After a late lunch at our hotel, we went back to the Old Bazaar, to the Suli An, to rehearse for our evening concert. The concert was outdoors, in a gorgeous courtyard, but thankfully with none of the wind or mosquito issues of the past few days.
We performed to a full house, and in addition to our regular orchestral programme, we also accompanied a solo pianist performing Poulenc's Piano Concerto, as well as the Music Progressive Quartet (the Macedonian group we've been touring with), who performed two works with our orchestra, plus one piece just as a quartet. Their music was fantastic. It was such a pleasure to have been on this tour, and I am already missing Macedonia! The people here have been incredibly warm and friendly, and it's been such an amazing experience to be part of this tour.
After the performance, we had a cocktail reception at our hotel, and celebrated on the patio till the early hours of the morning. We had a Macedonian folk trio playing for part of the evening (violin, guitar & accordion)-- just a fantastic way to wind down and celebrate with our orchestra, and new Macedonian friends as well.
Tomorrow, we'll be driving through Ohrid, on our way back to Albania. Time to get to sleep, as there's much packing to do in the morning, and a long bus ride ahead...
-Elizabeth