I'm sorry for the lack of posts. I'm in Milwaukee helping Holly and my family with last minute prep for her wedding this Friday to Anthony Schmidt, June 26th.

The next post I put up they will be married and I will have pictures!

Game Night, June 2009

I am not sure many of you know, but Molly and I host a game night once a month. Or, at least we tried to, and did during the fall 2008 semester, but this past spring semester was so crazy for us it was more like twice a semester. In any case, our dear friends Jesse Barrett and Bob Mollicone have graduated and are leaving Boston for good very soon, so we had a final official game night in their honor tonight. I put my camera on a timer and we took this picture. Now that I see it, I wish we had done this after every game night. However, I am grateful for this one. Even though they are leaving, it won't be our last game night - but we will miss them terribly.

As Emily, a fellow BU masters and now DMA violin student says, "People will come, and leave, and come back again, and leave again, and we'll STILL be here." 

We are still here, and can't wait for those dear ones to come back again.

Bridesmaid Dresses: A Post of Gratitude

I have played for two weddings in the past two days. They were both incredibly extravagant, beautiful, wealthy weddings. However, something that was incredibly disappointing in both of them were the bridesmaid dresses.

I'm not skilled enough with words to describe them accurately - yesterday's were light green and short, with the top to the waist kind of billowing out before falling straight to the knee. Today's were of a very shiny, clingy material that no one looks good in, silver, and had an empire waist. None of the girls (three yesterday, seven today) were the proper body type for these types of dresses. However, the dresses were such that I don't know if anyone would really look good in them. And all girls had the same dress.

I'm not sure if many of you know about the bridesmaid dresses that the six bridesmaids of Holly and Tony's wedding are wearing (maid of honor Angie, Heidi, me, Hannah, Veronica, and Tony's sister Heidi). I will tell you now. They are all apple (dark red) colored, and we each were to choose a style that we wanted. We six bridesmaids are all very different body types. So it was with much gratitude to Holly that we were able to choose dresses that looked appropriate and flattering to each of us. I think we all choose well.

I have been very lucky. By this time in two weeks, I will have acted as a bridesmaid three times. (I know I know, always a bridesmaid, never a bride. I've heard it before, trust me.) They are all beautiful, tasteful dresses I will wear again and again (see the ones for Mary and Holly in upcoming recitals for my DMA - for Heidi's I wore my dress so repeatedly in high school - three different dances and a Prism weekend - that it is now retired).

I would like to take the time to personally thank Heidi, Mary, and Holly for excellent taste, judgement and kindness to their bridesmaids. 

Unfortunately, the bridesmaids for the past two weddings I've played for are not so lucky.

Martino

About his Seven Pious Pieces (choral work written in a serial style) he writes :

"A traditional tonal analysis of any of these songs can be made by anyone who is ingenious in the application of secondary-dominant labels and/or who is a fanatic."

Since I'm not ingenious in the application of secondary-dominant labels, I must be a fanatic. 

Good to know.

My Twenty Cents/Happy Anniversary!

One of things that makes me incredibly sad is that across the street from CFA is a Starbucks. This particular Starbucks no doubt does incredibly well, considering all that happens at the CFA building, and the amount of people that simply walk across the street to get their coffee. Its ALWAYS crowded. The reason I am sad is because if it was a small, privately owned coffee shop, it would do very well, but instead its a Starbucks.

There is a reason for all of this, I assure you.

I have been very good on the not-buying-coffee-but-making-it-at-home front lately. Incredibly good, actually - even last week, for my three days of jury duty where I had to get up around 7 (6 on Tuesday), I always made coffee and brought it with me in the cute, non-spill travel mug Molly gave me for my birthday (which I love). Anyway, today, after step class, I was dragging and had a lesson to teach yet, so I decided to get a coffee at the Starbucks across the street. I don't necessarily love their coffee, but its better than some, so I was looking forward to the little treat.

Now, when I DO get coffee from Starbucks, I usually get the smallest size they sell - called a short. I don't need a whole tall (aka small) coffee, and the short size, which is really like a kids size, is much more what I prefer. It is also 20 cents cheaper than a tall. Twenty measly cents is not a lot to some people, especially to Starbucks as a whole, but its enough to me to take a stand. 

