Alexandra has become extremely focused on violin as of late. She practices ALL THE TIME and watches videos on YouTube of all her favorite musicians. It has been so exciting for me to see her fall in love with the violin on her own....to know that she isn't just doing it because it's what I do. She chose it...and she is talented.
Last week we decided to buy tickets to see Joshua Bell perform the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto with the Seattle Symphony. We ended up with seats way up in the top tier and joked about getting opera glasses for the occasion.
The night before, Lex became sick. She was devastated at the thought of missing it....so she decided to power through.
[Outside of the concert hall beforehand. Not feeling so hot.]
[Once we got into our seats excitement kicked in and she perked up!]
The performance was unbelievable. I'd seen him perform before, but she hadn't. I kept my eye on her to see her reaction as he walked out. She smiled so big.
We both know that concerto inside and out, which makes hearing it live an even greater treat.
As luck would have it, Mr. Bell was signing autographs in the lobby afterwards. Anticipating that this might be the case, I packed along a copy of the Mendelssohn concerto for him to sign.
When we got to the front of the line, Alexandra handed him the music and he was so pleased! In fact, despite the sign stating 'no pictures', he asked if she would like to take a picture together and motioned for her to come back and stand by him.
After we took the picture he handed her back the music and asked if she was learning it. She giggled and said 'no'...in a way that meant 'not yet, but one day'. He told her good luck and gave her a pat on the shoulder.
It was a perfect night and a perfect moment. I am so grateful to Mr. Bell for taking a moment to talk to my daughter. She is more motivated than ever now!
[It's not everyday that you see a violin case laying around that has a Stradivarius inside!]
