The Grand Finale

(To preface this, I am tired.)

WOW.

I mean, like, you know, wow.

For me, that performance is something you know you'll never forget as soon as it happens. The acoustics transformed the sound in wonderful ways - most notably the thousand-year resonance after a cutoff. It turned a note that was previously a star into a blazing supernova of sound and beauty.

Of course the soloists were beyond spectacular. The acoustics and the abilities of the violin soloist combined to shock me with the fact that a single violin was heard while a full band was playing. His part had a "few" notes in the same way that the Internet has a "few" pictures. Same is to be said of the clarinet soloist. Being a woodwind player, I was especially amazed by her breath and sound control. For those of you who don't play any instruments, I will relate my limited knowledge of the clarinet to you:

So imagine taking a hollow wooden wedge and cutting off some of the side at the corner, shaving off maybe two millimeters of wood. Now, you re-attach the cut off the piece of wood with metal clamps. You put your mouth on the corner near which the wood was cut, and blow really hard. This is basically a clarinet. Somehow, pretty noises come out. (I see this as proof that miracles do happen.) Now, you also have to focus on the finger-moving. This soloist somehow manages to do all of this, and even bend pitches and do other crazy things.

I realized a few things after the concert; one of which being that I'm actually somewhat acquainted with the inner passages of Carnegie Hall. It's a nice feeling.

Metroplex was fun, and an encouraging "Woo!" At the end was nice to hear.

Black Dog was all about the clarinet soloist, and I've already gone through all of that.

Angels in the Architechture (personally my favorite of the songs) was breathtaking. Cathedral-like acoustics are just what it needs. The "big hit" was wonderful, and probably the most prominent single moment of our performance, in my opinion.

Danza Final was just a fun little dance party. What else needs to be said?

This is the end of this post; obviusly some stuff happened yesterday. I might run through that later on. After all, The focus of today (and also kind of the whole trip) was this concert. But for now, we're on the road again, on the way home.

We Played a Concert and It Was Fun.

Our final day in New York was a blast. The alarms let us sleep in a full extra 15 minutes and we were grateful.  Until we realized we still needed to pack.  Then we rushed around like mad people, which we kind of are. It comes with the program and that's why we love it.
Breakfast was excellent. There was real bacon. Remember that person who has been needing active culture yogurt?  Well, the staff was even more on point today,  catching that person as they entered the room and gave them two active culture yogurt, which officially makes them some of the best staff on this trip. We wouldn't have been as well fed without them. So, thanks!
Over the morning we all toured Carnegie Hall. In simple words, it was shiny. In more grown up words, Carnegie Hall is so full of history (and gold). It is beautiful,  both visually and auditory.  The sound rings like I have never heard before, resonanting even off of the resonants. I don't think even that does the sound justice in terms of quality and beauty. The history is rich. It was built by Carnegie (duh) in the late 1800s as a gathering place for artists, philosophers, politicians ( they don't need any more gather places. They have plenty) and the like. It remained open during the Great Depression but almost was killed the 1970s. But it wasn't and all was well because the city bought Carnegie Hall. And that, in a very compressed nutshell,  is the history of Carnegie Hall that I can remember.
Lunch was still a private affair.
We had our rehearsals in the afternoon ( fun fun fun!) And dinner was catered in. Dinner (sandwiches, pasta, fruit, salad, juice, cookies, etc) was wonderful.  Popular vote puts in the upper appreciation and enjoyment of all meals of this trip.
Then we got to the most important part of our trip: actually playing our instruments. All the bands did well. From the performer's perspective,  the sound bounced off the walls. It was easy to get lost in the music and forget the science part of music and easy to forget to watch. But it was easily the best concert and most enjoyable one we've ever had. From thw audience's viewpoint,  it was nice. The bands blended well, and we could hear everything, from the piccolo to the tuba to the random person dropping stuff or coughing or breathing. Most interesting concert I've ever heard, especially from up in the Dress Circle ( 3rd tier). We couldn't be more proud of everyone for all the work they put in and hope they had the time of their lives tonight. Soon we will load the buses and on back to the land across the cornfields, where there are trees and small houses and grass and no New York pizza.
We should implement a New York pizzeria when we return. That'll fix that problem.

Mission Accomplished

DGN Synphonic Band just finished their part of the performance. Walking out on to the huge, magnificent stage infront of the audience was surreal. I have a strong feeling of accomplishment and pride for our band at how well we did. The violin soloist was amazing. Apparently during the song "Yanky Doodle" a couple of his bow strings broke, but I didn't notice.

