July 4th Weekend

My July 4th weekend was busy. It began when I performed in a concert with the Saint Louis Wind Symphony on Friday, July 2. The concert was held at the Foundary Art Centre in downtown St. Charles.The Saint Louis Wind Symphony (SLWS) was founded in 1998 as an avenue for music educators to continue to perform. Founded by Dan Presgrave and a core group of musicians, the Saint Louis Wind Symphony was established as a non-profit, all volunteer concert band dedicated to the highest-quality performance of the best wind literature.
There are about 60 musicians in the wind symphony: seven flutes, three oboes, one bassoon, 13 clarinets, four saxes, four French horns, eight trumpets, six trombones, three baritones, four tubas, a string base, and four percussionists. Performances revolve around a theme and compositions are selected to fit the theme. This concert was a Patriotic Musical Tribute.
It has become the premier Wind Ensemble in the Saint Louis metropolitan area, with a reputation for quality performance spreading across the country. I have been performing in the group since 1999, only missing the first concert season.

After the concert my friend Ginger and I went to Llywelyn's Pub in downtown St. Charles. Llywelyn's has several local locations and I am pleased to see that they recently renovated an old bank building. I have always enjoyed visiting Llywelyn's in St. Louis, now I have a location close to home! We enjoyed a salad and some beers on the outdoor patio.

On Saturday I met some girlfriends at Brio for lunch. It was a very special lunch because my friend Nicole was in town from Indianapolis and my friends Nicole and Tonya were in town. It was great to see them along with Justine and Ginger. Brio is one of our favorite places to go for lunch when everyone is in town.

Nicole, Justine, Ginger (holding Abby), Jennifer (me) and Tonya

Nicole and Justine. Best friends pregnant at the same time with due dates a month a part! Nicole is having a girl and Justine is having a boy!

Ginger and Jennifer with baby Abby.

On July 4th Ken and I performed an outdoor concert with the Northwinds Concert Band on the grounds of the Florissant Civic Center. We had a short rain delay and began the concert a half an hour late, but with a shorter intermission we were able to play every song before the fireworks display began at 9:30. The city fo Florissnt really outdid themselves with a spectacular fireworks display! Our concert included show tunes, marches, and patriotic favorites. I have been performing with the Northwinds Concert Band for about 12 years and Ken has been a member for at least 7 years.