Day 4 - Columbus, GA to Port Saint Lucie, Florida

April 9, 2015

Charlie Albright and Keith Lockhart eating BBQ Ribs

Whew…what a whirlwind this tour is!  Tuesday was our first concert, which took place at the beautiful Peace Center of Greenville, SC.  After a rehearsal for a few hours in the afternoon, we performed the program with the Shostakovich 2nd Concerto on it, and it was a hit.  Keith and the BBC Concert Orchestra really are phenomenal musicians.

Following the concert was a large reception, where I was surprised and happy to see my old friend, Maestra Sarah Ioannides and others from the Spartanburg Philharmonic, where I performed just this past September…what a small world!

Onward to Georgia and Alabama

Yesterday, we had a ~4 hour drive or so to Columbus, GA where we were staying, and then another 30 minute drive to Opelika, AL, a little town just on the other side of the time zone.  Because of that, it felt to us like the concert started at 8:30 instead of 7:30…and by the time we returned to the hotel, there was nothing to eat! :(

We did our second program in Alabama, performing the Ravel G Major concerto.  For an encore, instead of my normal Volodos transcription of the Mozart Turkish March (Rondo alla Turca), I figured that I’d announce and do an improvisation of “Sweet Home Alabama,” starting in a very classical style and ending in the good ‘ol fashioned version. :)  It was a blast!

Luckily, I had a great buffet breakfast at the hotel, and am now sitting on a bus for a loooooong drive of over 500 miles to Port Saint Lucie, Florida!  Today is a day of travel/rest, so there is no concert.

Tomorrow, we perform the Ravel again, this time in Vero Beach, Florida!

Opelika, AL

My Opelika, AL dressing room had possibly the best chair ever. 

Backstage in Opelika, AL

Drive-thru Liquor Store in Georgia!

Redneck Egg Rolls

BBQ Ribs..mmmmm