A busy day! Especially for my wife, Joy, who started the day early with her church job. Brendon, my youngest, needed to be at the UCF music building by noon so he could warm up for a piano competition there. He had prepared seven difficult pieces, two solos, some piano duets and trios. He did wonderfully - I am so impressed and proud of him. 

From there it was off to Avalon Park, a new planned suburb in the SE side of Orlando. The Orlando Philharmonic was placed in a roofed concrete stage just large enough to hold them placed on a large community green. Each string section had a couple of mics, the signal piped through a set of stereo speakers in the front and a line of speakers on stands about 50 yards out. A plexiglass half-wall served to help localize their sound, as the stage had no side walls.

This was a family event, a beautiful, cool, sunny day to bring the little ones and sit in the lush grass: complete with an 'instrument petting zoo'  in side tents so kids could be introduced to the orchestra by trying them out before the music began. Little kids are so cool when it comes to openness and music. Lots of tikes conducted along with the music, ran and danced with the sounds. Kevin Stever, Christine Baker and Tom Todia brought their young families. Alec Anderson invited his sister and brother in-law and a friend, Kathy Burr introduced me to her husband. Such a show of friends means so much to me. Why compose if not to share with friends? They along with perhaps two hundred others enjoyed Holst, Elgar, Vaughan Williams and Grainger's "Danny Boy" along with Joyful Play. Tamas, as usual, nailed the very difficult solo, and the orchestra, many of whom were not playing their usual fine instruments because of the outdoors, still performed this difficult music with rhythmic precision.

I hope the Avalon audience will be inspired to come to an indoor concert - such a difference in sound - incomparable, really. The sound was low-mids boxy and imageless from my perspective, typical of portable live sound for orchestra - certainly a massive challenge (and one easy to criticizem, what a huge job!). The audience enjoyed the spectacle nonetheless. Maestro Wilkins was quite charming as usual and evoked audience applause. I am so pleased to have my music included in this community.