Summer So Far

Haven't written in ages...but thought I would check in with a little summer update. Currently in Little Rock with very little to do save walking the dog a few times a day...which is hardly possible since its so hot! We have reaching 110 almost everyday (heat index, not actual temperature!)

Most of my summer so far has been taken up with a Europe Trip with my parents. We took Baltic Cruise on the Crystal Symphony...flew to London (and spent a day and half there), boarded the ship in Dover...stopped in Oslo, Copenhagen, Visby, St. Petersburg (for three days), Helsinki, and Stockholm. The weather was amazing for the whole trip...sunny and 75 in most places (which apprently is very rare for that part of the world) I was totally messed up time-wise, for basically the entire trip we lost an hour every night, then when we stopped in St. Petersburg, got used to it, and the started getting them back as we went in the other direction. Add an eight hour flight back to Chicago, and I was super confused...I've started posting pics on facebook, so be sure to check it out.

Had a busy week upon arrival...annual July 4th Arkansas Symphony concert at the Downtown Ampitheater...performance of Brahms 1st Sextet for a local chamber music camp, a Sturgis performance of the Mozart Adagio and Fugue, and I played the Prelude to the 2nd Suite...all in the same week...made it through just fine despite the jetlag. (Although the Bach could have been faaaaaaar better!)

Now I find myself hanging out with not much to do...I'm gearing up to leave for Tanglewood in a little under two weeks...I'll be playing Knussen: Where the Wild Things Are as well as a Carter American premiere called What Are Years. Very excited. Next week I'll be teaching at an adult amateur chamber music camp here in Little Rock...so things are looking up in terms of boredom!

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...

Lets Catch Up

Its been too long between updates on here...but strangely enough, many things have been going on...or so it seems. We are wrapping up our season here at the Symphony and I'm trying to get everything organized for the summer. Here's what has been going on:

1. The Sturgis Quartet (along with the Rockefellar and Quawpaw Quartets) drove up to Mountain View, AR to do a short residency at the Ozark Folk Center. Sturgis had a fantastic time...we did two demos at the at the Folk Center for some kids from the area...took part in a concert in the evening, and then went down to the town square for a jam session with the folk musicians. I didn't participate in the jam since I can't play that genre of music to save my life...the musicians at the folk center are really great...and they dance while they play too. This was definitely one of my favorite things we did all season! (and we had some nice quartet bonding time too)
2. My parents were in Little Rock this past weekend for my birthday (which was Sunday)...we hit up all kinds of Little Rock restaurants including: Brave New Restaurant, Community Bakery, Ferneau, Damgoodepies, and Loca Luna. They all brought me some nice items from IKEA...I still need to put together one of them...it looks complicated.
3. Played a wedding in Hot Springs with Sturgis at the Garvan Woodland Gardens. My parents came with me and they got a very mini tour of Hot Springs. They weren't impressed.
4. Rehearsed for a pops concert to be played on my birthday (which included a terrible arrangement of Star Wars per my bday request) which ended up being canceled due to rain (it was outdoor, duh) I'm not complaining!!
5. Sturgis played our final demo of the season in Lewisville, AR on Tuesday. Maybe next season we won't have to drive so far for all our demos? hah...yeah right.
6. Finally got my Suzuki stuff in order...I actually got a scholarship to attend the Stevens Point Suzuki Institute...so after this summer I will be officially Suzuki Certified!! Maybe I'll get some students now...hmmmmm.
7. My final symphony service of the season is this friday... I've got about 2ish weeks off before I pick up my cello and the CCE tour begins. Its all very exciting. This will be a fun summer.

This Week I...

