Miami, part 2

It occurred to me that I spent a lot of time talking about the visual beauty of Schermerhorn Symphony Center, but have said nothing up till now about the acoustics.

Many of us enjoyed playing there, but felt that the sound was rather diffuse.  It was hard to tell if your sound was going anywhere.  The hall is not dead, just seemed to be lacking in focus.  Maybe the tall ceiling and lack of any acoustical backing to the ensemble (shell, etc.) made the sound seem unfocused.

I liked the way the hall brought the listeners close to the performers, though.

The next morning we flew to Miami.  What a crazy week in that city!

We found the city buzzing with various major attractions.

• Spring break crowds
• Sony-Ericsson tennis open on Key Biscayne
• Ultra Fest - a big music festival happening just a mile away from the Knight Concert Hall where we play
• The Home Show at the Miami Beach Convention Center

Miami can be a loud, vibrant place, but this time it was just out of control.  Car accidents, lots of drunk people of all ages, loud music everywhere!

I shouldn't complain, though.  I do love going there and am happy the Orchestra has a firm base there now.

Here's what we did:

• Two symphonic concerts (same program as Nashville)
•  Educational concerts with Tiempo Libre

Here they are playing Tu Conga Bach, a piece they performed with us last week.

I had some great runs in Miami and we played some really great concerts, so the week was a success.