I’m so glad Carl bought the type of ticket which allowed us entrance into the private reception after the Bach Collegium Japan’s Mass in B Minor concert!

He had brought along his copy of their Bach B-Minor CD and was able to talk to all the soloists and get their autographs. Peter Kooij, the bass whom we had met in France last summer, was so surprised to see that we had flown all the way from Honolulu to hear this concert. But Carl said, “Well, because you didn’t stop in Hawaii, we had to come here!”

The food was absolutely yummy and looked so beautiful, too. They even had “Hawaiian Hazelnut” coffee available.

But the absolute highlight of the night was that both Carl and Allen Bauchle got a chance to speak to Masaaki Suzuki at length. We gave a big box of Hawaiian chocolate macadamia nut candy to Suzuki to share with the Bach Collegium Japan. Maestro Suzuki said that neither he nor his wife had ever been to Hawaii before, so Carl told him if they were ever interested in bringing the Bach Collegium Japan, he would try to assist them in coming!