Using Logic Pro 9 on my Mac, I inputted all of the notes from all instruments for the Rachmaninoff’s 2nd Piano Concerto after wasting tons of paper printing out each part for the 1st movement. I ended up with a total of 65 layers of instruments, which was too powerful to run on my laptop, so I put my iMac in my suitcase. Luckily it didn’t break! I checked into my hotel, Aloft Broomfield in Broomfield, CO, which I quickly realized was WAY too far from Lakewood, CO and the Mile Hi Church. I was completely anxious to connect my equipment to the great sound system at Mile Hi, but it turned out to be pretty easy. One of the great engineers there, Nathan, was responsible for it being as smooth as it was. He also has an excellent ear because the balance of real live piano to software orchestra ended up being near perfect.

When I got there, I met with Dr. Kent Rautenstraus, the musical director at Mile Hi Church and an excellent pianist that got an opportunity to play at the White House multiple times. You would never know it though, because he doesn’t brag about all of his accomplishments.

(From Left: Dr. Kent Rautenstraus, Lacy Rostyak, Jonathan Cambry)

After a series of successful rehearsals, practicing, as well as the mental boost from playing tennis with Thom Lich, I was ready to perform on Sunday. I picked up my violinist Lacy Rostyak on Saturday, and we literally went straight from the airport to Mile Hi Church to practice in the old sanctuary. Even though the main sanctuary has a Bosendorfer Imperial Grand (97-key monster 9′6″ piano), the old sanctuary still contained a great 9-foot Baldwin concert grand that Lacy and I could practice on. After a series of mental breakdowns while attempting to practice, we still had a good rehearsal.

Sunday was a really early day, almost too early for me to even look at a piano. I’m the type of person that loves to practice from 9pm-5am, but never the guy to wake up at 5am to get ready to sound check by 6am. It was an outstanding idea to do this, since I could do another last sound check on my “Cambry Philharmonic” idea. I ended up debuting an excerpt of this during all 3 services (8am, 10am, 12pm). I think there were at least 1,000 in the audience during the 2nd services and probably near that amount for the 1st and 3rd. During the 2nd service I also got to see my friends that were responsible for me being there in the first place, Tom and Deborrah Willard. I am extremely privileged to know them.

I also spent a good amount of time bugging the very patient Jennifer Burnett, who is also a great musician on the staff at the Mile Hi Church. She was extremely organized, kind and very helpful and I was a lot less nervous to perform with her being there to direct and show me exactly what I was supposed to be doing.

Well, the outcome of the performance was great, a total of $6,018 was raised as a result of the concert, about 300 were in attendance and soon I will be receiving the video of the concert to show my Haitian relatives. I was also proud to meet Chuck, the man that purchased the Bosendorfer Imperial Grand Piano and donated it to the Mile Hi Church! I absolutely love the community there as it is perfectly in line with my spiritual beliefs. Dr. Roger Teel, the senior minister there and a good friend of the Willard’s let me know that he would like to see me and Lacy back at Mile Hi, and I would definitely love to come back. For now, it’s on to Missoula, Montana for the next performance!

(From Left: Kent Rautenstraus, Emile, Chuck, Jon Dorsey, Me)

Introduction speech about the situation currently in Haiti, given by yours truly.

Moment Musical No. 4 by Sergei Rachmaninoff

Scherzo No. 2 in B-flat Minor by Frederic Chopin

Une Barque sur l’ocean by Maurice Ravel (missing the last 2 minutes)

More videos coming soon!!