2 1/2 Hours and Counting

It's almost time!  2 and a half hours left until we take the stage, and everyone is very excited.  After a morning of exploring the city and touring Carnegie Hall, we got the chance to rehearse on this famous stage.  It truly sounds phenomenal.  Now all we have to do is wait!  

Authentic New York

We had the opportunity to get a quick brunch before touring Carnegie Hall and students Sara A., Robin Y., Rebecca S., Alli P., Emma L., Georgia G., and Tanner R. took the opportunity to get authentic pizza. Despite the fact it was 10:30 in the morning. We chose Ray's pizza and each got a slice of cheese pizza! It was very good but Chicago trumps all! We're  all super excited for our performance tonight!

We made it! #NYNouveau

Touring Times Square and Aladdin

After starting the day with a bus tour and then a boat tour to learn someone more about the city and especially Manhattan, we moved on to Times Square to eat lunch. After lunch we went to see our musical. I went to Aladdin and it was great. This was the first time I had ever gone to a broadway show, and I had a a great time. The actors were all great (Genie was my personal favorite) and the show had a bunch of illusions and effects which added to the magic. We ended the day with a delicious dinner at the Marriott hotel. I can't wait to play in Carnegie Hall today!

Actors make great tour guides

My Sunday started with the alarms going off at unnatural times of the morning. I wasn't even sure the clock could read that early. Breakfast was a quiet, delicious affair.  There was bacon. I was happy. The person who needed active culture yogurt yesterday got two yogurts today. The staff was perfectly on point and we couldn't have been more appreciative of all their hard work.
We started our day on the bus with a guided tour from a native New Yorker. She was amazing (and she has a degree in singing. She gave us a sample. I wish I could sing like her).  We saw Midtown, Harlam, Central Park (we got to get out and walk around. It was very icy and snowy and beautiful.  Plus, many important movies have been filmed in Central Park. That was cool), the docks, and a thousand other amazing places. There is so much history in New York and learning all about it was a perfect way to spend the morning.
Then we went on a ferry. I spent most of the tour out on the upper deck.  It wasn't too cold once I'd been out there for a while. We passed the coast of New York and New Jersey and Statue of Liberty. Everyone took about a bajillon pictures in the cold. Our tour guide (he has a BFA in acting) for the boat was hysterical. He had us in informed stitches the entire trip. The river was filled with ice, so navigation was difficult but the tour was still awesome. It started to snow by the end of the cruise. Pretty, but made travel interesting.
Lunch was a private affair.
The musical was amazing. Matilda was much darker than the movie but it was better than I thought it would be. The music was superb and the plot line added depth to the story I had never considered before. I think the 18 people who went really enjoyed it. The other 182 people went to Aladdin.  They said it was really good. The carpet flew and they couldn't even see the wires! Broadway magic. Best thing ever.
Dinner was in a fancy restaurant hotel near Times Square. There were so many desserts that several people are probably suffering from sugar comas now. The food was delicious too.
We even got back to the hotel a little early! People were talking, practicing, and starting to rest up tomorrow,  the highlight of our trip: Carnegie Hall. We all have been working so hard for so long that I can't believe that we have finally reached our goal. No pressure, self. No pressure at all.

Sunday in Manhattan #NYNouveau

We ❤️ NYC

On the first day of March, DGN band students continued their touring at 9am this morning. Each bus was accompanied by a wonderful tour guide who filled us with knowledge on their city. We jammed our morning with views of Central Park, The Dakotas, Greenwich Village, The Financial District and several other infamous sites. At noon, the students enjoyed a Boat Tour on the Hudson River. We viewed the New York City skyline from the icy water and listened as the tour guide shared history of famous monuments. Highlights of the boat tour included seeing Liberty Enlightening The World (The Statue of Liberty) and Ellis Island. Following the tour, students had time to walk around Times Square before viewing their Broadway show of choice; Aladdin or Matilda. Amsterdam Theatre showed Aladdin, but the show was not the only amazement of the Matinée. Amsterdam Theatre was built and opened in 1903 with its first production of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. The theatre holds ornate sculpture on its ceilings and walls. After a long day of touring, we are returning to the Hilton Hasbrouk for a good nights rest.

Tourists

The bus tour today was really fun, entertaining, and informational. Our tour guide was amazing. She had some great acents and was hilarious. I learned lots of great information about some of the buildings, architecture of the buildings, celebreties from NY, events, ect. I have also realized that there are LOTS of Starbucks here. We got to walk around Central Park for part of the tour. I loved the statues in Central Park. I personally was excited that I got to see part of Central Park that an episode of Doctor Who was filmed in... We then went to the Cathedral. It was huge, and the stained glass mosaics were beautiful. My favorite part of the Cathedral was the giant metal Phoenixs suspended from the ceiling.