winston salem

As I was in this seemingly small and remote city for almost 6 days, I would need to find ways to occupy myself while I was not playing concerts or practicing.  This proved to be an easy task for two reasons.  The first reason was that this town had a lot of interesting history  and places to explore.  The oldest educational institution for women in the United States, Salem College was located in the quaint yet historically rich Old Salem just a few blocks from my hotel.  Let’s be honest, I did also hit up an amazing T.J. Maxx while I was on my trip and that sure helped to pass time.

The second reason my trip to Winston Salem was so full was that I had plenty of  visitors from all different aspects of my life!  While I was there, I had dinner with my Maid of Honor’s mom who happened to be there with her husband for the weekend.  I also had lunch with Lawrence Dillon, who teaches composition at the university down the street from the concert hall.  To top things off, I even had dinner with a student who traveled to North Carolina for a couple of lessons with me and to see my concert.  So, even though I was far from my western roots, I had plenty of southern comfort.   “Bless her heart”, as the concertmaster of the WS Symphony taught me to say.

The orchestra was fantastic and Bob Moody, the conductor, as well as the other soloist on the program, Corrine Brouwer, made me feel right at home.  During my visit I was asked to visit with the local Youth Symphony, which ended up being a blast.  I performed for them and then we even played some music together.

Top Five Things about Winston Salem:

1) Shrimp and Grits at Milner’s Restaurant

2) No traffic…ever

3) Sweet Tea Infused Vodka

4)God’s Acres (Moravian Cemetery with tombstones from the early 1800′s)

5) The Symphony, of course!