NWS=Oh Well...

As you were all aware, I was hoping to move down to Miami next and join the New World Symphony...I had subbed there about 2 months ago and loved it, and found myself in Chicago a month later borrowing a cello from Carl Becker and auditioning...and much to my surprise, the audition went really well! It was probably one of the better auditions I've played in my life. So I had a good attitude about the results...

I went into a constant state of panic/stress Monday morning when I hear that people were beginning to hear back...being a typical musician, I tried to analyze what everyone was hearing back and attempted to apply it to what my results could be. After a day of staring at my email and phone I had still not heard anything and was becoming a bit worried.

Much to my disappointment, I did received word late Tuesday morning that I had been placed on the Semifinalist list...I was bummed, not only because I hadn't been selected as a fellow (which was super tough this year as there may only be one opening...maybe none) but because I had been downgraded from finalist!

So it is def gonna be another season with the Arkansas Symphony for me...which really isn't all that bad...I mean, this is technically the type of job that New World is training for...and I already have one...so yeah. I can look forward to playing Bartok 3, Mendelssohn something or other and Schoenberg 1 with my quartet as well as Mahler 2 with the orchestra...and I'll keep getting a paycheck ;-)

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)

News of the Day

Today the Arkansas Symphony announced, or at least told the performers, what we will be performing on the chamber series concerts next season. I'm not sure if this info is public yet, so I won't list everything out, but I will say that my quartet got totally screwed over. We are only playing one piece that we requested (on the very last concert) and only one piece besides that (a Bach Cantata). Meanwhile, the other two quartets are playing eleven pieces between them. My quartet gets 2. Needless to say, I'm not very happy with the Arkansas Symphony right now.

In other news, I'm leaving tomorrow for Chicago. I'll be there for a week (Thursday-Thursday)...we have some time off from the symphony and I will be taking the New World Symphony Audition. I hope it goes well!! Really really really well that is. The list is fairly standard...and it looks like I will probably be able to borrow a cello for a few days...well, maybe. I have an appointment on Friday with Paul Becker.

No matter what happens, it will be great to get out of the awful state of Arkansas for a week!

Hello Again

Ok ok...its been over a month, but I think I'm finally ready to get back into this whole blogging thing. Famous last words, right??? Well, here goes, all sorts of crazy stuff has been going on.

I spent last week playing with the New Worlds Symphony in Miami Beach. I thought it would be nice to spend a week in Miami and see a ton of friends I hadn't seen in a while...but I ended up totally loving the orchestra. It was concerto week (we played seven concertos on two concerts...5 of them violin concertos) and it was great to play with Martin and KCB (yay Rice/Tanglewood!!)...all of the soloists sounded great. It was nice to have a dinner invitation every night I was there and to catch up with so many old (and new) friends. And yes....I'm doing the audition in a few weeks.

In other news...the Arkansas Symphony is having some trouble...we heard a rumor that the Sturgis Quartet (the one I play in) was going to be disbanded at the end of the season...and then the rumor became fact, and then the players committee freaked, and then the administration took it back...and then the executive director resigned and they kind of forgot about Sturgis. So now it looks like we will still have our jobs for next season...but nobody is really sure about anything. I don't think the orchestra is in the best situation: no music director, no executive director and financial problems...oops. But all seems to be running smoothly now. According to people who have been in the orchestra for a while, this happens all the time and they never end up getting rid of Sturgis...but keep threatening too. I'm sure it will happen eventually. Maybe not.

We are playing a Mancini concert this week...its kind of fun...kind of boring at the same time. A few weeks ago we played Shostakovich 5th Symphony...which was probably the best I've ever heard the Arkansas Symphony sound before. Still not as good as Tanglewood or Rice...but fun to play with. For a change.

I was actually starting to get used to Little Rock...the trip to Miami came at the perfect time, because I realized how many things I really don't like about LR. Its so easy to just get used to your surroundings and be happy with them...even if they totally suck.

Post Quartet Seminar

I thinks its reasonable to say that our quartet performance this morning went pretty well...especially given the circumstances. As previously mentioned, we were in the Tanglewood Theater (where they put on the operas) which is a much more outdoor hall than Ozawa is...therefore, it was very humid. There also happened to be a thunderstorm going on at the same time. It stayed quiet for our entire Haydn Quartet, but in the break afterwards, while I was about to start the Dvorak with my low C-String A-flat, there were rumbles of thunder. Good thing it matched the mood of the introduction. By the time we finished our one Dvorak movement, it was starting to storm. I feel bad for the next group because they had to deal with the really really loud thunder while they were playing. They still sounded great.

Mark Sokol came and gave us each a hug right before we played, and then did the same after. I still kind of love him. A lot. {the Lee Quartet is pictured above}

Right now I should be preparing for my New World Sub-list audition which is a little over an hour. However, I'm writing this blog instead. I've elected to play the old-standard: Dvorak Concerto along with three excerpts of my choice: Don Juan (the middle, not the beginning), Brahms 2 slow movement, and La Mer. I think that these are all in my fingers pretty well, so I'm not freaking out about it. Its not like they gave us a whole lot of notice anyways...I think they put up the sign-up sheets two days ago. Sigh.

Old Bass Road

Things are progressing nicely here at Tanglewood...tomorrow is our quartet seminar marathon performance. My first two summers here it was in Ozawa Hall, but I guess its overrun with dancers now, so we have been relegated to the Opera Theatre. As you can see in the pics...not nearly as nice. My group will be playing at approximately 10:30am...so we can expect a huge audience. If you are so inclined, and live in the Berkshires, you should come by...the concert starts at 10. We are playing Haydn and Dvorak.

I signed up to play the New World Symphony sublist audition...the only problem is that its tomorrow, and they just put up the sign up sheets. So nice of them to give advanced warning. I hear that its worth it to do it, even if you don't feel prepared. The only thing that stopped me from doing it last year was the fact that I was rehearsing Verlkaerte Nahct 24 hours a day and I had strep throat.

I've decided that I'm going to start sharing random pictures from my photo library with you all. Todays selection (seen above) is the road sign outside of our Bed and Breakfast in CT (where me and my parents and uncle stayed for a few days about a week ago). My uncle insisted on calling it "Old Bass Rd" and as you can clearly see, its just simply "Bass Rd."