3. The PetroJazz experience

The highlight of my time in Saint Petersburg was the chance to play at the city’s prestigious international jazz festival.

I landed late at night and didn’t reach my hostel until 5 AM on Wednesday the 25th. I stayed at Club 33, which feels like my home in St. Petersburg, partly because I know the owner, Sergey, and partly because the common area is perfect for getting work done.

My only worry was not having a piano to rehearse on for the two days leading up to the festival, but thankfully, my program was already solid.

I was the opening act. After a quick introduction from the presenter and the easiest soundcheck in history (literally just turning the volume up), I played for a crowd of about 600 early birds. Thanks to some technical delays before my set, the audience was already seated and attentive, which was great.

To make the set more engaging, a dancer named Katya improvised choreography for two of my eight songs.

I was even interviewed by TV St. Petersburg! The whole set was filmed with multiple cameras, so hopefully, I’ll have some professional footage to share soon.