Broadcast Alert and random thoughts

Well, that didn't take long! I blinked and my next season is starting up already! I know I'm certainly not alone with the thoughts that time flies, but this time it seemed to explode into oblivion! Our vacation was simply sublime, but our time at HOME was even better. It's amazing what that does to refresh the spirit, ground the heart, and remind me that I, occasionally, have a very lovely domestic side!

One of the things I love about my life is that I feel I have the chance to share a small part of my world with other people. I have a number of nieces and nephews who haven't yet had the chance to travel the world (how I hope they will!), and sharing photos and observations of the countries/cultures I see helps broaden their horizons just a bit, after all, to quote the great Mark Twain - a native Missourian - "Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness." Well, we can certainly use a bit more of that around these days.

But I'm also fiercely proud to be a native Kansas Citian and quite boastfully put my city up against many of the more famous cities around the world where I pay a lot to rent their hotel rooms. "Why," you may ask? There are a number of reasons, but perhaps the top of the list belongs to the sky: the glorious, expansive ocean of sky that hovers above and constantly changes in its dramatic, unpredictable, vast, astonishing, and humbling way:


*Taken with my i-phone!*


The other reason is that an incredible community of generous people thrives there and works tremendously hard to make it a better place. I had the great privilege of spending time with several of them while home and it reminded me of how a great city is built - by people with bold vision and undaunted determination.

Outside our window I can see the birthing of our new Performing Arts Center which has come a LONG way since they first dug the hole in the ground. It is being financed by these amazing movers and shakers who have weathered the incredible financial climate of the past few years to see this building come to fruition. People who know the value of the arts to a society, who have fought against all odds to bring it to a town who perhaps doesn't boast of the glamour of New York City, but who proudly and rightly defends its quality and vision and pushes forward.


Sure the sunset was stunning that night, but seeing "my" new playground there in the corner come to life made it all the more thrilling!!!

Before I forget! Tonight you may listen, via the tireless and astonishing BBC Radio, to the recital that David Zobel and I gave at the Usher Hall for the Edinburgh Festival just a few weeks ago. It was a BLAST of a concert for us: we had the joy of revisiting our "Amore" recital that started in chilly Madrid back in January, and it has certainly heated up over the months. I fell head over heels in love with that program and will miss it greatly, so it's nice to have the chance to share it with you here, tonight.

7:00 pm London time - I'm afraid you'll have to do the math for where you are in the world..I'm WAY too jetlagged to get it correct!!

Speaking of which, I've safely arrived in Istanbul (ISTANBUL!!!!) for a recital on Thursday night which officially kicks off my next season! Next up: Lyon for my next RECORDING, Paris for another concert, because it's been TOO long since I've last sung there ;-), and hopefully the launch of my new website!!! It's all terribly exciting! But if I feel homesick, I can return here and revisit my amazing Kansas City Sky!

Cheers!