First Prize Montreal International Musical Competition

Dear Friends and Readers,What a roller-coaster these last two weeks have been!  From the earth-quake Tremblements set piece to the glorious strains of Beethoven's Fourth Concerto coming from my left from the Montreal Symphony.  It was such a joy to play with these wonderful musicians who clearly love their music and love working with young soloists.Our conductor Giancarlo Guerrero was an absolute star - he knew these concertos so well and I've never felt so comfortable on stage after only a 50-minute dress rehearsal.  Guerrero is youthful and vibrant, a sensitive accompanist and many were saying that he is the best conductor they've ever had for the Montreal competition.  I can understand why.I want to thank everyone who has supported me during this time.  A very special thank you to my host parents here in Montreal who have been absolutely amazing.  Yesterday was a stressful day as they both had meetings which they had to fit around my schedule.  There was much to-ing and fro-ing:  driving in to the rehearsal, home for lunch, back in town for practice, home for early dinner, and then back to the hall for the performance.  A bit of a crazy day now I'm looking back on it!