May 15, 2005 at 8:00 AM

Just wanted to say, with tremendous relief, that I'm very happy with how I played tonight, and want to thank (if they see this) my friend Andrew, the orchestra, and everyone in the audience. A few of my friends from Northwestern were really sweet to brave the long CTA L and then bus ride just to support me and Andrew. We hung out at his apartment afterwards and, at least for me, it was a wonderful end to a great night. Nothing is more important to me than communicating with others at a concert, and when I succeed I have validation and know that I'm following the right path in life. For all the hours we spend in the practice room, the time we get onstage is almost always exceedingly rare and precious. Certainly there are things I could have been happier with--I feel I should have worked on the cadenza more to be more comfortable with it, period, and in general I wish I had been a little more settled for the first movement. But I truly enjoyed the second, and I had a lot of fun with the third; all in all I very much felt at home and at ease, and that is as much as I can ask for. Next plan of action: Beethoven Concerto & Brahms G Major Sonata. Goodnight, all!