The fabulous (and free) Juilliard Orchestra

We are huge fans of the Juilliard Orchestra. They regularly perform at beautiful Alice Tully Hall. There are advance tickets, but you can always get in by showing up between 7:30 PM and 8 PM.

Proud Juilliard parents

We attended a Juilliard orchestral concert this week. The conductor was a young Chinese woman and one of the works was a Mozart piece with violin and viola soloists. The viola soloist was a strapping young woman who looked like she could've come from Minnesota. She towered above the violin soloist, a very gifted young Korean-American. They were both terrific - as was the whole orchestra. At the end of the piece we noticed two people wildly applauding and nearly exploding with pride. They just had to be parents of the violinist. It was a joy to share in their pride and delight, if only for a moment or two.

Best new architecture in NYC

As part of the right-on re-do of Lincoln Center, they've added a high end restaurant with a slanty lawn on the roof. On a visit the other day it was being used by students from the nearby performing arts high school discussing silly ways to remember vocal exercises, Juilliard students hanging out and making out, a little girl doing somersaults, and a sunbathing super model. A few days later, a late-night post-ballet visit turned out to be even more magical, with the city all aglow around this strange little park.