Tornadoes in Southern California?!

The Laguna Beach Music Festival is now officially under way, and it has been wonderfully enriching so far! It is very inspiring to be surrounded by so many talented musicians, all collaborating with excellent composers. To top it off, the community is so friendly, involved and enthusiastic. It is difficult not to have a good time!

We were hoping to escape the harsh cold of New York City, and while it has been about twenty degrees warmer here in Laguna Beach, I am afraid the weather has not been terribly friendly. Some of you may have even heard about the tornado warning earlier today in Southern California, which happened to be issued as we were rehearsing. We could see the ocean right behind us as the room in which we were rehearsing faced directly onto the beach and the ocean. The waves were crashing in as it started to dump rain and hail -- it was all very dramatic. It was also very rainy yesterday but right before the performance, everyone got a little break from the gray sky, and as the skies cleared up, I managed to capture this on my phone:

Yes, this is what we see as we rehearse. A rare glimpse, perhaps, in this unusual week (weather-wise), but I am glad to have captured this nonetheless!