absorbing culture

There is so much to learn and absorb from all the different cultures here. In our wind section alone, we have Americans, Colombians, Costa Ricans, Venezuelans, a Chilean, and a French Canadian. As I'm learning to speak more Spanish, and dance salsa, I can see how the laid-back way of many of these cultures actually makes doing these things much easier. Spanish comes out f my mouth as soon as I relax a little. I can dance much better if I chill out and let the guy lead me. And music follows that. As soon as we relax, we play much better. As soon as we don't take things so seriously, music flows out of our instruments and it's in tune and together.

Things are so relaxed here that we are becoming habitually tardy to everything. But it's okay, because we just take things as they come. Rehearsal, and whenever that ends, we eat. And whenever we feel like we're done eating, we go do something else. Last night they screened the documentary that was made a couple years ago about the orchestra. They followed several musicians back to their home countries (Colombia, Venezuela, America, Canada, Argentina) and showed how they live and how playing and touring with the orchestra changed them. They also followed a young Venezuelan boy as he begins to play the violin, and contrasted that with an 80 year old former concertmaster of the Philadelphia Orchestra. Everything about the documentary was about being in the present, and being thankful for what we all have in our lives -- especially music. Many of my colleagues in the orchestra come from backgrounds of intense poverty and struggle. Some were children during wars that the US instigated in their home countries. It is such a privilege to get to know them and play with them.

This is beyond a doubt the most demanding orchestra I've ever played with. The level of playing is extremely high, and the sheer energy coming out of people as they play this music is so inspiring.