Quick Catch Up

Things that have recently happened:

1. On December 5th, I auditioned for and won the principal cello job in my orchestra. There were only three candidates, but they were all very good. I practiced really hard...doing a mock audition everyday, including two at 9am (which is when the actual audition was). It was the most prepared I've ever felt for an audition, and I'm happy with the results (duh)
2. The following day I played the Messiah at UAPB (University of Arkansas Pine Bluff). Their choir is very very very good, and its always fun to hear them. It is also the most complete Messiah I've ever played...I think they leave out 2 numbers. Maybe 3?
3. I have been super busy as I have been playing with Sturgis (my usual quartet) as well as subbing in the Quapaw Quartet fairly often. I'll be playing a recital with QQ in January, so we have already started rehearsing.
4. I went home to Chicago for the first time in several for Thanksgiving. I mostly just practiced that weekend. And I met my parents new dogs: Gus(tav) and Jo(hannes).
5. I played my first Nutcracker this past weekend. I was a little bit nervous, since it was my first service sitting principal and I had never played the piece before. I think it all went pretty well though. And we only played it twice, so I don't hate it yet.

Things that will be happening this week:

1. Several rehearsals with QQ (we are playing Shostakovitch 3 and Brahms 1).
2. Holiday Pops with the ASO (a brand new show...should be fun)
3. Rheinberger rehearsal at Cathedral of St. Andrew (performing with Drew and Phil in February.
4. Not 1, but 2 gigs!! This is unheard of for me in Little Rock...
5. More blog posts? Maybe people will read this if I actually write something once in a while. Hmmmmm...

Audition Wrap-Up

I am now back in (not-so) beautiful Little Rock, AR...I think it was 80+ everyday I was gone. Now it is supposed to be cold and rainy all week. So far, the weather guys have been right...it cold and rainy right now. The drive was uneventful as always...was great to catch up with some people and nice of them to help me pass the time!

The audition went pretty well...as usual I got there waaaaay too early. They auditioners were at lunch, but the whole thing was "self-serve" anyways...no check in or anything. So I warmed up/practiced for and hour and a half or so...I was the only cellist there, and one of three string players that I saw. There were three tubas though, and a whole bunch of woodwinds. That made the warm up room a little bit on the loud side. But I just sat in the corner with my Dr. Beat and freaked out about playing Mendelssohn Scherzo. That excerpt is just beyond me...there have been times when I've nailed it...but I can count them on one hand. Not the kind of odds you want going into an audition.

They started me off with Bach...I played the "old standard" as Heather calls it...Prelude to the 2nd Suite...I have been playing this piece since my first round of college auditions so I'm pretty comfortable and confident with it now ;-) They hear almost the whole thing, then we moved onto Dvorak Concert...they just hear the first page...I've also been playing this one for years and years (along with every other cellist on the planet).

Excerpts went well...Beethoven 5 was in tune and tempo appropriate (and steady)...I hit all the shifts in Heldenleben and didn't rush...Mozart 35 was clean and I didn't rush (thank you Dr. Beat for the help practicing) and La Mer was in tune! And they didn't ask for Mendelssohn Scherzo...2nd audition in a row that I have lucked out with that one. I truly believe that if they had asked for it in Arkansas, I would not be living here right now.

So now I have to sit and wait and wait and wait...they will let us know no later than April 15th...which is a little over a month away. Gah...I hate waiting. Any second I could get a letter or a call or an email from either New World or Norfolk...and I don't like the suspense!

Hello Chicago

Sorry for the lack of updates...I have been at home in Chicago for a few days now (I drove up last Thursday...that long super exciting drive up I-40 + 57). I have been practicing away, of course. My audition is tomorrow afternoon (at 2:40 to be exact). It has been a fairly eventful trip so far. Here goes...

1. My parents and I attended the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra concert at Mandell Hall at the University of Chicago. There was just an SPCO cello audition that I had been planning on taking...but New World called and I took a free trip to Miami Beach instead. They only have three cellos right now, and only used two of them for the majority of the concert. The highlight was definitely the world premiere of a piece by my friend Jake Bancks...the piece was great, the orchestra obviously enjoyed playing it! I have played a few pieces by Jake, and they are always a joy! Jake had a great following there to support him as well.
2. My mom and I attended the Metropolitan Opera HD Broadcast of Madama Butterfly starring Patricia Racette. It was the first time I had ever seen the opera...gotta admit, its not my favorite Puccini (which would probably be Boheme). It was kind of shocking that all of the theaters in Chicago totally sell out for these opera broadcasts...and they show it in theaters all over the city and suburbs. We bought our tickets online the night before, and had to go into the city because all the theaters close to Wilmette were sold already. Our theater also sold out. Pat Racette is a really great actress, btw. (and singer)
3. I managed to borrow a really good cello for my New World Audition. I will be playing on a Carl Becker cello made in 1940. I hope that is goes well...send me good vibes at 2:40 tomorrow. (see picture above)

Back to Real Life

Thanksgiving break has been a success in my book...plenty of food, and plenty of time not spent in Arkansas, where I will be headed back to tomorrow. I have a pretty light week coming up...just one concert and a handful of gigs...nothing remotely busy. So hopefully I will go to the gym everyday and lose fifty pounds...well, maybe more like four, which is also fine.

