with long-time friend and pianist Emanuel Ax. They chose a rather conservative all-Beethoven program – Sonatas 1, 3, & 4, plus Twelve Variations on a Theme from the Magic Flute.

The concert was sold out, of course, so I grabbed a seat in the wings on stage left. It’s a pretty cool place to watch a concert from. You’re close to the performers, with an unobstructed view through a gap in the shell. The sound isn’t bad, and you don’t have to worry about distractions such as inconsiderate neighbours unwrapping candies during the slow movements.

Like many people, I really enjoy Yo-Yo’s performances. He does make a lot of grand gestures at the end of phrases and he moves around a fair amount, which some people find distracting or overly dramatic. On the other hand, he always looks like he’s enjoying himself, and his apparent love for making music is contagious. We sometimes get complaints about musicians smiling on stage during a concert. In almost any other form of music, performers are happy to be performing and are free to express that emotion – why should it be any different for classical music?

Tomorrow night…THE GALA!

After five years at the National Arts Centre, B has moved on to a new job. She is now the Director of Annual Giving at Ashbury College. Ashbury is an independent (aka private) school in Rockcliffe for students in grades 4 to 12. It’s a beautiful campus, surrounded by large estate homes, and it’s just a five minute drive from home.

I know it wasn’t an easy decision for her to leave the NAC. It’s a great place to work – interesting people, free concert tickets, and the Orchestra Manager is really cute. In any case, this is a great opportunity, with more responsibility and new challenges (and free meals in the cafeteria).

I’m a little envious that B’s skills are so transferable. There’s no shortage of employers in Ottawa looking for fundraisers – museums, hospitals, universities, charitable organizations. Me on the other hand, I’ve got nothing, unless you count the Greater Nepean Youth Wind Ensemble as a potential employer. Ideally, she’ll hit the jackpot as an Executive Director one day and I can live the rest of my days as a kept man.

World Wrestling Entertainment announced yesterday that they had released The Boogeyman. Try as I may, I can’t read that sentence with a straight face.

For the uninitiated, The Boogeyman was a throw-back to 1980′s wrestling, a time when gimmicks like The Missing Link and The Barbarian were commonplace. He was a scary looking guy with no teeth who would eat worms by the handful. Yes, the wrestling business is weird and disturbing.

Not surprisingly, The Boogeyman was a horrible wrestler. I mean, does anyone really think The Boogeyman would go to a wrestling school and spend years learning the finer points of technical wrestling and ring psychology? He’s way too busy hiding in closets and scaring little kids.

I hope The Boogeyman recognizes that getting fired is an opportunity for change and growth. Other wrestlers who have been fired have changed careers and become toll collectors, custodians, and the Governor of Minnesota. Good luck, Mr. Boogeyman.