Last week I traveled to New Orleans to perform with the Louisiana Philharmonic, conducted by Music Director Carlos Miguel Prieto. The program included works by Richard Strauss (Don Quixote) and Berlioz (Romeo and Juliet).

Both performances were enthusiastically received and were a blast for the horn section!

In addition to performing with this very fine group of musicians, I had the opportunity to test several of my colleagues’ high-end custom horns. These included two by Dan Rauch and two by Keith Berg. All were very fine instruments with great response and tone, as one would expect. I was particularly interested in testing the Rauch horns since I am due to receive a new one next spring. As if all of that wasn’t enough, the food was predictably amazing. Some of my favorite spots were in the Bywater. At the top of my list were  The Joint (BBQ), Bootie’s (Fusion, small plates) and a delicious little  bakery called Shake Sugaree. All in all a great trip, and I look forward to returning to the “The Big Easy”.