slam-bang

I'm randomly moved to write right now because I just remembered this really funny thing that happened while we were in New York in December. It was after the last of the quartet's five concerts (in 6 days!). The show was at noon, in this increidble theater in Rockefeller University. I'd never even heard of the school before we were asked to play there, but it's very cool, tucked away in the very far East Side. The theater is this fifties-ish space-age white bubble, with awesome acoustics. Only thing is, no backstage, just this kind of screened-off corner of the stage that most of the audience can see over anyway. After we'd finished the encore, we awkwardly retired to that "backstage" to grab glasses of water and let the audience leave before they saw us going offstage and out the same way they were. A smiling elderly man with a heavy lisp came to the "backstage" to say how much he'd enjoyed the concert. He was so sweet and complimentary, it took me a second to realize he was Harris Goldsmith, who had coached my piano quartet sophomore year at Mannes! Mr. Goldsmith is brilliant about music, but more than your typical absent-minded professor. I said, "Mr. Goldsmith!" and told him how I knew him, and how honored I was that he'd come to our concert. He stared at me a little, but I could tell he had no idea what I was talking about.
We got offstage finally, after thanking the rest of the folks who kind of trapped us in that corner of the stage to say nice things. I think it was just me and Hadas waiting for the little elevator that would take us to our dressingroom. "Brahms A Major piano quartet!" Mr. Goldsmith exclaimed as soon as the elevator doors opened to reveal him standing there alone, as if he'd expected to see us. "And Mei Ting was the pianist!" I almost burst out laughing, but told him he was correct. That made my day- I remember that little exchange better than anything we played.

But I also should write with the news. Christopher and I will be moving back to the states as of the end of May.
I'm not really moved to write anything more than that now. It's hard to process all the different emotions involved. I should say, just to be clear, that it has nothing to do with my relationship with the girls of the quartet, all of whom I love dearly, and all of whom I hope I will be friends with for a long, long time. But it does have to do with time, and a wonderful opportunity, and homesickness... And needing to get our poor kitten some more space. This apartment's too small for him- North America is more his size.