Chicago Symphony bassist and active blogger Michael Hovnanian just put out a post recounting a highly wacky gig that he played with other members of his orchestra.  This gig (on Good Friday) happened to land on the day of a freak snow storm here in Chicago, with the metro area receiving 6-12 inches of snow right when this gig was supposed to get going.

Michael writes:

Due to the uncertainties of timing such a large outdoor procession, we were instructed to arrive no later than 11:15 AM, with an expected start time of approximately 11:45. Unfortunately, not everyone in the group read the memo. As luck would have it, snow began to fall some time during the night, snarling traffic in the city. Although the venue was not far from my house, I barely made it to the parking lot by 11:05. As I parked my car, the violist pulled up alongside and we exchanged a wave before I went in. I thought it somewhat odd he didn’t follow me into the church, but I figured he knew what he was doing. The second violinist and cellist who had carpooled were already in place when I got there. As soon as I pulled my instrument out of the case a man hurried up to us and informed us the procession was about two minutes away. The cold snowy weather had naturally shortened the time anyone wanted to remain outdoors, even to reenact the crucifixion.

Check out the complete post here–it includes a great photo of the event in progress!

Michael has also been a guest on the Contrabass Conversations podcast, both alone as an interview guest and as a member of the Chicago Bass Ensemble.  Check these audio episodes out below, and subscribe to the podcast (click here for iTunes subscriptions and here for everything else) to get free automatic downloads of these and other excellent double bass artist audio profiles each week.

Michael Hovnanian on Contrabass Conversations:

• all interviews plus performances of Brahms Sonata, Beethoven Sonata, and Schubert Sonata
• Chicago Bass Ensemble interview and performance