Stellae Boreales – An Ottawa Suzuki Strings Violin Ensemble

We boarded the bus this morning and had the benefit of a strategically positioned flyover of some fighter jets, in formation, right over the hotel parking lot. Our parking lot just happened to be across the Hudson River from downtown New York with a perfect view of the Manhattan cityscape. The Empire State Building seem to wink goodbye through the morning haze. Au revoir NYC!

Although we have boarded the bus, we are not too far removed from the high that we all experienced at the final evening performance. Last night’s performance was not only in the beautiful old New York Academy of Medicine with wonderful acoustics, but our audience and hosts filled the room with such expectation, energy, and enthusiasm that there was no escaping the excitement that permeated the room. The repertoire was perfectly suited to show off SB’s superb musical talent and the El Choclo Tango, the Caprice Basque, and the phenomenal Jealousy, just to name a few touched the heartbeat of the primarily Latin-American based audience of senior citizens. They were, in fact, moved to a roaring spontaneous applause several times throughout the evening. Many of the seniors expressed their appreciation for the inspiring and excellent music that was a treat for their ears and their hearts! There were even a few seniors circulating to get autographs from the “stars”.

NL

Yesterday was an amazing day! We went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the morning along with playing a concert for the students of Gramercy High School for the Arts. We had the choice of shopping, going to Central Park, or having a tour of Julliard. I went shopping and had a lot of fun! After that we went to the New York Academy of Medicine and played another concert to an enthusiastic audience!  To conclude the day, we went to the top Empire State Building at 9:30 p.m. We had a magnificent view of New York City at night. All in all, we had a fabulous day and I‘ll do it again if I could!

LA

As we leave from New York back to Ottawa, we remember the wonderful times we spent there, from on the bus to top of the Empire State Building, it was all very fun. The concerts we performed at were totally awesome too. The audience was terrific and it was fun too. I just wish we could have had more free time tough. I never got too much time to do homework and swim, but I think I can make up for the lost time.

TC

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 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

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

The culmination of the Ottawa Kiwanis Festival is always the Highlights Concert.  Stellae Boreales enjoyed a very successful Kiwanis festival this year.  Many individuals competed and achieved excellent results.  The ensemble received first place in  STRING ENSEMBLE - SUZUKI GROUP PLAYERS in  TWO OR MORE PARTS and were invited to perform at the highlights concert.

As the ensemble is off to New York in less than a week, rehearsal time is at a premium.  Conditions were not ideal but they rehearsed never the less, in a corridor, backstage, before the concert began!