The Epic of Chicago, Part II.

November 26, 2005 at 12:44 AM

Chicago, cont'd.

I warmed up in the hall while the guests arrived for the surprise party. Unfortunately, I missed my grandfather's entrance to the building, but I was told he looked "very surprised". It's actually a funny story about how my grandmother, Susan, got him into the building. She told him we were all going out for dinner that night.

"Where are we going?" he asked.
"Oh, it's some eclectic place."
"Well, can I get a drink there?"
"I'm sure you can."

Then she got a cell phone call from my Mom (who was sitting right next to me.) Supposedly we were stuck in the Unity Temple after some kind of rehearsal. That was kind of suspicious-sounding. So, when they got to the Unity Temple, he said he was going to stay outside and smoke a cigarette.

"Oh no, you should come in," Susan said.
"No, I think I'll stay outside."
"Remember when I told you that there would be a surprise for you in the next few months? Well, this is it. There are a lot of people waiting inside for you!"

So there were appetizers and things, and then the recital. I think Ain't and Oranges were the best I'd ever played them but, to my extreme sadness, the tape got mangled somehow, and the only pieces we got out were the Romance from the Wieniawski, Syncopation, and one of the Piazzolla pieces. Oh well. So that went well, and there was a delicious dinner afterwards. That was our last night in the motel.

The next morning, we went over to Ted & Susan's for breakfast. Then Madeline, Calla, and my dad left for the airport. A few hours later, Susan drove my mom and I through a different part of Chicago, to the (nice!) hotel the FTT staff and we were staying at. We bid farewells, and Susan said she and Ted would come to see the performance the next day. So we settled into the hotel room and hung around for a while. Then, around 5:30ish we met the FTT staff in the lobby of the hotel, and walked over a mile in the pouring, freezing rain to the hall where the show was going to be the next day. (This was only because the only two men in our little entourage were the ones leading the group!) Everyone else was all for getting a cab. We made it to the pizza party in one piece, though. There were no child soloists on this show, it was the Chicago Children's Choir and the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra, and Rachel Barton Pine. They all collaborated with each other. But of course, they couldn’t fit an entire choir and an entire orchestra into the pizza party, so it was just three or four representatives from each. I was introduced to Rachel B.P. by Tim Banker, one of the writers for the show, and I told her that Whitney Osterud had made my violin (they are good friends, and he is her personal luthier. He called her in advance to ask if she wanted to see the violin). So she said I could show it to her later.

Usually there are rehearsals the night before the show, but because nobody was playing with Chris O'Riley, it was just the pizza party where everyone got to know each other and practice scripts and such. I went over the script for the two skits I had with the people I was doing them with and the writers. Then, because it was pouring out and I felt like going back to the hotel and practicing my script, we declined the invitation from the staff to go out.

The next day was Tuesday, and mid morning we found our way to the Harris Theater. (It's a new building in Millennium Park, and it's seven stories underground, and VERY hard to find your way around in! You have to take several different elevators and go into what seems to be several different buildings before you can find where you actually want to be.) I watched the music rehearsal. The choir was FANTASTIC. I really wish we had an SATB children's choir like that in Philadelphia. I'd definitely want to be in it. And the orchestra, of course, was marvelous. Immediately following was the dress rehearsal, and then we went back to the hotel to check our email and change. This time we brought the violin with us, and we showed it to Rachel. She played it, and then asked me to play.

The show went really well. I had a little bit of time between my two skits, so I hung out backstage and read through the scripts in my mind. It was a pretty big audience. It's always so much fun to do the skits, because I feel like the audience really likes them and is appreciative. Rachel B.P. played spectacularly. I won't give away the program, but I'll say that one of the pieces she performed is on her new album.

After the show, some of the staff went out to an Italian restaurant with Rachel and her husband. We went with them, and it was really nice since we won't be seeing them until February. Next morning, we woke up bright and early (not exactly "bright" for me – my mom only had to call me about seven times) and got our flight on time. Then, home sweet home.

Now time for dinner. We have soooo much food left over from yesterday! Oh, by the way, Happy Thanksgiving y'all.

--alice

From Sydney Menees
Posted on November 26, 2005 at 9:44 PM

Sounds like fun!

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