Opera Notices

I was fortunate enough to attend a conference this month, the 2011 National Arts Marketing and Development Conference at the Kimmel Center on the campus of New York University.

Although I’ve been to New York a couple times before, I find that I discover new parts of the city each time. Previous trips included stops at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Lincoln Centre, Broadway, and some amazing restaurants. (Particular standouts were Pastis in the meatpacking district and DBGB, one of Daniel Boulud’s many restaurants in NY) As I would have much less time on this trip, I planned ahead and booked a ticket for a concert on my first night in the city.

One of my favourite violinists, Joshua Bell, was playing the amazing Bruch Concerto at the historic Carnegie Hall. Needless to say, it was breathtaking and even with the extremely high expectations I had going in, I was not disappointed.

It would have been difficult for the rest of the trip to measure up to what I experienced on that first night, but it is New York, and they don’t call it the Big Apple for nothing. Other highlights from the trip included a heavenly stop at Saks 5th avenue, people watching at Washington Square Park, a couple slices from Joe’s Pizza, and a wonderful performance of Billy Elliott on Broadway. (Thanks TKTS booth!)

Being in a city with such a huge assortment of choices, not just in food and shopping, but in its culture, induced great feelings of envy. The number of concerts, events, and museums you could go to on any given day, was just staggering.

Combined with some amazing sessions at the conference with other arts colleagues from all over the country, this trip was quite simply inspiring. I can’t wait to go back and see what I discover next time.

- Jennifer Lee, Marketing Manager