One Moment | All State Orchestra 2012

Liam has had a busy month, and last week was the cherry on top of the sundae! He had an early start Thursday morning north 5 hours to Fresno – we were so lucky that another member of his high school band, Teddy, a clarinet player, also made the All State band. Teddy’s Dad had another reason to be in the Fresno area, so he drove both boys up, hooray!

Because Liam was in the orchestra, he didn’t have to audition for seat placement in the 3 different bands on Thursday afternoon – instead they immediately started rehearsing. Each evening they went to concerts, with rehearsals all day Friday and Saturday. Because I had his schedule, I was able to call him when he was on a meal break, and he actually answered the phone, so I was able to check in with him a few times and hear about what a great time he was having.

Andrew, Logan and I drove up to Fresno Saturday with Teddy’s Mom. Saturday night we met up with Teddy’s Dad and all went out to dinner. The orchestra and wind symphony (which Teddy placed into, hooray) concert was Sunday morning. Here’s Liam sitting first chair warming up:

And here they are with their conductor, Raymond Harvey.

With only 2.5 days of rehearsal, it’s amazing how great they sounded!

Here’s Liam with Teddy after the concert. Teddy is over a year older than Liam, but Liam’s been fed more! 😉

And here is Teddy with his parents, complete with a Logan photo bomb!

And a rarity…here’s a picture of all four of us:

Liam had plenty to talk about on the way home. It’s so great so see him become more self assured, rise to the occasion and play excellently, and most importantly  enjoy playing great music. We are very proud of him, and I hope we all find the energy to keep him practicing, learning and growing – auditions for college are just 2 years away! 🙂