All of the musicians enjoy the special outdoor summer performance, Lande said, and the musical selection – a cross section of pop, rock, Broadway and classical pieces – was a great way to kick things off.

The only down side of the evening was the ash and smoke, he said. The ash was landing on instruments and streaking the musicians’ white shirts, and the smoke was compromising his wind capacity.

“It kind of hurts the lungs,” Lande said. “It makes it a little harder to take the deep breathes, especially for the big pieces. But it’s still fun to get to play outside to a crowd of people who don’t normally attend out concerts.”

I can’t even imagine having to play in these conditions. The article has nary a negative word from the musicians, aside from what the horn player says above, but I’ll bet some were pretty darn unhappy. (Don’t believe you are reading exactly how we feel when we are quoted! Many of us know better than to speak our minds!)