For those of you who have never heard the name Joshua Bell, I have to enlighten you.

 Joshua Bell is an amazing violinist and I had the great opportunity to hear him play in Ft. Collins, CO last week. I was not disappointed.  Mr. Bell is considered a “classical music superstar.”  He was recently named the Music Director of the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields and has earned numerous awards and debuted when he was just 14.

 Here’s a little example of his amazing artistry on the violin – which by the way is a 1713 Huberman Stradivarius.

I heard about Joshua Bell about 20 years ago and since then have wanted very much to see him in concert, but he was never in a place close enough for me to drop what I was doing and go.

This time he was and my friend and I were able to heard him play. Here we are dressed up for the occasion.  Okay – we were really just playing around in a thrift store.

 I wish everyone could attend one of his concerts as the man is pure poetry in motion.

Now I have to also give high praise for the pianist who accompanied Mr. Bell. Sam Haywood is a British pianist who has won many of his own accolades.

One of the most amazing things I read about him was that to celebrate Chopin’s bicentennial year, he made the world premiere recording on Chopin’s own Pleyel piano which is part of the Cobbe Collection at Hatchlands.

 It was amazing the way these two performed together and it brought tears to my eyes and all I could do was praise God was giving such talent. Thankfully I have a few CDs and continue to enjoy the music now that I’m back home. But, there was nothing quite so grand as hearing him play in person. Yes, that was a heavy sigh you just heard from a very contented heart.