Recollections: Brunch and a recital

I had Easter brunch with one of my favorite couples, Leslie and Noella. It was Polish and Hungarian fare at a small eatery called Cafe Amadeus. We talked about weddings, rooms at the Beaufort in Sentosa, dowries, future plans, Leslie's book that's due in 2007, the kinds of dogs we'd like to have. I'll miss them, and I'll certainly miss lazy brunches like the one we had today. Pretty soon, we'll all be starting new lives elsewhere - Peiming will start a position at the Yong Siew Tong Conservatory back in Singapore, Leslie has a tenured position at Melbourne, Noella will find work there soon, Jake is auditioning all over the world, and I'll either be in Michigan for another year or move home in August.

I hope Noella keeps performing after she moves to Melbourne. Her recital at University Commons last Saturday reminded me what a spectacular musician she is. My friend, Irene, and I were late, of course, since I was the designated driver. We arrived in time to hear half of Bach's Adagio from Toccata in C Major. I enjoyed Peteris Vasks' Das Buch "Dolcissimo", for which Noella had to sing while playing the cello. The last piece, Tangoella, was composed for and dedicated to her by Andre Myers, a DMA student at the music school. It was a beautiful piece, perfect for Noella.