My Week in New York—Day Six—The Concert

From left to right: At Mr. Cosmo’s doing affirmations before the concert; a final check of hair and make-up; waiting to go on while being introduced; my “official portrait” before going downstairs to the main salon to play the concert.

I suppose there are some artists who might believe that one concert is pretty much like another because so much of the preparation is the same.  After all, one always has to learn new repertoire, practice, and if the concert is out of town, pack, travel, eat and rest.

For me however each event is very special and very different. This is the second time I have performed at Columbus Citizens Foundation, but not only is it different from the first time in terms of repertoire and the colleagues with whom I performed, but different also in terms of who I am and what I’ve learned since the last time I played there. For example, knowing more about what it is like to perform in the space, I thought about repertoire differently than I did the first time, as well as having a sense of what the audience might enjoy, since I spoke to many of the people there following my first concert.

If you've been reading my blog, you know what's essential to my routine on the day of the concert: Yes, espresso made with Mr. Cosmo's spaceship-like espresso machine.

The day of the concert he was very kind and made us espresso as usual. His cats, Tamino and Pamina, also welcomed us warmly. In Buddhism, the dead remain on this earth for 49 days before departing for paradise. As I played with Mr. Cosmo's cats, I felt that Jingorou must be here, cheering me on.

I then rehearsed on Mr. Cosmo's beautiful Steinway. I looked at the sheet music for each piece, whispering to myself my favorite ideas and points to note, then played and confirmed them. I continued to affirm that I was great and that I would give a great performance.

Once I arrived at the venue I had time to change and rehearse again. Mr. Eric took a lot of photos and so did my mother.

I had brought two dresses with me for the concert. The first is a deep and soft blue velvet with a slight décolletée.  The color and softness of the fabric reminds me of the rich sounds of a piano. 

The other one is a gown I never really thought I would wear, but brought it just in case something unexpected might happen. It is black and covered entirely in embroidery, like quiet armor.

I chose to wear the blue one, and I put my hair up and arranged a rhinestone pin in it. I also wore the beautiful tennis necklace which Mr. Cosmo and Mr. Alexander gave me the last time I was here.

The concert went well, and the audience seemed very pleased with my performance. The dinner following the concert was also wonderful, but I will tell you about that tomorrow.

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