Well it's the middle of February and finally it feels like winter! Yesterday was crazy with rain, snow, freezing rain and thunderstorms. And since I LOVE crazy weather, it was great!!

In the midst of the crazy weather, Jeremy and I braved the conditions and went to see the TSO play- Shostakovich Cello Concerto #2 and Shostakovich Symphony #11. I didn't know Shosty 11 very well, but I loved every single second of it (4 continuous movements, insane) - at one point Jeremy looked over at me to see tears rolling down my face! I haven't felt so overwhelmed by a live performance in a long time, and it was absolutely exhilarating!!! It's tied for the best orchestral concert I've seen live (the other number one is Firebird and Carmina Burana played by the Royal Philharmonic in London). A close second was Emmanuel Pahud with the TSO last year.

Today in preparation for my audition in Vancouver, I had an awesome lesson with Camille, who plays in the TSO. And after last nights concert, I was totally ready to play the pants off my excerpts. Yay for inspiration. And, (as if I needed more inspiring) I'm going to hear Lorna McGhee play a recital tonight with a percussionist- if you haven't heard her before, she is awesome, so I am looking forward to hear her tonight!! And if the concert ends in time, I might join a bunch of the guys and play some poker. Poker and live music- a great start to the weekend!