Yesterday I saw Quantam of Solace, that new Bond movie...which I was not a fan of at all. I really liked Casino Royale...but the action scenes in QoS where much too fast paced and heavily edited for me (I couldn't really tell what was going on at all) and I felt that the storyline wasn't really focused (and didn't really make any sense)...but that might just be me being stupid...as usual.

Feel free to call me tomorrow. I will be bored and sitting in the car driving through corn fields...really exciting.

Drive Complete

Well...I made it all the way back to Chicago in one piece...thanks in no small part to all of you who called me to keep me from falling asleep...and of course, conservative talk radio...nothing like Rush Limbaugh to get me pissed off and to keep me from falling asleep. The drive ended up taking over 12 hours...I was making great time, until I hit Chicago, which of course had terrible traffic and took over two hours to get through. I was really stiff after that. I trust that the return trip will be a little smoother...but you never really know I guess.

Hmmmm...

I don't understand why people are complaining that Obama's cabinet picks are not the change that he promised, as he keeps picking people from the former Clinton Administration. Do they not realize that this is a change from how things have been for the past eight years and that he is simply going back to an administration that worked?

Anyways...things are going ok here in Arkansas. Our quartet concert last week wasn't exactly a huge success, but we got through things without any major disasters, which is probably the best we could have hoped for. The review was far from a rave, but wasn't negative by any means. We are now done for the season...only weddings, random gigs and demos from now on. We will most likely do some concerts in the spring...but we are done with our appearances at the Clinton Library.

I'm excited to go home for Thanksgiving this week...I'll be driving up to Chicago on Wednesday and staying until Sunday. Thanksgiving is always one of my favorite holidays and I'm especially excited about being at home after my very draining past few months...

Half Full??

As you can see...I didn't do very well. Kimberly took the rest home with her and had them for her next meal. (the whip cream had Kahlua and Irish cream in it...yum). Steph and I drove the rest of the way to Chicago today...things went without a hitch until we got to Kankakee, where tornadoes rolled through yesterday and they highway was closed for cleanup of overturned trucks and general mayhem. The result: driving through lots and lots of cornfields and small towns in southern Illinois on the detour...we never made it back to I-57, but we did somehow emerge in Chicago eventually...will be nice to have a day off of driving tomorrow!

Stuff

I am going home tomorrow (today?) .... I think things will be very cold in Chicago...but I will only be there for a few days since I will be going to Puerto Vallarta for 10 days!!! yay!!! then right back to Houston (and preparing for my preview!) yikes...I am seriously thinking about doing the Rochester Phil audition...there are three cello openings and it is a month after my recital...what do you guys think? Should I go for it? I already know all the excerpts and would only need to learn one...and I could stay with friends making it pretty cheap...should I go for it?

List Of Things

When I haven't written in a while its always easier to update with a list! So here you go.

1. Just finished my orchestral repertoire final...it was torture as usual including excerpts from Mahler 5, Brahms 4, Tchaikovsky Serenede for Strings, and Mozart 39...yikes...its over...and I only have one more semester of orch rep to go!!! yay!!!!
2. I need to make a recording now for summer festival audition...that should be exciting...
3. It has been very cold here...and by very cold I mean like 40's and 50's...I do realize that I used to endure much colder temperature than that all the time...but now, to me, this is very cold.
4. I'm going back to Chicago on Friday, then a few days after that, I'll be off to Puerto Vallarta...should be exciting.
5. I played in the Woodlands Symphony last weekend...it was fine, thank you, and the Woodlands (along with all of the Houston suburbs) scare me.
6. Big Love Season 2 is on DVD...so watch it.
7. I guess I don't really have that much to say after all.

Back at Home

I made it back to Chicago in one piece...although my flight was seriously delayed. I got to the airport on the early side and then found out my flight would be leaving four hours later than it should have! Yikes...Good thing I had "Talk To Her" in my bag...actually didn't end up finishing it and then watched most of "Edward Scissorhands" on the airplane...and slept a little too...was home by 12:30 or so (after getting to the airport at 4!)...