Let's just say that we went to a lot of concerts. There were the aptly named Marathon Concerts (I and II) where, for 10 or more hours, spectators and performers would do things like knit (I think Liz finished her entire winter collection of scarves), catch up on a month's worth of sewing, read books, or even listen to music on MP3 players. And then there were the pre-marathon preparatory concerts, faculty concerts and lunch-time concerts. Some concerts required 3-hour bus rides (each way), some were mis-labled in maps provided by the program so that finding them in the twisted cobblestone streets of Prague felt like a scavenger hunt. But whatever. The important thing is that I was that I was able to share all of it with my friends. Yuri, my Russian music teacher who defies description, much like a rare emerald which is so valuable that no one can actually valuate it, manged to get 18 New Yorkers to Prague. I knew almost everyone from the chamber music program here in New York, so it was like hanging out with my friends for 2 weeks, which is something I never have time to do.
- This is Arun (violin), wearing his turban as a shawl (or was he wearing his shawl as a turban?)
- Lizzy (cello) and Sharon (viola) outside the Botanical Garden in Nove Mestro. We thought it was closed, so took this photo for posterity, then realized that the opening to the garden was 10 feet down on the sidewalk.
- Damon (piano) & Valerie (cello), our philosophers, with obviously different philosophies
- Heather (cello) and Larry (piano), who have enough sophistication and refinment for all of us
- Me and Yuri, We're refined too, really.
- Sharon eating lemon sorbet out of a frozen lemon
- Nancy (piano faculty) and Irene (cello) and along with part of the gang eating and drinking at our favorite restaurant, Mon Ami
- Heather and Lizzy, sophisticated to the hilt, eating at a posh restaurant in Prague that didn't have anything over New York
- Lizzy and Suzanna (violin, viola, cello, xylophone....), The three of us spend some great time together; way too much laughling!
- Liz and Me with our friend Jonathan, the 11-year old violinst in our Mozart flute quartet, from Hong Kong. He and Liz were special friends. I couldn't say hi to him without hugging and kissing him. I think he viewed me as one of those aunts who slobber all over you who you can never get away from.
- Lizzy and Damon, two extremely ridiculous people when you put them in the same room.
- Jonathan trying to teach a pianist to play the violin (always a bad idea)....
...you can see the fear in his eyes
- Me and Lizzy, my best bud
- Mes Amis from Mon Ami
- See, I told you we're refined. We clean up nicely.
