Monday, September 20, 2010

Busy busy busy

Things I love about my new place:
Good water pressure in shower
Gas stove
Decrease in junk mail for the time being
Location (it IS nice to walk everyday to school)
Absent roommate
Free laundry
Closet space
Desk
Dresser
Sconces
Close to Trader Joe's

Things I miss about my old place:
Location (I LIKED having time on the T to do the crossword puzzle in the Metro)
Bamboo and Tasca and Chang's
Huge kitchen
Whole Foods
Garbage disposal
Molly and MK

In general, I think I've adjusted to the new place. It no longer takes me forever to remember where something is and I've stopped bumping into furniture no matter where I walk. Its quiet, peaceful, the roommate is almost never here, and I've fallen back into a good routine.

Things are busy this week. The first big concert for Emmanuel Music is this Friday at 8 pm. And its a big one - the first for Ryan Turner as the new Artistic Director. The first rehearsal went well today - its really exciting to be a part of things there right now.

Also on the docket is Arneis' performance of the Debussy Dances and Ravel Introduction and Allegro at the Boston Harp Festival. The Gala Concert is Sunday night, Sept 26th, at 8 pm at Seully Hall at Boston Conservatory. We will be rehearsing with the respective harpists starting tomorrow and then all week. (I'll be thinking fondly of Mary Keener during these rehearsals.)

ALSO being rehearsed this week is Arneis' first fall concert on September 28th. We're doing Mozart K589, Ravel, and Mendelssohn a minor (op. 13). And then the exact same program on October 3rd.

AND Hannah Ruth dearie is here this week as a nanny (aka Hanny) for Adelaide and Finnis!


Sunday, September 12, 2010

update

I moved into a new place on August 30th. I lived on Ransom Road for four years, the same amount of time that I lived in the Eastman dorm. That scares me - the thought that for 8 years I lived in only two places and they are both now in the past.

I like my new place - there are things I miss about the old one - I loved that apartment - but it was time for a move.

My last year as a full time student started on Sept 2nd.

On Sept 2nd, I played my last orchestra seating audition at BU.

The summer of quartet insanity ended well and we are back to rehearsing for a concert of Mozart, Ravel, and Mendelssohn on September 28th (the repertoire wasn't really our choice - its necessary for other reasons I won't bore people with here). I miss quartet boot camp. A. Lot.

I'm glad that the heat of summer is pretty much gone. I hated returning to a muggy, sweltering hot Boston. With each passing year, I dislike hot summer weather less and less (I will most likely regret putting this on the internet for anyone to see around November 1st).

I want to play the Philip Glass Violin Concerto. I'm hoping to convince Peter that its a fantastic idea.

Friday, July 16, 2010

30 second update

I wish I was better at keeping this up. No one probably even reads it anymore.

Here is what has happened in the past month:

Played a recital
Went to Grandma's 90th birthday celebration
Played a quartet competition at Carnegie Hall
Finished teaching for the school year
Went to Banff (best place on earth)
Went to St. Lawrence String Quartet seminar at Stanford
Went to Vermont to play in the Manchester Music Festival orchestra concert

Now am currently in Park City, Utah, with Arneis, in our own condo, with our own bedrooms and bathrooms.

Before I know it, the summer will be over and my last year as a full-time student will begin.

Monday, May 24, 2010

DMA Recital Number Two

DMA Sonata Recital

Bach Solo sonata in g minor, BWV 1001
Debussy Sonata for violin and piano
Franck Sonata for piano and violin

Wednesday, May 26th, 3:30 pm
Concert Hall, College of Fine Arts, Boston University

Reception to follow

(obviously, this means I passed my recital permission)

Sunday, May 09, 2010

Happy Mothers Day to all moms - and if you are a mom in Boston, so much the better. Its a beautiful day here!

Today is my one free-ish day of the week. Arneis returned from the midwest after quite the successful trip. Including concerts and recitals, we gave six educational programs to kids grades 1st through high school, and it seemed that the kids attending really enjoyed the program. This is where all that Music For All experience at Eastman paid off. We returned tired but excited about the summer plans ahead. Next stop - Juilliard Seminar begins next Sunday through Saturday.

My recital permission is this Tuesday, and I have no idea how it will go.

I've also posted my room to sublet for June and July on craigslist. I've never done this before, so we'll see how it goes. Its a little late for something I hope to be taken in just a month, but hopefully there are some people out there with internships that just came up and are needing a place asap. So far, no luck. Its only been a half hour, though.

