It is so hot here that I have just abandoned my discovery tour of the city and returned to my hotel. I just can't do 35 degrees Celsius and very high humidity. Too much.

Yesterday evening was quite a remarkable concert. What seemed to be simply opera's most beloved arias and ensembles from Carmen, Aida, Porgy and Bess etc., turned out to be a touching tribute to great African-American singers of the past (like Marian Anderson, Leontyne Price or Todd Duncan, the first Porgy) who had sung on the stage of the Mann Center. The concert was performed by a few of today's most accomplished African-American singers, notably soprano Angela Brown, baritone Gordon Hawkins and veteran tenor Vinson Cole, and accompanied by the magnificent Philadelphia Orchestra (the famous sound was there!) under the expert leadership of Edoardo Müller. The excerpts from Porgy and Bess that concluded the program were especially memorable for their emotional intensity and vocal accomplishment. I don't think Gershwin's music has ever moved me more than yesterday night.

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I just arrived at the gate for my flight to Philadelphia. Despite all the G20 panic, security and immigration at Pearson were so smooth today that I'm here at the gate only 40 minutes after I left our apartment at King and Spadina. This is absolutely unheard of!

In Philadelphia, I will attend two concerts with the Philadelphia Orchestra, which I have never heard live before. Very much looking forward to them.