The wrong trousers!

Or rather, no trousers at all! It's the moment every orchestra manager dreads - your own personal organisation letting you down, just before a concert.

The lead up to Thursday's concert in the chapel of Santa Clara hotel had more than its fair share of uncertainties. Would the stage be big enough for the piano concerto? Would the piano have to be lifted onto the stage in the middle of the concert? Would we be able to change the concert order so that the harp could be moved and tuned during the interval? Would the atmospheric lighting be adequate for the orchestra to read their music?

In addition, there was a heightened sense of tension amongst the orchestra and around the hotel, as by then we had realised that the extreme tidal waves on the previous day (causing the beach to be closed to the public and boat trips to be cancelled) were the result of the devastating earthquake in Haiti. Furthermore, at breakfast there were rumours of very slow moving traffic into the old town, so there were doubts about whether we would be able to get to the rehearsal on time. I then discovered that there was a police road block and no traffic was allowed to pass as they were on the hunt for a murderer! Apparently there had been a shooting earlier that morning, and you can only imagine the number of different stories that we heard about it...

Fortunately, the previous day we had agreed that the rehearsal would be later (so that the piano could be there in time after being used for a morning chamber music concert) and we were able to get through the road block with a special permission from the police. Also, the stage was at least two metres deeper than we expected, so there was plenty of space for the piano, the harp, and even the orchestra. All seemed to be going ever so smoothly, until I went to get changed 45 minutes before the concert and discovered that I had forgotten my black trousers! It was crucial for this concert to be in blacks for the stage moves, and I didn't have time to go back to the hotel to get them. One of the production team came to the rescue by lending me a pair, but I have never been so embarrased... Why is it so much easier to organise an orchestra than myself?! I was lucky in that the players were kind, and there haven't been too many trouser-related jokes since.

Tonight we have our final concert of the festival - a performance of the Mozart Requiem outdoors in the Plaza San Pedro. I plan to go ready changed.

Claire Bayliss, Orchestra Manager, approx. 5pm Colombian time