Time to get busy.

Friday, April 30, 2010

Its 1:15 am. I'm waiting for my laundry to get done. Tomorrow morning at 9 am Arneis is driving to Michigan and Ohio to play some concerts and do a residency at Dan's, the violist, old high school. It promises to be an amazing time, but after a semester from hell and a quartet concert last night that was a very high stress situation, I'm so ready to sleep for the next week.

Oh well. Onward.

I've been updating mostly via facebook status. I realize that new blog posts have been few and far between lately, but I'm hoping to rectify that situation.

We'll be back in Boston next Thursday evening, but then I have my solo recital to stress over. I've come to slowly realize that things are going to be kinda stressful and annoying until I have moved into my new apartment sometime after September 1st (wherever that is - I don't know yet) and then it'll be school time again. It really doesn't stop for me. While that is exciting, and the possibilities and opportunities this summer for quartet and then a new place are thrilling, I can't wait till Christmas break.

Tuesday, April 06, 2010

A Sad Evening

Poor Butler. Poor poor poor Butler. They worked so hard, they played so hard.....darn it all, they were so good! Only two points. (sigh) Hopefully this tournament will only mean good things for them in the future - more power to get even better players, more fans, etc. Molly and I were good Indiana/Hoosier-born girls and watched the game with screaming and excitement. (Molly is a graduate of Butler, where Hannah will be graduating from next month.)

Things are as usual intense and hectic, but oh well. The schedule never lets up, although my personal practicing goals are going ok. Arneis is in rehearsal frenzy. This is our schedule for the summer:

Juilliard Quartet Seminar (NYC) in May for 7 days.
Banff (Canada) in June for 3 weeks.
St. Lawrence SQ Seminar (Stanford, CA) over June/July for 10 days.
Muir Seminar (Deer Valley, Utah) in July for 3 weeks.

Things have moved fast - but its exciting. Hopefully we won't hate each other by August 1st.

Its also official - Molly and I will no longer be roommates starting September 1st. She is moving to NH to live with Kris, her boyfriend, who teaches 7th grade up there. I'm bittersweet about it. I have loved living with her, but its time for us both to move on, and I'm mostly ready to live on my own. As I'm looking for a studio or one-bedroom, it may not be a realistic dream, but I'm going to try my hardest. I have lived for almost 4 years in this apartment. I love it, and mostly, I love my neighborhood. Its safe, there is a grocery store a block away, and my favorite Thai restaurant almost literally across the street But there is something exciting about cleaning out and packing up and starting over and change.

Time for bed.

Monday, March 22, 2010

Day 7

The weekend went as planned, and I am happy to report that my schedule is still going well, as well as the scheduled practicing involved.

Yesterday and today, for Dean Committee reasons that I cannot disclose, were quite long, and my body is sore and my brain mush. However, I must conquer! Arneis rehearsal tonight. More Beethoven 95. Good times.

There has been some recital drama over the past week but fortunately its pretty much done, thank God. The new plan is Debussy, Franck, and Bach g minor. I've worked the g minor sonata often enough, but never performed it. Still no confirmed date, but hoping to have that figured out by Wednesday. Eek.

Time to go eat. I forgot my packed dinner in the fridge at home, so its Chipotle time for me. Yum.

PS - Go Purdue and Butler! Indiana basketball is the best.

Friday, March 19, 2010

Day 4

After spending last night at Heidi's, I enjoyed a ride to BU this morning to practice after Heidi dropped off Adelaide at her own school (which is close by). With an arrival of just after 8:30, I was able to practice from 8:45-10:45 smoothly and without any problems. It felt good - was rough at first - I was so tired after not getting into bed till one and waking up before 7 (all you mothers out there I know I am a wimp when it comes to sleep) - but I survived and was somewhat more prepared for the Bach Birthday Celebration rehearsal at Emmanuel this afternoon.

March Madness has hit and I'm watching it right now while typing this and doing laundry. Watching it though has made me realize how much I miss the Olympics, even though towards the end I was getting a little bored. Eh.

Last night Arneis found out we did not make it into the next round for Fischoff. Its a long dramatic story, but the short version is we had a recording session in early February that we felt good about, but the recording engineer lost all the footage (need I remind CCE that for Fischoff it has to be a dvd? So annoying). He had all the audio but none of the visual. So we had to use stuff from November, which, lets face it - things sounded much better in February than they did in November. This is a disappointment, of course, but I am also a tiny bit relieved as it frees up some days that I wasn't counting on in early May. And we already have plenty going on from May - July.

