Monday Oct. 8 we went to Rochester, NY. I got my Bachelor's degree from the Eastman School of Music and was excited about playing in the Eastman Theater that evening. We arrived at the hotel at 2:45 that afternoon. My friends, the Bacon family, met Steve and me at our hotel. Terry was my student when I was at Eastman and he later graduated from Eastman, too. He and his parents, Geri and Ernie, came to take us over to the school to see what's changed since I went to school there, and to get some ESM stuff from the bookstore. The Sibley Library is HUGE... much bigger than I remember.... in fact that whole building didn't exist when I went there. The dorm is new too.... the Tower wasn't there... and my old dorm was gutted out and turned into some arts school for high school students. Culter Union, the old student union, is a restaurant now. Weird! Oh well. After driving around, they took us to dinner at a Greek restaurant which was great.... then they dropped us off early at the theater to get ready for the concert.
It was nice to be back on that stage... the hall is so beautiful! I can't believe I used to rehearse there all the time! The audience was very appreciative... it was nice to be an alumni.
After the concert, we walked around the school so I could see how much things had changed. In a lot of ways, things were pretty much the same... they did have some computers that weren't there... but of course technology has come a long since the 80's! The Bacons took us out for appetizers and drinks and we talked about old times... it was nice!
In some ways it was sad to say goodbye...
1 comment:
Hi Audrey! I can imagine the sense of nostalgia as you walked through ESM once again. I went back there some 10 years ago for the RPO audition and felt lie I was transported back in time. Some things had changed, but like you said it was essentially the same place with the same sights and smells...and sounds! Those were the good old days! Thanks for sharing your experiences and the photos!
Best wishes for a successful tour. There a good number of folks I know in the band (Dan Orban, Brian Turnmire, Tom Malloy, Glen Paulson, Steve Searfoss). Please do send my hellos!
Best wishes,
Gary Press
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