I am a terrible friend. In the process of having a terrible cold and playing my recital on Sunday night, I completely and utterly forgot David Gerstein's birthday on May 24th. Thanks to Mary's blog, I have now been sufficiently reminded.

Happy Birthday, David! 

ps - nobody but me remembered your 22nd bday, remember? i hope that saves me this time. I'm so sorry!

Everyone should go see the new Star Trek movie. Right now.

I promise more posts are coming.....I'm not feeling very inspired lately.

Hannah

Congrats to Baby H (as David calls her), new owner of a Bachelors Degree!

I'm so proud of you!

Another year is over.

It was long. It was hard. Many things good, a couple bad, but overall, I'm ok.

I feel stuck, though.

I need a new chapter in life. I've been stuck in the same one since college started.

Its good that there are only a couple more years of school even POSSIBLE for me, or I'd be stuck this way till I was forty. Oh, lord.

I guess the new chapter will be here soon enough. Well, not soon enough, since its not now. 

May 1st

Happy Birthday Mary Keener!

Too much to do. Am tired. And stressed. And sad. Just want to sleep for the next few weeks, if thats ok.

Lucia di Lammermoor

This week is opera week at BU, and I'm actually having a blast. Its always hard for the orchestra, because while there are two casts that switch off every other night, there is only ONE orchestra, and we're playing EVERY night (dress reh last night/tonight and then performances for the next four nights). I am already starting to get some left arm pain, especially today. However, as much as I should be really annoyed (and worried about my arm), I'm just having too much fun. Great music, good friends are playing too, and for the Fri/Sun cast, my very own freshman RA from the dear ol' ESL, Jim Barbato, is the lead tenor (Edgardo). He sounds wonderful!  I was hoping Tanya would be coming to see him this weekend, and I would get to see her too, but it sounds like she has big recitals up in Rochester this same time, and won't be able to come down. Too bad.

To see an example of what fun this opera is, go here.

And, as luck would have it, the MET production of Lucia is on PBS right now. Awesome.

(Happy birthday Heidi!)

(I'm going to start being better at blogging, I really am......)

April is in full swing, and with it comes that time of year when school becomes suddenly thrust into the number one priority. Unfortunately, I do so many things BESIDES school that as much as I try to practice for lessons and keep up with theory homework, a lot of other things get in the way (although I'd much rather do those other things). 

Here are things I must do in the next three weeks:

1) I have to finish a whole theory portfolio by May 1st. This includes: five analysis papers, 8 chorale tunes that must be harmonized in four voices and analyzed (all in the style of JS Bach, of course), my presentation work, and the handouts and bibliographies given for all the OTHER presentations. Dr. Cornell's idea is that this portfolio gives each student the adequate study materials for the Theory Exam for DMA's. A great plan, but of course, this means I have to DO it. Oh lord. 

2) Taxes. I have started them online, and am building two hours into my schedule for the next few days until they are done. This is the first time I am doing them on my own (although I'm sure a phone call or two to my dad will be happening). Having one job would make taxes for me very easy, but unfortunately, I have 1099s from every gig I did over the past year that paid enough to be taxed. Its great to be a freelance musician in this city, but it takes a lot of organizing once tax time comes, since I file as as self-employed owner of my own business. HB Inc. 

3) My DMA Chamber Music Recital is May 24th (in honor of Gavid Derstein's 25th bday, of course). We have started rehearsing as much as we can fit in, since we're playing Beethoven 131 and Bartok 6. Even though the recital date is over a month away yet, we must play a recital permission before May 1st. Yikes. Fortunately, this also counts as a solo jury - thank God. 

4) St. John and St. Matthew Passions were the past two weeks. St. John (at Marsh Chapel) went well, and I'm glad to have finally played it, but St. Matthew (at Emmanuel) was absolutely incredible and I've missed rehearsing it this week. It just never gets old or boring. Never. What fantastic music.

Some other activities I am doing lately:

1) A violist friend of mine is putting on a "just for fun" recital, and the piece I am involved in is Caplet's Conte Fantastique for harp and string quartet. Its based off of the Edgar Allen Poe story "The Masque of Red Death." Its a very picturesque piece - very French. Its been fun to play with a harpist again - the harp used today in rehearsal is exactly like Mary's. I haven't had a chance in these rehearsals yet to see if my harp rendition of Long Long Ago is still in shape. Maybe Saturday I'll give it a try.

2) Opera. Lots and lots of opera. Next week, I will be playing BU's production of Lucia di Lammermoor on Monday afternoon, dress rehearsals Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, and performances (two different casts) Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. 

3) Not getting enough sleep. 

4) Eating a random times.

5) Waiting for spring to come. Today was beautiful weather. Tomorrow evening it will rain. Saturday will be 45 degrees. (sigh) I can't wait for summer.

