Busy Busy...When's the break?

Well, life is still busy it seems. I feel as if I haven't had a moment to come up for air since I've been back from Kansas.  Tomorrow I"m auditioning just for the sub list for BMOP.  I injured my thumb working on r's piece so I had to find a quick alternative piece to prepare-that didn't have thumb position and was written after 1950. I came up with Bloch's 3rd Suite...the first movement. I"m also playing the Gigue from Bach's 3rd suite.  A standard for me...

Thursday I'm leaving for Dartmoth College in NH for 3 days to play with the orchestra there. I'm pretty stoked about the program....Brahms 4, Brahms academic overture and a mozart piano concerto.  Fun music, and free housing at a  hotel near by!  yay, no driving and free internet!

This summer I"m trying to lay low and prep excerpts for the possible NYPHIL audition next year, play a recital-AND learn r's piece. I did agree to do a week at the Bard Conductor's Institute Orchestra in upstate NY, and I have to teach at a Suzuki Camp in July. I've been quasi wait listed for another program and I'm hoping that I might be able to attend that. I'll write more about it if it were to become a reality. 

I guess thats it for now. Tonight my students played a recital in Whitinsville, and I taught most of the day. My mom's dog is here and he's not been well so I stuck a vet appointment in the center of it all and found a way to squeeze a little practice into the day due to tomorrow's audition. I wish I had a little more prep time!

Nothing really that exciting...

      This weekend E came over and we shopped, a lot.  :-)  We also worked for many hours on R's cello piece.  ITs coming along, but it is very difficult and I'm thrilled/grateful to have her help with it.. I"m excited about the challenge, it will be a good summer project and I think its an amazing piece.  

     My teaching is taking up a lot of my time lately, due to the fact that I've been taking auditions-I'm way behind in make up lessons, ugh! Next week also marks the beginning of the recital season-which makes fitting in make up lesson even harder and adds recital rehearsals into my schedule.  Beyond that I"m still feeling run down and trying to sort-of rest and get myself sorted out and back in some sort of order and practice schedule.  Next week I'm also going to NH for a few days for a gig. Maybe in june I'll be able to stay in Massachusetts for a bit. 

Generally things are good, and I"m chugging along and in pretty good spirits!  Tomorrow is a hair cut, Chiropractor (My neck is super tense from all the playing lately) and then teaching for 7 hours.  

Pictures

I have no control over picture size it seems!!!  YIKES..some are big some are small...and I have no idea why!

Kansas City part 2 and back to the grind....

Obviously, the situation that I flew into didn't really set me up for a stellar audition...I"m over that-but I do want to figure out how to wow them on my next audition....sigh

After the audition E and I got together and decided to take Olathe.  We went out to eat and then went to the mall of the midwest or something (Its a virtually deserted mall) but it had GLOW IN THE DARK GOLF!   Golf was hilarious. E couldn't keep her ball on course at all!!!  We also did a little shopping and fooling around in the mall.  Afterwards we went back to the hotel (and my suite) and skyed with Jen.  All in all a fun day after a hard and slightly disapointing audition day.

Wed E went home and M came and picked me up to go to her house in Leavenworth, KS and proceeded to shop for the next 3 days. I'm sad she's moving to Germany b/c she'll be a lot farther away, but at the same time Im' super excited for her!

Saturday morning I flew home without any hitches, and was met by my boy and a dozen roses.  What a faboo man he is!  

So whats up now? Now there are lots of make up lessons to teach, a summer to plan, a recital to plan (more than one actually-for me and my students).  I already have my pianist and ball gown for my recital...I just need to find a hall and a date!

Kansas City...part 1

Ok, I'll start with a little bit of the Kansas story today...

I flew in after my BPO concert that started at 3pm.  I was supposed to take off at 8pm, but my flight was delayed slightly and I took off at 8:30. I had a layover in Milwaukee and then I was supposed to be in Kansas City by 11:30.  Unfortunately KS was having tornado watches and Flash Flood warnings so my flight ended up getting in around 2:45 am.  My poor friend Chris was nice enough to pick me up-even with my delay.  SUCH a good friend.  On the decent into KS I really thought we were going to die...I saw lightning going right by the wing, and the turbulance was INSANE.  Anyhow....we survived.  My hotel was another 45 minutes from the airport, and when we got to the airport it seemed like they DID NOT reserve a spacific room I had requested.  Due to the misunderstanding they decided to put me in a SUITE!  HURRAH...it was such a fabulous room. By this time it was about 4:30 am and we (E met up with us) decided to have a really early breakfast and then go to bed. Breakfast was so much fun...and I got to sleep around 6am.  NOT really the best set up for a successful audition. I do not do well with all nighters. I had a lot of trouble sleeping and probably only got about 4 or 5 hours of restless sleep.  

The next day I practiced, went out and bought some audition snacks (if I were to have to hang around the audition site at all) and tried to take it easy.  My practicing felt a little sporatic and not always organized but I think that had a little to do with how exhausted I was (due to the rehearsal/concert week and all nighter). 

Tuesday I got up around 5:45, had breakfast and went into a hotel banquet room to warm up. I left for the audition on the shuttle around 8:30 am (for a 9am check in) and picked number 2 for my timeslot. The prelim round was Haydn D, Mendelsohn Schertzo, Beethoven 5, and Also Sprach Zarathustra.  

In the audition I felt as if everything went ok. Haydn had a few scary moments, but it was the first time I'd ever taken Haydn D out for anything. I tried my best to sound as if the concerto was well broken in, but who knows. Maybe it sounded a little hesitant. I need to get this concerto under my fingers...my cello loves it. I just need to! ;-)  Beethoven 5 went well, maybe a little slow, Schertzo went fine (with my bouncing bow) and Strauss might have needed to go faster but it is an excerpt that I love to play.  All in all, n0t bad, but unfortunately not good enough for 2nd round. I swear the day that I finally get to the next round will be the day I get to finals...sigh.

TO be continued. Time for bed now. 

Natalia Gutman

Last week I played a BPO concert with Natalia Gutman. Natalia Gutman is one of the best cellists I have ever heard (at least, in my opinion).  She played Prokofiev's Symphonia Concertante..and it was amazing.  Natalia was chosen to play this piece at Richter's Funeral...and with her personal connections to Rostropovich (and his personal connections with the creation of the piece with Prokofiev) she had a lot of information to give in regards to what Prokofiev wanted.  It was amazing and an experience I wish all of the cellists out there could have.  To have her ability to bring moods/emotions and colors so easily (along with Kick butt cello technique, both with articulation and left hand) was astounding. She gives a killer lesson just by being able to watch her. I was able to get  a picture with her and practice my pigeon German by speaking with her. Unfortunately I used the informal 'You" with her...SO embarassing.  We had 4 rehearsals, and 3 concerts last week, and then at 8pm (after the 3pm concert on Sunday) I jumped on a plane and went to Kansas City.  I was supposed to land at 11:30 KC time, but instead landed at 2:45..and felt lucky to be on the ground safe...due to the tornados in the area. The weather definately made me less than excited at the prospect of living there....

Ok, more about the trip and the audition tomorrow...I have to sleep now!

I"ll post soon!

yes, yes...I know I haven't posted in a while. I promise to update...about everything (Kansas City etc) in the next few days.  I"m just catching up on rest, student scheduling, and recital preparations....AND my 4 year anniversary is this week! :-)