Program from the National Center
for the Performing Arts in Beijing

Our last stop in our Grand Asian Tour was Beijing.  Every time I visit China I’m surprised to see the incredible growth.  In my first visit, I was struck by all the bicycles.  Now, I was struck by all the automobile traffic.  The bicycles are gone, and everyone is wealthier and owns a car.  In Beijing we first performed at the Central Conservatory of Beijing and my Masterclass which was sponsored by Altus Flutes was presented in the Beijing Conservatory.  Our performance was filmed and apparently shown on TV.  We also did an extensive interview for Spanish Radio.  The highlight, of course, for us was visiting the Great Wall of China.  We visited the Ming Tombs first and then The Great Wall.  Although it was my 4th time to visit The Wall every time, is magical for me.  I love that it’s away from the city, in the peaceful, crisp, mountain air.

And then our tour sadly came to an end.  It was hectic, it was intense, it was wonderful and challenging all at once.  Mahani experienced some severe food poisoning twice.  And we were absolutely exhausted after the month.  It was a 5 star tour staying primarily in 5 top hotels and always being picked up in private limousines.  But it was quite grueling to land one day, perform the next day, teach the following day, and repeat.  Normally, I need at least one day to recover from just performing a concert.  This was a non-stop month tour.  But what really made our tour incredibly fruitful were all the noble and kind hearts we met along the way.  This, for us, was priceless.  We fell in love with Asia, it’s faces, it’s people.  We look forward to returning again very soon.

Beijing Central Conservatory Recital Poster