Nostalgia

I've just come back from work.
I didn't really want to see what was showing, but chose to work because they were understaffed and seemed kinda desperate.
It was a 'County Music Spectacular', which on arrival, I learned was all the school orchestras in the county of Warwickshire coming together for a big concert.

At the beginning, I was feeling slightly unenthusiastic. A child had been sick in the audience seating area, so there was a delay in opening the doors. Audience was getting restless and I just felt suffocated amongst bitchy and stressed-out parents, along with the school politics and equally as stressed teachers.

However, when the performance got underway, I couldn't help feeling nostalgic for my musical experience throughout my school life. The orchestras were mainly made up of strings and I, an ex-violinist, used to play in orchestra. The first two groups were not amazing, but they were aged like 6 to maybe 11, so it was forgiveable and quite cute really.
Then came the County Youth Orchestra. The pros. Dressed in their black finery, looking elegant in comparison with the scraggly primary schoolers, lopsided skirts and too-small jumpers galore.
They played extremely well, and I was super impressed by the solo cellist. She looked about 16/17 maybe, and her playing was like stunning, beautiful tone and musicality etc.
I couldn't help but be moved by listening to them playing so well, and seeing the young ones gazing in awe at them from the balcony seats and thinking that it won't be long before they become the gazees.
Time is that fleeting.

The climax of the evening came at the finale however. All the ensembles joining together to play one final piece. After what was more like a stampede in the African plains to get everyone on stage, all the students were ready to begin, instruments at the ready and at the conductor's command, the music commenced.
The different range of ability obviously affected the piece's success but considering, it sounded pretty impressive overall.
Typical of the classical genre, the music ended with multiple perfect cadences, giving a definite, very strong ending. As soon as the conductor dropped his hands, the audience erupted into rapturous applause. And suddenly, I felt myself begin to well up. It was as the audience gave standing ovation in ripples, and I saw the look of sheer joy on parents' faces, the utter relief from all the teachers who were milling around the sidelines, the union of experienced and nouveau musicians and the pleasant memory of performing in such situations and remembering the feelings I felt, and seeing those very feelings manifest in the children.
I didn't cry, but my eyes were certainly watering.
And even though I didn't know any of the kids, I felt proud and looked on as a mother would as they filed out of the concert hall. (Not in a creepy way obvs ha)

:)