Busy

I just finished putting together my part for the Bach Cantata we are playing next week. For whatever reason, all of the solo movements are written in the bassoon part, but they are actually played on cello. But all of the recits are written in the cello part...so I just combined them together. Now I need to sit down and really learn this stuff...I've worked on the main "cello aria"...but I have to go back and work on the recits...as you all know, this is something I really excel at.

Not so much...

Our season starts this week...Bach rehearsal on Monday...orchestra rehearsal on Tuesday...its going to be a bit busy for awhile, especially since I will be teaching at least 5 students at a church in Pine Bluff and teaching a college class at University of Arkansas @ Pine Bluff (string methods)...I'm still not exactly clear what is happening with this class...but I'll be meeting with the Music Department Chair tomorrow afternoon (and then teaching the class right after!!) Hmmmm...should be interesting.

And I really need to start going to the gym again. I think I will go biking this afternoon. And I will actually go!!

The Week in O(h)M(y)T(rill)

1. Rehearsals begin for the Ligeti Cello Concerto (with Chrissy Kim as soloist!)...I'm playing the orchestra part. The first time I played it was my first Musica Nova concert at Eastman (with the very scary Secret Theatre on the program!)
2. Rehearsing with Patti almost everyday (always a joy!) on the Carter Sonata.
3. Practicing like hell for my recital.
4. Lots of teaching as stuff (as always).
5. Lindsay Kesselman's vocal recital (I'm playing How I Hate This Room by her dad!)
6. Return to orchestra rehearsals with Larry...we've had a pretty easy schedule lately.
7. Norman Fischer Studio Recital on Friday night...I'm not playing for once, although I wanted to. Oh well.
8. My parents come into town on Friday and stay for the weekend!
9. Morgen comes into town on Saturday, auditions on Monday and leaves on Tuesday!
10. (my masters recital saturday at 3pm in duncan recital hall)
11. Elliott Carter.

The Week in O(h)M(y)T(rill)

Its the end of the semester and things are getting kind of crazy...seriously. My preview is next week...a good 7 weeks before my actual recital...so things are kind of falling into place...well, like one piece...sigh...its gonna be a little bit rough around the edges I think...oh well...I need to go an teach now...

1. Hilary and I are attempting to throw the Carter Enchanted Preludes together in one week. This piece is pretty hard...we are rehearsing basically everyday (even though her boyfriend is in town!) I know that she kind of hates me right now...but I'm really glad we are doing it! Thank you Hilary!
2. I'm playing the Lopez and the Plylar in studio on Tuesday...yikes...and the Popper Requiem with Meta, Chrissy, and Patti!
3. I start my new job at T.H. Rogers on Wednesday (and Friday)...I'm teaching sectionals...yay!
4. Thursday is the Shepherd Chamber Orchestra Concert...Music of Stravnisky, Vaughn Williams, and Saint-Saens...yes, its Christmas Music...but you should come and hear my solo in the Vaughn Williams!
5. Friday is the Symphony Concert...go hear them.
6. I'm judging region band auditions on Saturday...that should be interesting. Very interesting...more on that later.

New Job

I officially got a new job teaching sectionals at a Junior High near the Galleria! This makes for my fourth school here in Houston (except this is the only school I teach at that is actually in Houston...hmmm). I taught a region clinic there a few months back, and they hired me to come twice a week...I think it will be fun..yay!

The Week in O(h)M(y)T(rill)

There are lots of happenings this week in OMT...the Thanksgiving break has been very relaxing but the next few weeks are going to be pretty insane...in kind of a good way...lots of music to know...and lots more venues to play it at...

1. Sunday is a travel day...but my flight leaves Chicago at 6:30am...which puts me back in Houston at 9:12am...leaving plenty of time to practice and run errands alls day...and then collapse around 7pm (since I will have gotten up somewhere in the vicinity of 4am...yikes)
2. I return to teaching at La Porte (on Monday) and Cinco Ranch (on Thursday)...I've been playing a few gigs lately and have had to cancel (which is both good and bad...)
3. Studio Recital on Monday night...I'm playing the entire Carter Sonata...which will be very interesting...I really love the piece, but its a work out and Patti and I haven't played it since I left for Thanksgiving break...obviously.
4. Studio Party on Monday night...nuff said.
5. Hilary's Flute Recital is Saturday at 3pm...I'm playing continuo...again...come if you wanna laugh at me. And hear a good flute recital.
6. The Contemporary Music Practicum concert is Sunday Night at 7:30pm...hear some pretty good pieces by real composition majors and some 'interesting' pieces by performance majors...it is also my acting debut...

