A marathon day of playing in Baltimore, starting with my own need to practice and work out some issues, followed by strings sectional. Then, one of the key moments of the week, our first rehearsal on-stage at Meyerhoff Hall sharing stands with the professional musicians of the BSO, rehearsing with Marin Alsop.
In all, the rehearsal was very business-like and moved quickly. In the middle of the Rimskey-Korsakov, I heard something remarkable: the shuffling of musicians feet on the floor in applause for an extremely beautiful harp cadenza performed by our amateur harpist. It was very cool.
After a break for lunch (and another hour for me in the practice room), BSO concert master Jonathan Carney led a string orchestra workshop, and I was proud to hear Mike, the cellist from our string quintet, performing another beautiful solo in the middle of Grieg’s Holberg Suite.
Then it was on to chamber music rehearsal, with our quintet coming together astonishingly well on the piece we plan to at Friday night’s concert. Then another break for dinner, and class on getting most out of practice time.
In all, I calculated that the violin had been under my chin for at least seven full hours today. Made me recall another quote from Monday’s session with the physical therapist: “People don’t realize musicians are elite athletes. It takes great strength to hold and play your instrument.” Amen.
Sidenote: Along with the intense schedule, the midlife musicians who decided to stay in the nearby dorm for the week were promised today they would finally have hot water tonight. Can’t imagine what they’ve been putting up with!
Midlife Musicians 
Sounds like a ball.
This sounds like a good idea. But let’s keep in mind that not all “amateur” muaciisns are created equal. Some are great players who studied at good schools but who chose to pursue other careers, who are perfectly capable of sitting in competently with even a top-flight professional group even if they can’t win an audition. (I prefer to call them “non-professional” as opposed to “amateur.”) Others are just plain mediocre. I do think it would be neat for professional orchestras to find ways to work with the former in some serious music-making capacity just as they sometimes do with youth orchestras. Bring them in for a Mahler symphony or some such thing. Can’t say I would be interested in hearing the former.