Also, Molly and I (and MK) signed another renewal lease last week, even though the rent went up slightly. Sept 1st starts my fourth year in this apartment. We talked about it for awhile, and decided we are still happy with our location, still enjoy being roommates, and love the fact that heat is still included in rent so we can crank it up as much as we want to in the winter. Its strange to think that a year from now, May 2010, I will have been here exactly as long as I was at Eastman. Huh.

Here is April tomorrow already, and I am very late for an updated post.

And I don't have time for one right now either. All I can say is that I played St. John's Passion last week, am doing St. Matt's this week, parents are in town this weekend, did a theory presentation (that I started, did, and finished in 12 hours prior to the actual presentation) last week, and am trying to just keep on going. One day at a time.

Warmer weather is coming, and it feels great!

I am currently cozy in a king size bed in a Comfort Inn in Brunswick, ME.

I'm up here playing for a choir concert (ENTIRE Messiah) and they are putting those who drove up from Boston up in a hotel for the night.  I have NEVER had such treatment for a gig. A whole hotel room by myself! I got Thai food and have been watching cable. Soon it will be bed time - but I'm certainly enjoying my night.

Spring break has officially started since today, and I am grateful for the week away from BU, although I still have a lot to do with practicing and theory homework. Cantata Singers starts Monday for the week, but the biggest excitement is that Hannah Ruth is coming to Boston on Monday! We are so excited for her to be here!

Things keep plugging along. This year has been hard, but its astounding to think its already March. My quartet at school tentatively set a date for our recital in late May - Beethoven 131 and Bartok 6. I will start opera for the next orchestra rotation, which is a little scary, since it takes up SO much time - but I am looking forward to it. Its Donizetti Lucia di Lammermoor  - anything is better than Claudia Legare.....remember that???

A WHOLE SNOW DAY!!!!!!

Thats right, people - today is the first day EVER to be a complete, full day snow day for me during my higher education years.

I've enjoyed the day so far by baking oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, catching up on emails and homework, listening to music, and petting a sleeping cat. 

Soon I shall practice in the warmth and coziness of my living room while watching the snow outside.

What a wonderful day!

Yucky February

Hannah is right....I'm slacking on the blog postings lately....

I've had a really long, rough, busy February. February is never an easy month, especially as I now am officially in my mid-twenties. Another birthday, another year older, still in school, blah blah blah. This February though was officially rough.

Here are some things that happened that made Feb 2009 a stressful month:

1. Orchestra. We performed the 2nd Elgar Symphony on Feb 10th. Leading up to it, I thought we would NEVER pull this concert off. I was concertmaster, and it was completely exhausting, yet beautiful music, but after every rehearsal I would be in some pain and would barely be able to concentrate on anything else for the rest of the evening. The concert ended up going well enough, but it was a long road to that and a pretty tiring one, at that.

2. Theory class. This class I am taking, officially called "Theory Pro-Seminar", is tough. The first three weeks entitled writing out and analyzing about ten Bach chorales per assignment. And they weren't short chorales, either. The first one took me 9 hours to do, and it just got harder from there. I spent the first weekend of February working on them every waking minute that I wasn't in rehearsal - on the train, on the bus, during a pops choir concert that Molly played for (I sat in the back where there was some light). Its easier now, but its going to get hard again real soon, and I'm terrified.

3. Freelancing. I played with Firebird (a new music group here in Boston) this month over a rehearsal/concert period of about three weeks. We had a ton of rehearsals, I played a LOT, and there were four concerts total within that time period, one of which was in Amherst, MA, about two hours west of Boston. I really enjoy playing with them, and it was a lot of fun, especially the two concerts we did of rock music at a bbq restuarant, but it took a lot out of me, and my bow, which lost a lot of hair due to the style of music we were playing.

4. Illness. I had some kind of flu for three days, during which time I played a full day of collaborative piano rehearsals, a choir concert, and had Firebird rehearsals. I had a fever and developed a bad cough, which is taking forever to go away. I did cancel some things, like quartet rehearsal, and Molly and I postponed our birthday party, but had to keep going for everything else. It was awful.

5. More illness. Four days after I was feeling better from whatever I had before, I had a chicken salad sandwich and began pucking 6 hours later. I was sick every hour for about twelve hours through the night, finally slept for two hours, and then had to get up and head to Amherst for the Firebird concert. I have never had food poisoning so bad - it was really terrible.

6. Recitals. As of last weekend, I no longer play for student recitals. I had two this month, and they both were stressful and very time consuming. Actually, maybe the second one wasn't so time consuming, because everyone was sick and rehearsals and coachings kept getting cancled, but it was still a lot of work. I asked to get paid, and I was, but even that may not be enough to be worth my time to do them. I don't need the experience anymore - so unless you are such a good friend I consider you a blood relative, I won't play.

