Just when we were about to book our tickets from Raleigh-Durham Airport (RDU) in North Carolina to Houston, Texas, our friend Matt Gould in Phoenix wrote, “Can you get here for a concert on the 4th?”
We cut short our stay in Durham and bypassed Houston for Phoenix. Besides concertising and giving private lessons, we packed those 3 nights and 2 days with reconnecting with musician friends we knew from outside the USA and acquainting with new musicians in Phoenix.
In 2003, we met guitarist Matt Gould and violinist Beth Schneider of Duo46 and guitarist Josh Rhoads in North Cyprus. In 2007, we met composer Tom Peterson at the Cortona Contemporary Music Festival Italy. In November 2010, they introduced us to guitarist Chuck Hulihan and flautist Theresa Hulihan of Duozona and the violinist Miray Rhoads of Duo Vibrato. It seemed that Phoenix was headquarters for some of the best musicians on the planet.
Every minute of those three nights and two days was charged with energy and inspiration. Our friends who arranged the 4 concerts and many private guitar lessons shuttled us around in cars and accommodated us in their homes. Their hospitality flowed with no end in sight.
We gave our first concert at Glendale Community College to a very enthusiastic audience comprising mostly of guitar students and outsiders. Besides signing our CDs for sale, we also signed the colourful red posters that Chuck had gotten printed.
The next morning we gave a concert and discussion at Paradise Valley Community College, quickly followed by a trip to Arizona State University where we gave a concert in the famous organ hall.
In the evening, we gave a short concert in a beautiful penthouse loft apartment in downtown Phoenix. It was an event organised by the Spirit of the Senses, an outfit or event series that’s been around for nearly 3 decades, researching and organising events for its members. After the intermission, I moderated a discussion panel on house concerts. [Where are the photos of that beautiful apartment with the black baby grand piano?]
As it was our first trip to Arizona, we had hoped to visit the Grand Canyon. Instead, we left Saturday morning for Houston to play at a private concert.
Concert Blog 
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