Michael Alexander: What a Start!!

[Jan. 2, 2011-BEIJING] I am not even sure where to begin so I will start with trying to describe the day we just had.  After a great breakfast, we headed to Tian An Men Square and the Forbidden City.  To describe it as immense would be an incredible understatement.  We witnessed over 4,000 years of history and walked for over two hours in the freezing cold and only saw a very small portion of it.  We were overwhelmed and awe inspired! Another great lunch and then we saw the Temple of Heaven on the way back to our hotel to grab our things for the concert tonight.

We had a brief rehearsal in a great hall that seated about 800 people.  After, we met our colleagues from the conservatory for dinner in their dining hall.  It was incredible to watch our students interact with them.  Both groups were shy at first, but that did not last long and soon they were having impromptu performances for each other.

The concert was beyond amazing.  Probably the most knowledgable audience you could ever play for.  Although it took a while to get adjusted to the way Chinese audiences talk while you play, it was refreshing to play for an audience that really understood what we were doing.  They were conducting along and made incredibly insightful comments about our performance.

The Chinese Orchestra played after us.  It is the best traditional Chinese Orchestra in the entire country and that was obvious from the first note they played.  We performed at the school that has produced musicians like Lang Lang and Chen Yi, whose music we performed tonight!! They were beyond description.  Not only did they play beautifully, but they moved incredibly well together with virtuoso technique and a clear love for what they are doing. At the end, our students came on stage and we exchanged gifts.  They gave us a commemorative CD and DVD collection from the Central Conservatory for our library.  This is something we will cherish.

What a day.  I can't believe have only been here for a little over a day.  I cannot wait to see what tomorrow brings.  Our students have already been transformed in the last twelve hours. You can see it in their faces, which brings me great happiness.