Eighteen concerts and four more to go.

As our sprint to the finish continues, the Youth Orchestra of the Americas finds itself in Poco de Caldas in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. We are staying in an absolutely charming old hotel with many architectural details - high ceilings, old moldings, tiled floors, wide verandas and shuttered windows that open up into courtyards. There is a rumor that the 3rd floor is haunted. There are only 3 floors of the hotel, so a good portion of the orchestra is staying there and we are all walking around in a sleep-deprived daze, watching out for something out of The Shining.

Our concert last night in Sao Paulo was amazing. The program: selections from West Side Story, Beethoven's Violin Concerto, and Brahms' Symphony no. 1. Our flute section has been undergoing some sad changes - my best friend in the orchestra and fellow flautista, Olga Bertinat of Uruguay was called home to deal with some issues surrounding her orchestra job in Montevideo. She won't be finishing the tour with us, and I'm now covering her parts. There has been a lot of juggling of parts lately - in Sao Paulo, one of the flutists here was very ill and couldn't really play the concert, so I covered her parts as well. I played principal flute on all three pieces and did an okay job.

Olga plays piccolo and flute with an orchestra in Montevideo. She's an amazing person, full of humor and kindness. She's also very sensitive to justice and cares a lot about doing what is right. She cares deeply about music and plays very expressively. She has a boyfriend, Alex, and a dog, Danilo. She swears in English. She will be missed!