I'm originally from California, but I've lived in the Roswell area for a number of years. I had always wanted to visit the Roswell cultural arts center but I never had until this time.

I attended a musical performance of the group Abilene on a Saturday night. I truly enjoyed everything about the experience.

First, the theater is relatively small, and most seats are not too far from the stage. I had lucked out and was able to purchase a seat in the front row, which is 10 to 15 feet away from the stage.

The performance by Abilene was simply spectacular. They describe themselves as a neo classical ensemble. I love the way they took some classical pieces by composers, such as Bach in Vivaldi, deconstructed them, reconstructed them, and made them their own.

The peace, entitled Cascades was probably my favorite. It was inspired by the mountain range in the Pacific Northwest. The passionate playing near the end by both the cellist and the violinist was extraordinary.

I also love the way they created a peaceful environment during their performance. They had a fog machine or smoke machine, as well as different colored lights used with each song.

I also appreciated having David Crowe, the cultural arts coordinator, introduce the group, as well as tell us a little bit about the upcoming performances. While the tickets for next season don't go on sale until May, I'm ready to purchase tickets for more shows in 2023 and into 2024.

Cheers