On my way to Emmanuel today I saw a guy walking his squirrel. On a leash. This has to be one of the more bizarre things I've seen. And I will also mention that the squirrel didn't seem to be enjoying it. I'm half wondering if he captured the squirrel five minutes earlier in a nearby park and started dragging it around on the leash.

The spring weather here over the past three days doesn't fool me. I expect another snow storm next week.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Day 3

This morning was an earlier case morning - up at 7 instead of 7:30. I've been so bad with the blog lately, I'm sure many do not know that I am the graduate student representative for the College of Fine Arts Dean Search Committee here at BU.

I wish I had the willpower and need for less sleep to report that I practiced from 7:30 to 8:30 am this morning, before the meeting, but alas, I know my limits and that did NOT happen.

However, I just practiced for an hour and a half, and will be practicing tonight after teaching as well, so things are still on track.

Tomorrow morning will finally be a much needed 3-hour morning practice session. These are few and far between, but cherished and I can't wait to get some of this recital rep more figured out. I'm playing Debussy, Franck, and Prokofiev 1 sonatas for my recital (which has yet to have a date because of an Arneis schedule that is still in flux).

Speaking of Arneis, my summer is shaping up: we have been accepted to the Juilliard Quartet Seminar in NYC the third week of May, the Banff Quartet Seminar for three weeks in June, and then of course the Muir program in Utah for three weeks in July. Add all of that to the fact that I'll be moving for the first time in four years, the action for me doesn't stop until August 1st. And then a month after that begins my final year as a student attending classes.

(sigh) Life is going fast!

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Day 2

Good morning to all,

While this morning does not have an early practice time, it does have an early start. I am leaving in five minutes to go downtown to have rehearsal with the one and only KM.

KM (initials for privacy) is a harpsichordist (and witch) who has invited me to partake in the Palm Sunday service at her church of employment in Reading, MA. We are playing a baroque sonata together. I mean witch in the sense of wicca.

The practicing for today, alas, has to be moved to a bit inbetween class and orchestra, and then after teaching tonight at 8 pm.

But I was up at 7:30! Day 2 so far so good.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Day 1

Today is Day 1 of my new regimen for the rest of the spring semester.

It is in three parts:

1. Be awake by 7:30 am every week day from now until April 29th (the last day of the semester).

2. On the days where my day doesn't begin till after 9 am, practice at 9 am until first scheduled event of the day.

3. If I have a less scheduled day, practice for two hours. This means if I can sleep a little more and not start practicing till 10 or 11 am, but two hours in the day must be accomplished.

There are several reasons for this:

1. Mostly because I have no other time to practice during the day and usually no time in the evenings either.
2. The older I get, the less inclined I am to practice at the end of the day, and the better and better I practice at the BEGINNING of the day.
3. I have come to realize that when my sleep schedule is consistent, and more importantly, I get up at the same time every day, I am less tired during the day.
4. If I get up at 7:30 am every day, I will actually want to sleep at 11:30 pm instead of 2 am - and then will be able to get up earlier the next day - its all obviously a cycle.
5. I have a sh**-load (pardon the language but its true) of music to learn, from my recital rep, to my orchestra rep, to my work/gig rep, and I am determined to be well prepared for all of it.

There are a rare few cases where I will need to be at a determined location BEFORE 9 am - those days obviously I will not be practicing at 9 am, which is why the regimen is in three parts.

It would be wonderful if my life was structured as such that I had a regular time all the time in which to practice, but every day is different - and my life has become busier than ever before. I am blessed to have work, but hopefully with a better scheduled practicing/sleeping regimen, I will feel less stressed and more accomplished.

I am persistent. I shall conquer!

Monday, March 01, 2010

I try so hard to get my life to be less stressful, yet I've spent the last few hours cleaning up a mess because I didn't write down a rehearsal time correctly. Its all my fault. I have no one to blame but myself, and now its creating havoc on other people's Saturday.

When does it ever end?

Saturday, February 13, 2010

January Recap

I really would love to try harder and do better with this blog. Now that January is over, I should be able to do that. Maybe. Hopefully.

January, with all of its insanity, is finally over, and now that the long recording sessions for Arneis (simply to get into competitions and festivals) are also over, mid-February is finally here and I finally have time to breathe.

