Day 6 - March 26

March 26 - 4:00pm MT

Our final performance presnted another opportunity to develop the resilience that professional musicians need. Resulting from some miscommunication we performed to a spare, but enthusiastically grateful audience of ~10 people. Eugene shared on the bus, before warmups, that he remembers playing to large rooms with only four or five people in them. This is part of the experience and that's okay. The important thing is to remember that no matter how many audience members there are that you're always playing for yourself and owe them your best. So they performed and they did so with spirit and care. It was a lovely performance - one suitable to close out the tour. It's no surprise, of course, that the crowd was enthralled - giving a standing ovation, taking videos, and calling friends as soon as the performance ended to brag about what they just witnessed. 

March 26 - 9:15pm MT

Following the concert we returned to the hotel to start packing for our return trip and to freshen up for our celebratory closing dinner at Edelweiss German Restaurant. We were treated to a number of traditional German dishes and some rousing performances from a leiderhosened accordianist (pic below). 

As is a Crowden tour tradition, we closed the dinner with an open floor for reflections and appreciations. Students reflected (I'm copying from the notes I took here) on the fun they've had meeting new people, making good on a wish to go on a trip with friends, the power of the workshops with the music professionals (especially with so many who are connected to Crowden), the power of being able to perform for people who have never heard "kids like us," how amazing it is to it was to get so much appreciation from people who don't know us or Crowden and how great it's been to be with friends, having fun playing music, in rooms, and on the bus all week. They closed their comments with gratitude and cards for the chaperones, tour manager, and our bus driver, Jose.