1. Played at the Designer House on Mother's Day (and called my mom of course!!) It was kind of rainy and weren't to many people there for the first hour or so. We also had to play trios since Andy's finger is injured right now. I think my mom enjoyed the card I sent too. I hope.
2. Volunteered at the AIDS Foundation Monday-Thursday-and Friday (well, I will volunteer on Friday and I'm there right now). It has been pretty quiet around here lately.
3. Background gig at the Capitol Hotel on Tuesday evening (once again a trio) for Little Rock Arts Week. I'm not sure what Arts Week is, or what goes on as part of it...but we played trios for two hours while an artist sketched us. Its was kind of cool...and there were a good number of people there. Wish I knew more about the event though...
4. Played a demo in De Queen...this was a very very long drive, about three hours each way. (basically to Hot Springs, and then another 2 hours past) We were almost in Oklahoma. We also saw a very large woman wearing pajamas riding a moped with her helmet straps flapping in the breeze. Only in Arkansas.
5. Went out to the Whitewater Tavern on Tuesday and met Aaron (new friend) there. It was the first time I have been out in months and was exactly what I needed. Cheap beer, decent music, and cool people...whats not to like? I'll def be going back. And I may have even found a cello student? We'll see if she contacts me.
6. Actually started to feel comfortable here in Arkansas. Kind of scary...but much better than feeling uncomfortable I think. With the lack of auditions being announced and the lack of people actually getting hired (NY Phil took nobody) it seems like I might be here a little longer than planned. Which is not necessarily a bad thing...just not where I expected to be.

This Week I Will:

1. Go to the gym or bike everyday (most likely go to the gym, since the weather forecast looks a bit rainy)
2. Clean up my apartment a bit...I am slowly getting everything in order.
3. Play a quartet demo in Corning, AR...this is in the far far Northeast part of the state...I haven't been up there yet.
4. Go to the dentist.
5. Play a Pink Floyd concert.

Craziness Over

I just got back to my apartment after the final installment of my crazy-busy week...The Sturgis Quartet gave our third "formal" performance of the year at Old Washington State Park. We performed in the Old Courthouse...down on the floor, as if we were on trial. The acoustics were muuuuch better than we are used to, although it was a bit on the loud and boomy side...the Debussy sounded pretty good in there though. Most of the audience was very attentive and appreciative, but I'm not sure our program of Mozart, Debussy and Schumann was the most appropriate for the venue...perhaps Ives No. 1 would have suited things better...

We are all done with our "real" performances for the year...this one was actually a late season add-on in addition to our two Clinton Library performances earlier in the year. It was nice to have something like this to work and rehearse for, although it was a bit stressful.

Now its spring break...there are no symphony services this coming week, but I am playing in the Pine Bluff Symphony, so I'll have that to occupy my time...

Busy!

For once I actually have a really crazy week here in Arkansas. As you may have read (in the post below) we had pops concerts this weekend...usually we wouldn't have another orchestra concert for at least a week (or two) but we have another concert this coming Wednesday. That means that I have had a rehearsal or a concert every night since Thursday, and will keep having them every night through Wednesday. I know, it probably sounds like I'm complaining about nothing...but on top of that, my quartet is playing a recital on Sunday which we couldn't start rehearsing for until just a few days ago, since Tatiana was in Russia and I was in Chicago. Oops.

Should be fun! I always like being busy ;-)

Our concert on Wednesday features Rachmaninoff Piano Concertos 1 +2 +3...I have never played any of these, so it should be fun. Its always fun to play stuff you haven't played before...and there are lots of nice cello melodies to play!!

Hello Clarendon

Well, the Sturgis Quartet may have had some troubles getting started today...but we ended up having a successful demo in Clarendon, AR. We hadn't done a demo in Northeast Arkansas yet, so its always interesting to see new parts of the state. We drove through a lot of what is pictured above, but also through some swampy/delta type areas...and even went over a nice big bridge over the White River...of course I didn't photograph any of these things. Ooops.

During the question portion of the presentation the kids became fascinated with us all trying each others instruments...and we entertained them a bit...I played violin, and Andy played cello...but when they asked me to play Tatiana's viola, she put an end to it...

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!

Thank You Moby

Today the Sturgis Quartet took another trip down to Hot Springs...it seems like its the only place we go these days. Not that I'm complaining, its just about an hour drive time, which beats driving to places like Yellville (which was over three hours away). I do have reason to complain however...after we made our usual stop at Starbucks, my pants got caught on some random metal bar when I was getting in to Moby (the ASO van) and ended up a little on the ripped side (as you can see in the picture). Luckily they were (are?) my back-up/extra pair of dress pants...but still, I wear them all the time!! And yes...I had to do the whole demo with my leg showing through my pants...I'm surprised I didn't get any questions about it at the end...just my quartet-mates laughing at me.