Here are some events that have happened recently:

Concerto Competition at BU: The string prelim round was February 1st, and I played the Hindemith Violin Concerto (1939). I played well, and made it to the top 5, but only the top 3 are passed into the final round with all departments competing. So my 2nd BU concerto competition attempt was another failure. There has been a little controversy over the decision, and only one of the 3 string players actually won the whole thing (there are 3 winners - they are a pianist, a flutist, and cellist), which isn't normal. I was surprised at how disappointed I was not to have been able to do the finals. I love the Hindemith concerto - I love playing it - and since it is rarely done and not known, it felt more like my own personal piece. Ah, well. Next year is my final chance to try. I was thinking about Britten being my next concerto, however, after doing Hindemith in a prelim where Sibelius, Shostakovich 1 (violin), and Elgar (cello) were chosen, I'm afraid to do something not well known (3/4 of the faculty deciding had never heard the Hindemith before). There is some time to try and decide.

Arneis' First Recital: It was January 26th. I haven't talked about it much if at all on this blog, but I am now the first violinist in the Arneis Quartet, a group that has been together for several years, although not always the same people. They lost a violin and the cellist about two years ago, after a stint at the Juilliard Seminar and Banff Quartet program. Since then, Rose, the other violinist, and Dan, the violist, have been trying to find replacements to get it off the ground again. I have been playing with them since September (the cellist, Agnes, is also new), and in late November, we were invited to do the Muir Quartet's quartet program in Utah this summer, July 2010. We are also applying for other summer stuff and a couple competitions. We did two full mornings of intense recording sessions, and now all thats left is sending them off and seeing what happens from here.

Teaching: As against it as I was when I was an undergrad, and even maybe as a masters student, teaching now takes up on average about 12 hours out of my week. I am teaching twice a week (3.5 hours per day) for Brookline Public Schools, 3 undergrad BU non-music majors, chamber music coaching for the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra, and my two private students. I am loving it. Brookline is the most frustrating at times, since they have group lessons as well every week, and feel no obligation to practice alone, but a few of them take it very seriously and practice hard. I have one however who is consistently so hard on herself - I have never seen her smile, and every time she makes a mistake, she looks almost ready to cry. She is also incredibly prepared for every lesson. I am not sure what is creating her self-imposed disgust with herself, since I am constantly telling her its ok and I know that her class group teacher is a good guy. I hope no one at home is telling her she sounds bad. Beginner violin for parents that don't know better can be hard to listen to.

Birthday Party: The third annual Molly and Heather birthday party was last night. This will probably be our last, as Molly's new boyfriend, Kris, has stolen her heart away (and she his) and they are discussing a possible move for her to live with him in New Hampshire (only a hour away). I will be sad to lose her as a roommate, and I am scared to figure out a new living situation (although Heidi is already working on it!). I've lived here now for three and a half years. But it will be exciting to organize and throw out what I no longer need. Things are getting a little claustrophobic.

The rest of February has little happening, thank goodness. Time to reset and start practicing new rep. And time to sleep!

An added point: Recently, I was trying to schedule something with a person who said we couldn't schedule anything at that moment because this person didn't have their schedule on their person (this person said it like this person NEVER carries it with them). I do not understand people who don't carry their schedule with them on a daily basis. I don't understand them. I don't mean to offend anyone who reads this blog who don't carry some type of schedule with them on a daily basis. But if you are a musician who has a constantly changing schedule, then carry your schedule with you. Always. You never known when someone will call you with a gig. Wouldn't it be nicer to schedule it then and there? (Forgetting your schedule if you are one who always carries it with you is a different story. I completely understand forgetting things.)




Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Too busy for a real post.

1. The concerto competition is February 1st. I'm playing the Hindemith Violin Concerto (1939). Its a great piece. All you Hindemith naysayers, don't knock it till you've heard it (and I doubt you've heard it).

2. Arneis Quartet is rolling along. There will be pictures soon.

3. I have the nastiest cold right now. I spent all of Saturday in bed. It was amazing, yet painful too - I wanted to do laundry on Saturday. And go to Marshalls. Neither happened. Very painful. And I had to cancel a 4 hour quartet rehearsal. Disaster.

4. I still haven't gotten paid for a gig I did in early December. Angry emails have been flying.

5. I haven't posted since Christmas because I don't have enough hours in the day. Literally. Not.

6. Martha Coakley didn't win tonight. But I did vote. I didn't get a voting sticker. I was mad about that. Apparently they ran out by the time I ran through the door to vote at 7:55 pm (the polls closed at 8 pm).

7. I'm playing two performances with the Mark Morris Dance Company next weekend.

8. Its time to go to bed.