Path to the Pavilion

Path to the Pavilion — Huizhou Lake, China

When they told us we were stopping at a lake before the evening concert, I wasn't exactly thrilled. A leisurely stroll around a lake? Moi?

But China has a habit of surprising you.

When we arrived at Huizhou, surrounded by hazy sunshine and bamboo groves, pagodas rising from still water, temples half hidden in trees — I felt something I hadn't expected. Happiness. Pure, uncomplicated, unexpected happiness.

I was walking slowly with Mathilde, one of our violinists nursing a bad foot, taking our time while the others rushed ahead. It was that unhurried pace that did it — the kind of walking that lets you actually see things. The light was filtering through the trees, sparkling on the water, and the path curved gently ahead of us toward a pavilion that felt like it had been there for centuries.

I raised the camera and didn't think twice.

There are days on tour when the music and the place and the people all align into something you know you'll carry for the rest of your life. This was one of them.

Shot on Fujifilm X100F — Huizhou Lake, China, 2024