Hello Hot Spings

Yesterday, my quartet did six demos at a school in Hot Springs, AR. Its the first time in a looong time when I really put in a full days worth of work. As an orchestral musician, its usually just random stuff here and there and it doesn't often make me very busy...but yesterday morning, we met at 8am and drove down to Hot Springs (where Bill Clinton grew up) and did six Images of America demos. It actually turned out to be kind of fun...although I was getting ADD for the last three and kept doing crazy stuff during Fig Lead Rag...just to see what I could get away with. Oops.

We also got about an hour to check out Hot Springs and grab some lunch (the downtown area was right down the street from the school). HS is actually a pretty nice town...we ate at Cafe 1217 which was pretty good, and ended up grabbing coffee at a place on Bathouse Row (where all of the baths with the hot springs are...duh)...pictured above, it happens to be the only picture I took, Oops.

During question time one girl asked me if I had a wife that played music as well. Not exactly a question I was expecting.

Hello Pine Bluff

Since I have decided to really get back to blogging, this means that you will be forced to read about my regular everyday life which includes driving to random towns and villages all over Arkansas presenting one of two programs about the string quartet. Today's program was "Papa Haydn" and we drove to the not-so-far-away town of Pine Bluff to present it.

I had been down to Pine Bluff one time earlier this year to play the Messiah at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff...admittedly, its not the nicest place in the world. According to wikipedia, Pine Bluff is the 7th largest city in Arkansas, but used to be 2nd largest and one of the most wealthy in the state. It is not anymore. Its very run-down, and not very pleasant.

As for the demo, it went pretty well, only one class was a bit on the noisy side, which I'm never very good and controlling. Say "shhhhh" and "quiet down" didn't have much effect, but it didn't really seem like the teachers had much control over it either. At one point the principal of the school came in and interrupted our presentation to say he wished that some musicians would volunteer to teach music for free at his school. We were kind of surprised he did that...and he didn't even stay for the presentation. Hmmmm.

I forgot to take a picture today, so I have included a photo of the Arkansas Symphony van...which the symphony members have nicknames Moby. We drive Moby to every demo and I dread it every time...I really dislike driving big cars. It makes me uncomfortable.

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...

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!!)

Welcome to Yellville

Last week the Sturgis quartet played our first demo. A good portion of my job is traveling to schools all over Arkansas and doing "Music For All" style demos for elementary school kids. Its a good thing that I got all that great training at Eastman!!! Anyways...our first demo was in a town called Yellville...and as you can guess from the name...it was very rural. We had to drive over three hours to get there (a good portion of that time on a windy mountain-type road). If you look it up on google maps, you'll see that Yellville is kind of in the Ozarks...it was very hilly/mountainy there...kind of pretty, but not exactly beautiful...if you know what I mean...

The highlight of the trip was when we passed a church that had a sign that read, "Don't be so open minded your brains fall out." This is probably the scariest/most fantastic thing I have ever seen. On the way out of Yellville we pulled into the church driveway and snapped a picture...and then promptly ran away before anyone could shoot us (we passed one scary looking man driving around on an ATV fully loaded with weapons...bows+arrows and shotguns among others...)

It was really interesting to me to see place like Yellville...I don't think I've ever been somewhere quite as remote as that...and never any place as conservative/republican as that...we didn't see a single Obama sign out there...it was definitely McCain/Palin territory...which was kind of scary. At least on the way there we stopped to see Arkansas's Natural Bridge...which turned out to be a typical roadside attraction...not very exciting.

Franck Complete

The Franck performance went surprisingly very well last night...I think the energy from performing really helped us a lot and it turned out to be a really exciting concert. Much to my surprise, the concert was reviewed in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette!! The critic really liked the Sturgis Quartet in particular ("The four musicians played together as one, alternately handing off running lines and accompanying one another") and I even got a mention saying "David Gerstein's solos on cello were always welcome interludes to the frenzied parts of the movements."

