Praise God with the blast of the ram’s horn!
    Praise God with lute and lyre!
Praise God with drum and dance!
    Praise God with strings and pipe!
 Praise God with loud cymbals!
    Praise God with clashing cymbals! – Psalm 150

The class and the culture here in Tarboro is relentless! Concerts at Calvary, Arts in the Garden, exhibitions at the Blount Bridgers mansion, the Mozart Festival… then Tuesday evening on the Town Common with the North Carolina Symphony.

It’s enough to make me feel sophisticated – almost.

I have described this town before as historic, charming, classy and self-confident. The representation is consistently accurate.

But having the North Carolina Symphony, the full orchestra, play on Tarboro’s elegant Town Common at the end of a hot June day, sitting in the cool shade of the oak tree canopy, with a light summer breeze whispering through the leaves, lawn chairs and picnic baskets, tuxedos and shorts, wine and canapés alongside RC Colas and a bag of chips, connoisseurs of classical music sharing lawn space with folk just visiting the fine arts for the evening – now that is literally being The Crossroads of Western Civilization and with a bow tied on.

Scintillating Selections:

The program was brilliant. Scintillating Mozart, celebratory Strauss, culturally iconic Charles Ives and the rich notes of Gershwin, along with glimpses into the less familiar including a triumphant conclusion from the brilliant contemporary Mexican composer Arturo Márquez.

Conductor Michelle Di Russo was, as always, energetic and engaged, reaching deep into her orchestra to pull out the particular nuances and flourishes called for both on the score and in response to the emotive atmosphere of the storybook setting.

Rebekah and I arrived early, met with friends, soaked in the glory of a fine June evening under a cloudless sky, then sank into the beach chairs we had carried the short three-tenths of a mile walk from MaulHall East and let the music roll over us, soaking into our souls.

Afterwards, we visited with more friends, made several new ones and sauntered slowly back down St. Patrick Street and past our future home, turning by Howard Memorial Presbyterian Church to our temporary home, feeling more and more at home, letting the style, the panache, the flair, the elan of this town claim us just a little more….

Enjoy the photographs. But, next time, come – DEREK