NEA Institute Day 6: Big wow!

It rained yesterday. Still hot, New York City is officially tropical, and the gloves I bought still sit in my hotel room with the tags on. The NEA whirlwind continues. On the subway, we lurched from the Brooklyn Academy of Music to Carnegie Hall to the Met, where we met with Peter Gelb. We got a tour of the Met, stood in the diva's dressing room, and explored the wardrobe, backstage, and costume areas. We also got a singing lesson from coach Judith Clurman. If you know me, you know this was pretty much the highlight of my life. I was so excited to meet her that I managed to get myself invited over to her house this morning for a private conversation about choral music. As my friend Stephanie Finney would say, "Big wow!" The night ended with a American new music concert in Zankel Hall at Carnegie. There were several world premieres. (J.K. Rowling was also in the building signing Harry Potter books for a private event. I didn't see her, but I talked to someone who actually shook her hand. Super Big wow!) During this concert, I saw a woman walk on stage in white boots, green pants, and red jacket. She plugged a cello into an amplifier and sat down with the instrument lying across her lap. Then someone turned on a tape of a woman hissing and talking, with a cello playing underneath on the tape. The actual cellist did not play for seven minutes. She just sat there while we listened. A John Cage moment. I'm still processing. Thank you for reading my journal! Questions? Comments?