So today, I asked for a short coffee. The guy working gave me a short coffee. Then asked for $1.73. I KNOW that a short size costs $1.53. I told him this. He told me that it has never been $1.53. I said that couldn't be possible, that I have certainly paid twenty cents less for a short before. The other guy working said, "Dude, you're wrong. She's right. You messed up." First guy looked at me, and said, "Its only twenty cents." I simply replied, "To me, thats a lot." He gave me a look of disgust, but handed me back the correct change. 

Come on. Like Starbucks NEEDS my twenty extra cents. I need twenty extra cents from them. I was so mad. What a jerk. Wonder who else he's ripped off lately. 

Its really really just too bad its a Starbucks across the street. It would be nice to promise that I will boycott that particular store, but I know I would break that promise by the time school starts again. Its the nearest coffee shop for about three blocks to the building I walk in every single day during the school year. 

Anyway.

Happy 3 year anniversary to Mary and Daniel! I was reminiscing often today. Can't believe its been 3 years......

Little dearies.

In honor of my darling baby nephew's nine-month birthday today, here is a picture of him and me from about three weeks ago when I was watching him for an afternoon. I haven't posted a picture of him since Christmas, although Hannah did post one from her spring break visit. Isn't he adorable? Such a happy little boy!

And this one is from a couple days later, when I had them both together. Adelaide is a wonderful big sister, and Finnis adores her - no one can make him laugh like she can.

I should be doing millions of other things than posting cute pictures of the wonderful children in my life, but whatever. They're much more interesting and important. Click on them to make them bigger - they seem a little small but I'm not sure how to solve that issue.

A List

1. School is done.

Yes, thats right, another year is over, and my twenty-first will begin in September 2009. Surviving this year was quite a test, but I did it. Hopefully years twenty-one and twenty-two will be better. 

2. Summer has begun.

I have two words for that:

Thank God.

3. I did my civic duty this week.

I was called for Tuesday morning and was put on a jury that afternoon for a lawsuit against the Administrative Courts of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. A woman slipped on a courthouse stairway in downtown Boston in January of 2005, and was suing for negligence to clean the steps properly, claiming they were covered with snow and salt. We found them not negligent (if anyone wants to know why give me a call - its too much to put here). It took Wednesday and Thursday to come to a decision, and I must say, I enjoyed it and it was very educational and actually interesting. I will also say that after watching lots of Boston Legal over the past couple years, Boston's actual courthouses are not nearly as beautiful and majestic like they are portrayed on television, Boston lawyers are not nearly as sexy as Brad or Denise, and the Boston judge was not nearly as funny as Clark Brown. In addition, no one was a hoot with a capital H, thats not what they were. However, I still did not mind it and was even a little bit proud to do my civic duty. And also am quite happy that I will not be called upon again to do it for the next three years.

4. Holly and Tony's wedding is in three weeks.

I'll be leaving with Heidi and Finnis on June 19th for Milwaukee. I cannot wait!

5. Hannah's had some bat trouble.

Go to her blog to read about it, posted on June 3rd.

 

6. My first DMA recital happened.

Only four more to go! It went well, despite the fact that I had an incredibly bad cold and Klaudia had the flu. Thanks to Heidi's advice on drugs to fight coughing fits during performances, I didn't cough even once. The rest of the week was really bad on the sleeping front - for whatever reason I couldn't get more than three hours for a few nights in a row - but fortunately that ended.

7. Summer plans are taking shape.

The CCE Tour 2009 is up and running - got music in the mail from Fimby today - and both she and Gave have been busy making plans and we have concerts planned in Arkansas and Oregon - including the stint where Fim and I sub with the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra. Heidi was a member before she came to Boston for college, and I have vivid memories of the ASO's concerts as a child, so this will be quite a nostalgic trip for me. I haven't been to Little Rock in 17 years.

I'm done with the list for now. I'll start trying to update better.

Stay tuned - now that the trial in which I was a jury member is over, I have the free time to let the rest of the world and dear friends know that I haven't died or disappeared forever. Post to be written later today. For now, I have so much laundry that I must walk to the corner laundromat and do that. Molly left this morning for Indy to see her sister Aubrey graduate from high school, so its just me, the MK, and fishies Couperin and Quantz for a few days!

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!