A Lovely Night

Due to a number of unexpected circumstances last year, I made the difficult decision not to host any kind of Christmas recital for my students (after 20 years of that annual tradition!). Instead, my husband suggested that we do something for Valentine’s Day. I decided to give his idea a try, and we had an awesome concert last Friday night that several of my students and their families commented they preferred over the traditional Christmas recital.

We distributed invitations to all of the neighbors in our court and received a great response! It is so valuable for students to have the opportunity to share their music with others in a welcoming environment. Here are a few shots from the evening:

I’m so grateful to have a Clavinova in my studio that I can easily move upstairs for these concerts. Once we rearrange all of our furniture and bring in folding chairs, we can accommodate an audience of around 25 people.

My ever-willing-to-help husband agreed to be our reader for the evening, and shared several selections that included a poem, a Shakespeare sonnet, and some Bible passages about the love of God.

In addition to our piano solo and duet selections, we also had a guitar and vocal performance from one of my sons, and my brother graciously joined me for a cello-piano duo arrangement of the theme from the classic love story, Beauty and the Beast. It’s always a hit to have a variety of instruments and/or guest artists in our studio events! For those who are curious, here’s a copy of our program from the concert:

We concluded the evening with some simple refreshments, hot drinks, and a great time of fellowship among our studio families and neighbors. It was a delightful experience, and we’re all looking forward to the next Concerts in the Court event. 🙂