I have a love / hate relationship with touring. It’s probably the most stressful part of my job – I worry for weeks in advance of a tour about whether buses will show up when they’re supposed to, whether the hotel rooms will be ready when we arrive, what musicians will get sick and who … More Quebec Tour: Day Four

Yesterday was our last full day in Chicoutimi. The orchestra had two student matinee concerts during the day, and I think they went really well. We had an actor playing the role of Mozart and two violin soloists. The music was pretty varied – a bit of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, Haydn’s Farewell Symphony, an excerpt … More Quebec Tour: Day Three

I’ve got a few minutes between Student Matinee concerts to post a few thoughts about the first full day on tour.The orchestra had a matinee concert in Chicoutimi. It would have been nice to have a free afternoon as the sky was clear and blue and it warmed up enough to melt away the snow … More Quebec Tour: Day Two

Greetings from Jonquière, Québec. It’s day one of the tour, and so far, so good.The past few days have been a little rough. Some problems with the charter flight, a couple of last-minute replacement musicians, and an unfortunate scheduling problem that has yet to be resolved. Despite months of planning, there are always things that … More Quebec Tour: Day One