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Ecuador Day 9
Well, inspiration or not, today I am not having the best day. In fact, I am having a really hard day and spend most of it just trying to smile and teach. I don’t know what is wrong with me, but maybe it is going around. The students seem edgy and Njål and I snap at each other before going off to our separate corners.
As the day goes on, though, we all seem to settle down a bit. Most of the students have gone back to working on their violins today, while I am working with the two girls who are only doing bows. Both of them joined the class late, and neither of them had done anything with the violin class the week before, so I was happy to work with them. They both have come a long way and I am hoping that they keep rehairing bows after I leave.
We went to lunch with a couple of the students but I couldn’t eat much. I haven’t had much appetite here at all and today it is just gone. But the company was nice and I was reminded again how quickly my time here is coming to a close. Before that happens, though, tonight is going to be the highlight of my entire stay.
Tonight is the big concert and the FOSJE Orchestra is playing Tchaikovsky’s 5thSymphony. I am really, really looking forward to this. Not only do I adore the Tchaik, but I get to see some of our students perform. Tonight, for the first time ever, I made the connection between what I do with bow work and the actual performance, itself. You would think that I would have figured this out long ago….especially seeing as how I rehair my own bow!! But this week, I rehaired two of the musicians bows. They were in such terrible shape, and these people were playing at such a high level that I wanted to do their bows myself. When I saw them up there playing on them, I felt like I had made a true contribution to the performance and it felt really special.
And, of course, I get to see Maestro Aizaga conduct. That, I am really excited about.! The concert started with the trombone choir. I am assuming that no one told them that we had plans to take their studio space because they played beautifully, as if they hadn’t a care in the world! J And then came the Tchaikovsky. As the opening theme flowed out of the orchestra, tears started pouring down my cheeks. Call it inspiration, call it beauty, call it what you will……I was just overcome. It felt like everything was swirling together….how lucky I was to be here, how wonderful Quito is, how proud I am of my students, how grateful I was for new friends, how amazing this program is, how alive I am feeling…..and the tears just kept coming until the applause began. It is a performance that I will never forget.
Afterwards, Njål and I were invited to go out with Patricio and a bunch of other people for a late dinner. We ended up at a fabulous Peruvian restaurant and before I knew it, I was ensconced in a huge, long booth between Njål and Belen. There must have been 25 of us all lined up at this table and as the Pisco Sours started coming, the talk and laughter got louder and louder. I switched back and forth between talking cello with Belen and chatting with Njål . When he said, “So….what did the Volturi do next?” I started laughing so hard that I couldn’t breathe. And interrupting from time to time to answer Patricio’s questions, or Belens observations, I finished filling Njål in on the final stories of the Twilight Saga. It was the perfect end to the week. J
Tomorrow is one more day of teaching, but I leave in the evening, so this feels like a finale. And what a finale it is…..
Buenas Noches,
Anna
We’re Gonna Dance Upon This Earth! |
