Friends in Far Places...

Today I received an email from my very best friend, Brynn Albanese who lives in Cambria, California. She has booked her flight, confirmed to come and visit me on my 50th Birthday, July 23, 2009. I’m so excited to see her!

Realizing, myself this morning that I have so many friends that live in far away places. How that comes to be, is mainly because I’m a musician. All professional musicians have met and made friends around the world. It just comes with the job! Working and living in Holland for 20 years, you meet many, many new people, who too are coming from somewhere else; this was the case with Brynn.

You see Brynn came to Holland to audition and later did win a major position with the “Residentie Orchestra” in The Hague. She grew up in L.A., but later moved to Boston to become a regular performer with the Boston Symphony and Boston Pops Orchestra. They too toured the world! I remember driving down to Paris to see Brynn perform with the Boston Symphony that was on its European Tour at the time. My other ‘Worldly’ friend; Kathy, came down too! ( Kathy was the link to meeting and making friends with Brynn)

Driving to Paris, I remember it was about the spring of 1995, Kathy and I climbed into my really old and beaten up Peugeot 205 and made the only 5 hour drive from Amsterdam to Paris. Brynn was able to organize for us that we could stay in the same hotel as her and the BSO (Boston Symphony Orchestra) , at the same orchestra rate! $$..Cool.. very handy.. and which hotel you ask? Well of course the “Paris Hilton” My room with balcony had a bird eyes view of the Eifel Tower! WOW ! Now this is cool!

The BSO, with conductor Seiji Ozawa was to perform twice in Paris, and we had tickets to both. Both being major programs of Brahms and Mahler! Wow.. what a trip, staying in the Paris Hilton, seeing Brynn, and enjoying Mahler too! Also added bonus, was seeing my old University and TSYO friend, and now principal horn of the BSO, Jamie Sommerville. He was shocked to see my the Hilton Lobby .. he.. he.. I kind of scared him, and sort of jumped out at him as he was just walking through the lobby…

Only there was one huge draw back of this trip … I was SICK as a dog.. I had the FLU.. really badly too! Major fever and everything. It was so bad one day that I just stayed in my Hotel bed for one whole day I was there! Such a waste! The other days I just dragged my ass out of the bed, determined to see Paris, and attend the concerts!

I also went to the Louvre, and saw the Mona Lisa, *warning ! .. to all those that would like to do the same, keep in mind that the whole firkin world wants to go to the Louvre, so be prepared to stand in line for up to 5 hours just to get into the museum ! Yuup I did this too, with Kathy and Brynn , and with a 40 degree fever. Well ya do want ya need to do!!

The concerts were amazing. The BSO is a very fine orchestra, no wonder Bernard Haitink loves to conduct there as well. He calls the BSO his little Jewel!


Click on this link to see and
listen to amazing Brynn's group - Cafe Musique ( I designed their website!)


This picture of Brynn and Milo was taken in the spring of 2001 at the beach in Zandvoort, Holland