Pine Bluff Symph

Last night instead of watching the Barack Obama press conference, I was in Pine Bluff, AR rehearsing with the Pine Bluff Symphony. It haven't been playing in community orchestra recently, but I really need to money right now, and we have this week off from ASO, so I'm putting up with the drive (about 45 mins one way). I have to admit, I was a little surprised at the rep: Overture to West Side Story, Korngold Violin Concerto, Barber 1st Essay, a Schwanter Piece, and Lincoln Portrait...its a pretty ambitious program for a community orchestra, no?

I'm glad to have had the chance to play in the Avon Symphony back at Eastman...this orchestra takes the cake for best community orchestra stories...perhaps we can discuss that in more detail at some point, but here's a few key points: conductor wears clothes similar to Cher at the Oscars, no violas, conductor's teenage children in principal positions, old church lady accidentally hitting the samba button on the electronic keyboard during a concert.

So, after that, all community orchestras seem very professional and put together. I do have to admit that there were some frustrating moments during the Pine Bluff rehearsal (mainly during the Schawnter) but at least everyone can kind of play it...and it is definitely nice to be playing some non-standard music for once!!

Busy Week

This is shaping up to be my busiest week (and a half) of the entire season so far...this week we are playing an all Mozart program in orchestra (its only our third classical symphony concert so far this season) I am, of course, reminded of the huge 250th birthday celebration a few years ago when every chamber group and orchestra seemed to be playing the complete works of Mozart on every single concert they performed...and it got really really old

But this should be a pretty good concert...Overture to Don Giovanni and Symphony No. 41...and the Clarinet Concert, which is far from my favorite Mozart piece...ugh. Haven't played the symphony since 8th grade!! It was basically my first "big" orchestra piece that I played (in Midwest Young Artists Youth Orchestra)...always exciting to come back to music like that! Wait...I think I may have played it at Eastman too...oops...

Also...my chamber group is presenting our second (and final) concert of the season at the Clinton Library featuring the Schumann 3rd Quartet and the Enesco Octet. The Schumann is really coming together, but the Enesco is proving to be a daunting task. Its always frustrating rehearsing an octet...there are just too many people and too many opinions to review and everything takes too long to figure out. And the Enesco is really hard on top of it...so you can imagine how its going...we have exactly one week from tomorrow...I know CCE pulled off miracles like this all the time, so we'll see how it goes!!

Pictured above is me hugging Zhuzha...the violist in my quartet's dog at my Obama party on Tuesday night (note my Obama shirt!!)

String Sectional

Today we rehearsed in this space. As you can see, its not very large. Luckily it was just a string sectional...the morning session was on Don Juan and Dvorak 8...and the afternoon session was on Eugene Onegin, even though that concert isn't for over a month. We were all a bit confused as to why we had a rehearsal for it on the first day of orchestra. Also, Don Juan sounds really bad without the winds and brass.

Its so nice to just spend time on the Tanglewood grounds. Today it was so nice and sunny and I spent most of the afternoon walking around the grounds, talking on the phone etc. I will be spending a lot more time on the grounds this year since I can't really afford to drive back and forth from Miss Hall's given the high price of gas. Good thing its really nice there! Now I just need to work on reserving practice space.

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.