More about last night's concert

I keep getting two main comments about the program.
1. We've never seen handbells and they're fascinating and musical
2. You've broken new ground by the way that you talk to the audience

Concerts are very serious affairs here, and when an artist comes out to play he/she does just that -- play. No talk, no interaction other than through the instrument. Those of you who've seen my concerts know that they're just the opposite by the way that I talk to the audience and get them to laugh. Also, it's not like I went to Julliard to study handbells, then entered and won multiple competitions (there aren't any that I can find), and have then played and recorded with major orchestras the world over. I'm just the local joe who can do something that entertains people, and what I do is more of an "act". I also like to do that because I like to see it happen when I attend a concert. If the artist will speak to us then I'm much more attuned to him/her and much more interested in the program.

Last night's audience was quite shocked, apparently, when after the first piece I came around in front of the bell table to talk to them. Then I started making jokes with the interpreter and that cracked them up. Once, early in the program, I said what was a short sentence in English, but the interpreter went on and on in Serbian to say the same thing. When she finished I said, "Are you sure I said all that?" and they laughed for the longest time. In the States that would have merited a giggle, but here it brought the house down because they had never had that happen before.

I also did the "phone call from Mom" gag, and they've been talking about that all day. I had my accompanist call my phone right in the middle of "Minute Waltz", and I stopped as if I was trying to find the sound in the house. In the meantime, everyone in there (and they ALL have phones in their pockets) was mentally saying either, "Oh, my god, I hope it's not mine" or "how rude that someone didn't turn off their phone". Then when it turned out to be mine the laughter went for so long and loud that I thought I might not get to finish the show. When finally it calmed down and I said, "Hi Mom" it broke them up all over again.

At the end of the show they went into that European type of applause where they all clap at the same time (I think that's really good), and after we played the encore the applause wouldn't stop so I stepped down into the audience to start talking to and greeting people. That still didn't stop them, so I just walked on out through the audience waving royally as they shouted and cheered. Several people said to me afterwards that I left just like Santa Claus. What a hoot!

I'm trying to get some pictures to upload, but with no success. I don't really have any of the concert anyway because I was pretty busy. One man there did record the entire thing in video on his PDA which he showed me later. He's going to try to send it to me after I get home. He's my contact in Vienna, by the way, and very interested in having me play there. Also, the public radio station recorded the concert in audio and they're supposed to give me a CD.

I'll get some pictures up soon, I hope. Thank you to all of you who have written back to me about the concert. It was such a terrific experience that I'm still in "afterglow".