I did not know that i was in for a surprise when I decided to go home for the weekend. I needed to get to the West Side and completely unintentionally I happened to be in the 59th street subway station transferring from the 6 to the Q.  As I turned a corner to walk up a flight of stairs, there it was; a HUGE mural of tiles colored in all of the basic colors. I remembered then that Professor Bergman had posted a blog about a new installment in the 59th St station.

The China Festival at Carnegie Hall was an enjoyable experience. Although I don't play any instruments and the music at the concert wasn't anything that I put on my mp3 player, I was paying close attention to the performers and the way they were playing. The first pianist was boring me a bit in the beginning because he started off slow and somber. Then, suddenly, he hit a very fast "Tom and Jerry" pace. I noticed that he had a look of intense concentration throughout.

I have to admit that our meeting with the artistic director of Carnegie Hall was not quite what I had hoped it would be. He didn't really give much insight as to what his role is at Carnegie Hall, and I felt like he spent more time promoting the venue than he did expressing his love for his job or his appreciation for the arts. It was interesting to hear about the amount of planning that goes into creating events like the Chinese Festival, but I think I would've liked a more personal perspective on what it is like to have a career in the art world.

I hardly ever go to Carnegie Hall (though I'm not sure why) so seeing anything there is a real treat, especially when it's free for us. The only other time I remember going to Carnegie Hall was a couple years ago to see a recital of some young music students.