It’s been so exciting to watch the last few seasons come together, building on the foundation of my work in Charlotte where I’m really enjoying my new orchestra, to which I’ve been fortunate enough to add guest conducting projects that have taken me back to my earliest life dreams and made them a reality.
This season started with my first Charlotte Symphony Orchestra Gala where the warm welcome I enjoyed within the fold of CSO’s most avid supporters and backers was only just trumped by the thrill of sharing the stage with Gil Shaham, the star violinist who leapt to fame when he was just 18 years old replacing Itzhak Perlman in a breakthrough London performance which launched his career. I was 19 at the time, and soon became aware of his recordings, admiring him from afar ever since. So, to perform the Tchaikovsky concerto with him at the helm of my own band was just thrilling. It was as exciting and musically fulfilling as I’d imagined it would be!