Not exactly a rave review...but I'm just happy to have been mentioned for the first time in professional review...yay!!! Thank you to Laura Stevens for the great review!!

Franck Quartet

Today the Sturgis Quartet (of which I am a member) will present Franck's String Quartet in D at the Clinton Presidential Center at 7pm...I think we are all pretty excited (and nervous) about it. This is the first time we will be appearing as a quartet and we have worked pretty hard to put this piece together. For those of you who don't know...its nearly an hour long...and its pretty crazy...and really difficult to learn as the first piece you've ever played together as a quartet...the pic is of the only solution I could come up with for my page turns in the last movement...its seven pages with basically less than one measure of rest...I have to use to stand extenders...its kind of ridiculous.

Jay was here last week subbing with the orchestra. We hit up all the regular Little Rock places: Big Dam Bridge, Pinnacle Mountain, River Market (those are basically the only three places to go in Little Rock...exciting, I know)...it was my first time doing Pinnacle Mountain, and everybody kept telling me how ridiculously easy it was...so Jay and I went over one afternoon, expecting a nice easy hike...we were very surprised to hit a ton of huge boulders that seemed to go straight up...it was super hard work, but we made it up to the top. We later found out that we went up the difficult side which was rated "strenuous," the other side is a simple stroll up the mountain...

I guess I'll know better next time.

Little Rock Update

As of yesterday I have achieved the two major things I need to get done on this trip to Little Rock...I opened a bank account here, and I found an apartment. The first was fairly easy to do...I just walked into Bank of America and opened a checking account...finding an apartment was somewhat more difficult. Drew drove me all over the city and we looked at every place that had for rent sign in front...I ended up taking a place downtown...its kind of a loft style apartment (barely) but its a good size (not too big not too small)...hardwood floor in the living room, nice sized kitchen with dishwasher...washer+dryer in the bedroom...and its only $500...welcome to Little Rock!

I'll be moving in this afternoon...after I'm done with this quartet seminar thing. We had our first rehearsal last night, working on preparing our outreach program (Papa Haydn)...we will be talking about theme and variation and different moods and emotions that can be expressed in Haydn quartets...exciting huh?

Pic above is a quick snap of my apartment (with no furniture yet...of course)

More From Little Rock

Hello from Little Rock...again!! A lot has been going on in my life recently...thus the lack in blogging...but if you read the entry directly below this you know that last weekend I won a job with the Arkansas Symphony (section cello + string quartet)...naturally I kind of freaked out a little bit and didn't know if I should take the job or not (a decision that seemed very obvious to everybody else that didn't have to make it)...but in the end I decided to take it and just see what happens...

So I'm back in Little Rock again...I'm here for a week this time...trying to find an apartment this weekend (which is proving not so easy after one day of searching)...later this week I have a few seminars with my quartet...we need to prepare our outreach demos. Our topic is Papa Haydn...something that CCE would totally have a ball with...three of the people in my quartet are brand new (me and one of the violinists just got the job last weekend, the other violinist, also the assistant conductor, has been here over the summer...the violist has been here for a while already) so we'll see how it goes...no telling whats gonna happen.

All of our concerts are happening at the beginning of the season...we are doing the Franck D Major string quartet (who knew?), the 3rd Schumann Quartet, and the Enescu Octet...should be interesting, never played any of those pieces. Have you??

Anyways...there are some really cute places to live here in Little Rock...I looked at one apartment today, one bedroom with a big big kitchen (with breakfast nook) big big bedroom (tons of closets) another small room, hardwood floors...and it was only $725...and my friend that has been taking me around (the concertmaster of the orchestra) says I can find something cheaper than that. I'm gonna try and look at a loft downtown tomorrow...could be nice.

As of right now I'm trying to keep my concerts in Houston, but as the schedule becomes clearer to me, I'm thinking that I'm not going to be able to keep doing that...there is a lot of time off from orchestra, but the quartet stuff can come up any time...and we will need to be rehearsing...we've got a lot of music to learn fairly quickly.

There was a huge football game here today that totally shut down everything...it was pretty crazy.