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

The tour is nearly over, to everyone’s extreme sadness. We have had more fun than I could have imagined. On Monday, at the UN, I had the honour of meeting an atomic bomb survivor who had a little stand in the lobby. Upon talking to him, I learned that he was only five years old when the bomb hit, and only 2km from it on a train in Nagasaki. He got bad burns on his face, but was very lucky, as there was a doctor on the train, and they were treated. His family was also OK.

When I joined Stellae Boreales, I had no idea I would have this much fun. I am forever grateful to all the organizers. Thank You.

CD

Yesterday we ended our last day touring New York with a trip to the top of the Empire State Building. After our last performance, we arrived at the Empire State Building at about 9:30 p.m. We were able to see all the lights of the city as they spread out as far as you could see. If you looked closely, you could even see the State of Liberty sitting off in the distance. The lights of the city were so spectacular and spread such an expanse of land. Ending our trip with fabulous view from the top of the Empire State Building was a wonderful finale.

PL

New York City was a blast! I really enjoyed the Museum of Natural History, shopping, the cruise around the city and obviously—performing! I find it very educational and fun to enjoy and learn new facts about our city, but even more with our violin friends! My very best friends, Eliza, Alisa, Miranda, and I enjoy our tour by being ‘casual’ (an inside joke). The last day, we visited the Empire State Building. The view was amazing! I really wished that we could enjoy another week in NYC after the fun visits and the activities around this city…After all, I am sooooo excited for our next trip in Vienna and I hope that the trip would be even more…SUPRISING!

MSP

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

9 hours on the bus is all that’s left of the trip. I wish I could stay longer, but then again, I can’t wait to sleep in my own bed. That was my first time in New York, and it was a great way to spend it. We managed to do a lot of activities, and I even went shopping

J. SL

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

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

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