Stellae Boreales – An Ottawa Suzuki Strings Violin Ensemble

Today was a busy day! It seems we have to wake up earlier and earlier! We had an amazing day starting out Gramercy High School that was quite an experience. Later we did some shopping and went to the Academy of Medicine. We finished off by taking an eye opening trip up the Empire State building.

KB

Last night’s concert was great. The people were so open and friendly. They loved El Choclo and Jealousy and applauses while we played. It makes us want to play as well as we could for them and they gave us a standing ovation.

SSP

Today we went on a tour of Julliard. Our tour guide was excellent and did a great job providing insightful facts about the school. Just being in the school’s atmosphere made me want to start striving for excellence. I thoroughly enjoyed the Julliard tour.

MM

I noticed at roughly 9 o’clock last morning, just a few minutes before our group was due to perform at Gramercy High School for the Arts school, that I had forgotten my black concert shoes. This kind of thing tends to happen to me. It usually involves my Dad rushing home and driving my shoes over right before the start of the performance. But in New York, where all travel takes at least ten times longer than in Ottawa, I had a problem. After all, today was our big day. We had two performances, including our most important one in the evening at the New York Academy of Medicine. The situation was clear: I needed to buy a replacement pair in New York. Fortunately, my old shoes were ready to be replaced (I had already super-glued the soles back in place), so everything would fall in to place... or so I hoped.

So after an embarrassing brown-shoed performance at Gramercy Arts and a fabulous visit of the MET, I was off shopping. My group was dropped off on Fifth Avenue in midtown Manhattan, in front of the Gucci store. Everyone assured me that I would never be able to find a satisfactory pair at a reasonable price, even if I spent all afternoon shopping. I gave myself half an hour, and fifteen minutes later, I was leaving a discount boutique with a bag in hand and a fantastic pair of black shoes.

Was it worth it? Absolutely. The evening performance at the Academy of Medicine was a resounding success. Our group gave an excellent performance and we had the most appreciative audience I can remember. I had the chance to play Caprice Basque in solo, and I had the pleasure of being cheered on all the way through my piece by our Hispanic audience who must have been enjoying the Latin rhythms. And I was wearing a great pair of black shoes.  LC

As the bus drove up to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, I was stunned by the magnificence of the architecture.  I found it equally as beautiful inside.  After enjoying some ancient Egyptian art,  I was delighted to be able to see some artwork by Monet and Degas, possibly my two favourite artists.  LT

Today I played the Bach Double twice – I was not supposed to play the first time, but I did!  And Kit has helped me to get some kimchi, so I’m  going to have some for breakfast tomorrow!  I had a wonderful day today – I saw the UN, and got pizza from Rosemarie J.  JS

This morning we had the honour to play at the magnificent United Nations building.  What a euphoric experience!!!!!!  Aftewards, we were able to socialize with some of the other children from the school of Opus 118.  It was truly memorable.  After a marvellous performance of the Bach Double, we returned to our hotel, and were greeted with delicious pizza.  We then proceeded to the pool, and finished off our amazing day by tucking in to bed.  EI

Today started out very foggy, and unfortunately this was the day when we went to the Top of the Rock.  Fortunately, though, it was still worth it, because the elevators had very pretty lights.  After this, we went to the UN, and performed in the lobby there.  We had quite a big crowd.  After we performed, we got to go on a tour, which was very interesting.  We also did another performance at Opus 118, and got to talk with the students there.  EB

Today was AMAZING!!! I had loads of fun everywhere we went, from the top of the Rock, to the United Nations. The best part of the day would definitely have to be the bus ride. All you can hear the whole time is Jae Won`s hilarious evil laugh.We also visited Opus 118 and had a concert with them, which was an amazing experience. The kids there seemed to be so young and small, but once they started playing it was mind-blowing. I`m looking forward to my last day in New York tomorrow, and hope to have as much fun as I did today. JW

This morning we played a concert at the United Nations, and then had a guided tour.  It was soooooo interesting:  there are 192 countries working together in the official languages of the UN, trying to solve the world’s problems – like hunger, disease and war.  We also played a concert with Opus 118, and it was the best concert experience ever.  I met a girl named Amanda who seemed very relaxed about her violin – until she started to play.  It was jaw dropping! On the bus, our coach chose ME as the winner of the smile contest.  We always have to remember to smile so that our audience knows how much we enjoy playing for them.  It was a great New York Day!  FT