It would be impossible to summarize my entire NYOC experience in a blog entry. The experience I gained this summer is priceless. I'll admit, it was nice to arrive home and to sleep in my own bed, but it feels a bit weird settling back into my regular routing at home.

The thing I miss most about the NYOC is the people. I will never forget the friends I made this summer and our countless hours together in and out of rehearsal. I will never forget our amazing faculty and staff. It would have been impossible to get anything done without their help. They kept us organized and on track. Last but not least, I will never forget Mr. Alain Trudel, who spent six weeks away from his family to be our conductor.

It was great to have such a sympathetic conductor. He was a friend to us all. He understands what it's like to be an orchestral musician, and treated us with care. He did his best not to overwork us, and he was very supportive of those of us who were injured. He made rehearsals and recording sessions fun instead of tedious, with his great sense of humour. Our 9-hour recording session was over before we knew it, thanks to his efficiency.

Speaking of the recording session; it was a great experience. I will listen to recordings differently now that I understand how easy it is to fix flaws here and there. We worked with an amazing sound producer, who seemed to know the score of Mahler 6 as well as our conductor. And then there was the web broadcast. I'll admit, the first time I saw the huge crane, I was a bit intimidated. Many times, I felt like my bow would hit the hovering camera, but as our conductor promised, it never did. These experiences will be very useful for any studio work we do in the future.

The concert tour was a great way to end our learning experience. It was very well organized. We had the opportunity to play in union halls such as Roy Thompson in Toronto and the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. It felt amazing to perform in the same halls that the professionals use. We didn't have much free time in between concerts, but when we did, my favourite thing to do was go swimming. We had the fortune of staying in very nice hotels during the tour, and a dip in the hot tub was just what I needed to relax.

By the end of the tour I was exhausted, but the lack of sleep only really hit me when I got home. For a couple days I was good for nothing. I miss the NYOC, but I will have to move on. The good news is that there are exciting plans for next year. I can say without hesitation that this was one of the best summers of my life and it was an experience definitely worth repeating. I would love to be a part of it again next year and I will certainly be auditioning!