What's it like when you do get to Carnegie Hall?

Last night we played Carnegie... always a sure bet for a major adrenaline high. Performing there does make me nervous (people passed up the Berlin Phil next door to come hear us!), but it's also a treat because our hometown audiences are full of friends and family. My friends get pretty tired of hearing me say "I'm out of town again", so it's nice to get to show them what it is I'm constantly running off to do. It's also really special for me to play for some of my former teachers. I'm proud of the progress our group has made.

Playing at Carnegie's Weill Recital Hall brings back memories for me of the time we spent here in 2001 at Isaac Stern's final Chamber Music Workshops. Mr. Stern wasn't satisfied with the traditional educational model of a single master teacher passing wisdom down to students. In his workshops, ensembles worked with 3 teachers at once and learned first hand that even the experts disagree: there are many different convincing ways of approaching the same piece of music. I'll never forget walking off stage after our opening day performance and looking up to see Mr. Stern grinning at me.