Teach-Masterclass

I survived teaching early this morning...it turns out that 5am is waaaaaay too early to get up, but I think its better that I was there at 7 (even though I was literally the only person in the school)...now I know that I probably don't need to get up until 5:45...which somehow makes a world a difference. Its kind of refreshing to get up that early...it made me feel like a "real person" driving to work with all those other "real people." And it didn't hurt to get a peppermint mocha from Starbuck's to sip on the way down to La Porte. Yum...

Masterclass with Trio con Brio Cophenhagen also went really well...we brushed up in two short rehearsals and did the first movement of the Schumann D Minor Trio. They actually had some good things to say, although the cellist didn't really say anything to me! Oh well...I guess I could have asked something...but we did already perform it...so, yeah...

The Week in O(h)M(y)T(rill)

1. I'm playing in the Symphony of Southeast Texas this week (aka Beaumont). Beaumont is very far away...like over an hour and a half...rehearsals on Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday...concert on Saturday. Should be a blast! (since I get a check at the end).
2. I'm starting a new job in La Porte on Monday morning...a cello sectional at 7:30am and then 4 students. I'm not very happy about the starting time...but I am happy about having a job.
3. Trio Baggins is playing in a chamber music masterclass on Monday for Trio con Brio...I'm not exactly sure who they are, but we get to play in their masterclass!
4. Working on putting together the 2nd and 3rd movements of the Carter Sonata with Patti (and maybe the 4th too!). Playing the 2nd in studio class on Tuesday.
5. Project Runway starts on Wednesday! Unfortunately I'll be out in Beaumont and I'll have to watch the replay at 12 or later...hmmm...hope I'm not too tired!
6. I'm playing for both Hilary's and Rachael's recitals...Hilary's preview is this week and Rachael's recital is on Sunday...I'm doing continuo for both, and you all know how amazing I am at continuo...sigh...
7. Chamber Orchestra starts for me again on Friday...I'm sitting principal so I need to find time to learn the music! Yikes...

Crazy Day So Far

I got up at 6am this morning...and by "got up" I mean that I set my alarm (and by alarm I mean both of my alarm clocks set at 5:55am and 6am) and hit snooze until 7am when I actually got up and wrote my music for Contemporary Music Practicum class and then I sprinted over to Starbucks and bought the necessary latte (non-fat sugar-free) and sprinted over to school and printed the parts and scores because I have no ink in my printer and then I went to Mind-Body class where we danced around doing eurythmics with Mrs. Fischer and then I went to contemporary music class where we played me pieces (which actually turned out ok...especially for being written at 7am) and then I went to rehearsal with Patti (and by rehearsal I mean that we talked for about 35 minutes of the hour on a wide range of topics not having to do with the Carter Sonata we were supposed to be rehearsing) and now I'm back at my apartment wasting time writing this entry because I should be showering and eating lunch before I drive out to Cinco Ranch to teach the little cello kiddies (and by little cello kiddies I actually mean the students I have which range in age from 6th-11th grade)...and then my day will be done.

Ups and Downs

I guess when things go well for you for a while, they have to go the other way for a while too...my one private student just let me know they are switching to another teacher for "reasons not related to me." She told me this in a one sentence email...thats the money I used for my groceries every week...I also heard from the teacher at my new school in La Porte that she doesn't have enough students to make it worth my time (even though she let me know at the beginning of the year that there would be at least 18...hmmm)...thats two jobs that I'm out of in one day...yikes...

In other good news, I got called to sub with the Symphony of Southeast Texas...I have to cancel some of my teaching but I think its worth it. Hmmm...now I need to double my efforts of finding more work...anybody hiring cellists in the Houston area?

More Teaching

So it looks like I'll be adding another school to my teaching roster...I drove down to La Porte this morning (at 8am) to meet with the orchestra director at the Baker 6th Grade Campus...they need a second cello teacher because they have 24 cello students there! (apparently the school district supplies students with a cello at school and a cello to take home!) I can teach during the day there (and possibly at the junior high down the street) which means that I probably don't have to apply to Starbucks...

Now its back to learning the 2nd Carter Figment in time for my lesson...its getting harder every time I play it, which probably isn't a good sign that I'm practicing it right...I should just slow it down...but the first figment is starting to go really well. Guess I should start dragging out the Sonata...

From School

So...the lesson went really well yesterday...my new beginner is a very eager student and promised she will practice everyday (30 minutes!!). This starting out thing is a frustrating business...lots of little changes that seem like nothing...and that bow is pretty tricky to hold...isn't it?

I need to hit the Carter hard in the practice room today...I'm supposedly playing both Figments in studio class next Tuesday (not today!) and I need to have them in some kind of working order for my lesson tomorrow. I think that this weekend will be a big one in terms of practicing.

Above is a picture of me hiding out in a random corner in school...thats where I'm writing from. I look a little on the tired side, no?