Valentine's Day Part 2 (AKA Ambassadors @ Abravanel)

At the beginning of the year Josh decided to try out for the ambassador orchestra group.

A small handful of students from each county elementary school in the valley form the ambassadors.

They met almost every Saturday for over an hour to practice extra songs beyond their regular orchestra pieces.

The evening of February 13th they gave a small concert in the tabernacle.  {Josh is in the very back on the right}  They had 11 cellos this year and so the conductor was constantly having to tell them to play quieter :)

Then, Valentine's Day, we all drove down to Salt Lake in a bus and stopped in at Abravanel Hall.

This trip was the climactic event of the year for the ambassadors.

We listened to the Utah Symphony practice for at least an hour.  They played some classics!

It was fun for the kids to hear songs they recognized performed live.

After their practice was over the kids took the stage.  A few of the symphony members stayed to work with the kids and a guest conductor came.

She was really cute with the kids.  She was patient and very positive.

It was fun for us parents to sit and listen.

  They didn't sound bad before, but in the symphony hall, they sounded awesome :)

After a good workout with their instruments we loaded them back onto the bus and then walked a few blocks to City Creek and swarmed the Cheesecake Factory!

We had a group of over 50 so they had to split us up into a few different tables.

They kids had all brought valentines and passed them out to each other while we waited for our food.

The man on the left was our bus driver...and also a retired orchestra teacher.  Josh said he had subbed in their orchestra class a time or two.

Josh got a Cookies and Cream Cheesecake...

...and I ordered a Red Velvet Cheesecake.  The perfect Valentine treat :)

It was so fun to spend a special day with my Josh!

I'm glad he is enjoying playing the cello and being involved with the orchestra.