This morning a great deal of the musicians breathed a sigh of relief waking up to snow and ice which meant one more day of the weekend. As the west side of Portland Public Schools closed its doors for the day, musicians alike wondered whether we were going to have rehearsal still that night.

It turns out this rehearsal was one of our best. We accomplished so much and we were really sounding good by the end of the night as we finished the final movement of the Mahler. With parents gathering in the wings and a group of very tired young musicians the music was sounding more and more like that of recordings of the incredible work. Though individual parts still need attention to finally iron out all the details, Alastair seemed genuinely pleased with the work that had been accomplished this evening. Exasperated at one point he exclaimed that “We better not lose any of this progress made today, in the weeks to come”. His intensity never fading or even withdrawing he kept the orchestra focused up until the final chord and with a final stare almost dared the orchestra to come unprepared for next week.

We are making exceptional progress and this concert is going to turn out a fantastic recording that is bound to go down as one of PYP’s best.

Josh John, Bassoon, Co-Principal

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