Not to make you all jealous, but all the patios opened today. Yes, there is a benefit to life in the south. Of course I spent all of five minutes outside today and by the time I left work it was dark but still!

I don't know if i've mentioned it, but the KC runs this international arts manager exchange for the State Dept where they bring in groups of art managers from around the world to spend a week or so with us and then they travel to NYC and points across the US. It's a pretty fantastic program by the looks of things. They have paired us each with one of these arts managers so that we can be a friendly face, have lunch etc. Mine is a young woman from Romania. She is lovely but very earnest. It's striking how the old Soviet regime still permeates their society. Her theatre is state run. She is the only manager under the age of 60 - and one of the only women. They have 100 actors on salary, however these actors are paid whether they show up or not. So you try rehearsing something when you can't guarantee what cast you will have. And there is nothing they can do about it. She said that they plan about 3 weeks in advance (yes, I said weeks!!).

Another of these managers is from Columbia who runs a chamber music orchestra that is owned by their national bank. Again, it's all government run so often when the music administration has an opening, it is filled internally so they end up with someone who had intended to work for a bank trying to stage manage a concert. The vast differences in models from the 11 participants was stunning. One came from Haiti where her music school (the only one in the country) was destroyed in the earthquake. She told us how they went and played a concert at one of the tent cities that have been created and 500 people heard them. After they finished their classical repertoire they played some Michael Jackson (!!!) and everyone danced! What an amazing story. One of our fellow fellows is going to try and get her former orchestra to donate instruments and music stands and things since the school lost everything.

We aren't going to have too much interaction with them but even this small connection is amazing and makes the arts world that much smaller.

Oh I should say thank you to everyone else who has now sent me chocolate! It is a lesson that perhaps next time I should send out a call for money (NO don't send me money!) or employment or a condo just to see what happens. Tomorrow I'm leaving work early to head to my lecture at the Smithsonian and then I believe some of my fellow family will be joining me for a beverage. Should be a nice day I think...