Violin Concert

Today, Julie and I went to a violin concert. The violinist's name is Philippe Quint (the link is to his MySpace). He's really good. He plays a $4 million violin--a Stradivari made in 1723.

I got a couple of free tickets because we print the programs for a few concerts each year put on by the Santa Rosa Concert Association. It is always a bit crazy getting them finished--they wait until the week of the concert to make their final changes, but that is how it has to be, since information changes last minute. So, Julie and I were able to receive free tickets to hear this world-class violinist play.

I thought we'd have pretty bad seats, but they ended up being in the sixth row, and on the side of the auditorium he was standing on. The tickets cost $40 a piece for the more expensive ones (which we had), so we got an $80 date for free. And it was at the Wells Fargo Center, which is less than a half mile from our apartment.

Whenever anything happens really nearby that is so cool, I am just so glad I don't live in a place like Redding anymore. It is so nice to be in a decent-sized city and in a major metropolitan area (although Santa Rosa is enough on the fringe of the Bay that I don't feel claustrophobic either).

I mean, I saw Augustana play about 2 miles from my house, a couple world-class guitarists (one had won the world finger-picking championships once) also at the Wells Fargo Center, and now a world-class violinist. Not to mention sporting events and the like in the city. And the Tour of California bike race goes through Santa Rosa every year. I am going to go this year to see Lance Armstrong in his first race back from his retirement. We have the start of the first or second stage downtown this year.

So it was just us and mostly a bunch of 80 year olds listening to a guy playing violin really fast and doing crazy things I didn't know you could do on a violin. Actually, there were a few SSU music students and a smattering of other middle-aged and younger people, but it was mostly seniors.

It's always nice to inject a little culture into your Sunday afternoon, especially when you don't care much about the football that is still going on.

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I am finally almost over my cold(s). I think I might have gotten a second cold on Wednesday, just as my first one was ending. I had a 102 degree fever. I worked that day too. It was awful.