I hate humidity, but every time I go back to NYC I am reminded of all the things I absolutely love about it. When I moved there when I was 18, I never thought I would leave. So It was great to be back at the New York City Classical Guitar Society, a non-profit organization that hosts concerts, monthly meetings, and now a 30-person guitar orchestra. Its president and fearless leader, John Olson, has done an amazing job growing this group over the years, and it was fun to see many familiar faces and meet new folks that were not part of the society when I used to frequent the meetings as a student.

I was privileged to be the first artist on the Salon Series this season to play in a new venue for the society - the WMP Concert Hall in the Flatiron district of Manhattan. An unsuspecting city block from the outside, it turned out to be a charming little hall with beautiful hardwood floors and gold detailing on the walls, elegant and acoustically vibrant. I was able to play very softly when the music called for it, not worrying that the audience wouldn't be able to hear me, which made me feel like I was creating moments of great intimacy with these 50 or so people that had come to share the evening together. It is a wonderful feeling to realize that your hands, your fingers, your strings and frets can come together just for these short little snippets of time and bring people into the world that a composer created. And for the Emilia Giuliani pieces that I start my program with, it felt absolutely appropriate to be playing in a salon atmosphere where projection was not my enemy. Really, it felt like the space was made for classical guitar!

Some photos from the concert, courtesy of Don Witter, Jr., who you can always count on sitting in the first row at any New York City guitar performance. Will try to upload some video from the concert soon!

I also gave a talk about Emilia Giuliani, a composer that now feels like a close friend and companion (even though she is dead and that sounds a little creepy!). Delving into the details of her life and sharing my research about her work with people is really exciting! I get a lot of great comments from many guitarists out there who had no idea that Mauro had a daughter, and how they really love her music and want to learn it. Knowing that I may have brought new knowledge and a fresh program to voracious listeners is incredibly satisfying to me. I also sold a good number of CDs, which is always nice!

So what else did I do in NYC last week? Caught up with friends, family, a visit to my alma mater, and - oh yes, the MoMA! I haven't been for years, so I went and brought my 1 year old daughter with me. Here she is snacking with some water lilies. And it always surprises me how small Starry Night actually is in person. Overall, a great trip!