Grainger and Grainger
Two days in a row I found myself sitting in the Grainger Ballroom of Orchestra Hall.
Tuesday at noon, donors were invited to hear an interview with the recruiters at the CSO on how an open seat gets filled. The audition process isn’t simple, but it seems fair. Principal trumpet, Chris Martin was there to attest with some personal insights into the two times he flunked and the last time when he won the seat.
Wednesday evening the Baroque Band presented their “Harpsichords Galore” end-of-season finale. All the works, which included at least one harpsichord, were by C H Graun, J S Bach, W F Bach and C Graupner. The last piece, “Concerto for Four Harpsichords in a-minor”, by JS Bach, four beautiful harpsichords were set in place center stage, two double manual and two single manual instruments. They were surrounded by strings from the Band for a glorious sound. Thanks to David Schrader, Jayson Moy, Paul Nicholson and Alex Kelber who made the day for me, despite not seeing the Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup.
–
Bruce