Fortunately, this past week has been much nicer. I'm finally getting my energy back enough to go to step aerobics in the morning, I had time to practice, and I got to go to Davids Bridal with Heidi and Finnis yesterday morning so Heidi could buy her bridesmaid dress for Holly and Tony's wedding. Its beautiful on her - she looked stunning. And, of course, it gave me the opportunity to add to my list of Davids Bridal locations I have visited: Syracuse, Rochester, Chicago, Milwaukee, and Boston.

I'm not the only one who has had a hard month, either. So here's to March, warmer weather, and good health!

I'm going to be a quarter-of-a-century old in less than 45 min.

(sigh)

I am too busy to blog, and now too sick to do anything for the rest of the day.

Thats it. Back to tea and kleenex I go.

Killer

MK killed a mouse in our apartment last night. Good girl! I slept through the whole thing, but apparently Molly heard some scuffling and went out and there it was. It probably came under the front door, like they did in C house. Anyway, its nice to know we have a good mouser living with us. Here is a shot of the proud huntress, in a much more calm moment:

A Few Things I Have Found Funny Lately

1. Today was the youth orchestra chamber concert. The Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra has all rehearsals and what not at the CFA building, and today's little concert was in Room 167, a classroom. Behind all the performers, on a blackboard, was a sentence clearly written: "Shostakovich is my lover."

2. All the local Boston news broadcasts lately have been starting their sports section with the announcer saying, "Well, even though the Pats aren't in the super bowl this year...." - implying that they always are. The past few years, sure, it has seemed like they are always in the super bowl. It just makes me laugh to myself and enjoy the calm of a city without a team in the super bowl. Love it. BOOOOOOO Patriots.

3. I finally saw my Dec jury comment sheets and got A's from every prof except one.

Long Johns

It has been a much colder, snowier winter this year in Boston than either of my previous two here. With that has come my very first purchase of long johns.

I have lived in the north for now 16 winters, and yet this is the first one that includes my purchase of long johns. Heidi wears them religiously, and for some reason, I haven't been smart enough to start sooner. In any case, this might be the coldest winter for me ever, since I spend way more time outdoors waiting for trains and buses and such, instead of just walking down all of a block of Gibbs St. Or getting in a car and driving four blocks to Wisco.

I'd like to publicly thank Heidi for sending me a link to Lands End to make my purchase. And I'd like to thank Lands End for having their long johns on sale from $40 to $20.

This has changed my life.

I just turned on the tv and saw that a plane crashed into the Hudson River leaving from LaGuardia. Craziness.....everyone is safe, only minor injuries, thank goodness, but good lord, with today being one of the coldest days this winter almost everywhere (Mom had school canceled because of -40 degree weather), what a day to crash into water.

I have Cantata Singers this week - another great concert. The dress rehearsal was today, and now I am home to do lots of odds and ends. The low tonight is 0 degrees. I am staying in for good.

My fourteenth semester of higher education started yesterday. Thats all I have to say about that.

I'm going back to my hot chocolate with Kahlua. Yummmmm

Back in Boston

After a wonderful, lovely trip to Milwaukee for two weeks of family, games, food, and fun, I am back in Boston. Usually I am more than ready to come back to school after a brief stint at home, but for whatever reason, I really wasn't tired of being home yet when it was time to leave. Yet here I am, in cold, slushy Boston, with a week yet of break before the work returns next week, and I am very happy to be home.

I'm more than a little nervous about this upcoming semester because of the Theory Pro-Seminar class I am taking. Its a required class for doctoral students, and should be taken before the theory exam is attempted, so I'll probably try and study some this summer as well and then hit the test at the end of September. Only a third of the students who take this theory exam on the first attempt actually pass it - its assumed you will take the exam at least twice before passing. Scary. Anyway, its been a long time since the days of Paul Miller and rigorous Eastman theory classes, so this could be a daunting task.

I've been assigned to lead the next BU orchestra concert, and we're doing an entire concert of British music, which I suspect is our conductor's favorite pastime. Holst, Britten, and Elgar. Elgar Symphony No. 2, to be exact. I've listened to some of it and it actually sounds like Strauss to me - big sweeping lines in the strings with lots of volume and pomp. Ha.

I got an excellent blue fleece, non-static hat from Heidi for Christmas this year, so my huge white knit one will take a hiatus while I wear the pretty blue one. My head is so big, its hard to find hats that fit, but Heidi did it! Also received are some fantastic arm warmers that Molly knitted for me. They are absolutely incredible. I will now be putting both lovely presents on as I attempt the slush and gloom outdoors to go practice.

Pretty Eyebrows

I just got home from having my eyebrows waxed and getting a half hour massage. Needless to say, thank heavens the massage was AFTER the eyebrow extravaganza. I haven't had my eyebrows done since Mary's wedding, and it hurt badly. I always try to keep up with them - a pluck here, a couple plucks there - and I'm fortunate to be fair skinned and fair haired that I don't have to worry about it too much. In any case, they are now perfectly shaped, the skin around them is puffy, pink, and inflamed, and I'm sure I won't have them waxed again for another two and a half years.