Wild Reeds on Mica Peak

Christmas lull

2011-12-20T16:45:00.000-08:00

Finally here, the Christmas lull! Every year it seems like I have this insane couple of weeks in early December, then nothing. Which is ok! And I have filled the musical lull with LOTS of other stuff, like gift shopping and parties and even a concert I'm NOT playing.

The overview since last blog, I played for the local colleged in their Pictures at an Exhibition on English horn, so fun to just sit there through the crazy chicken dance and out-of-control children (oboists know what I'm talking about!); just some purty stuff here and there. The orchestra did another Messiah this year, and then our christmas concert with a world premier of my friend WBs American Carols - 13 mvts for orchestra nd chorus. Some nice moments for the oboe but nothing huge. Also did 8 mvts of Nutcracker, way underrehearsed but fun since I never get to play those. I feel kind of sorry for my friends in the big symphony who play it so many times they just hate it.

For Christmas eve J and I are playing a duet - trumpet and clarinet(!) and it's kinda jazzy! Should be fun. Also some descanty bits for the hymns and a couple oboe arrangements of carols. AND I'm so excited to be playing in the bell choir, great to not be in charge.

In January I'll be judging for the concerto competition, always stressful but I really enjoy being involved. Later that month we have the symphony ball, hopefully I will get to play some bari sax on that, but then I'd have to lug that thing around which is a pain. I do love getting to play though!

English horn

2011-11-04T08:54:00.000-07:00

So, why do I even bother playing the oboe??? If I play 3 bars of EH, and 3 hours on the oboe, people flock around and rhapsodize about my EH playing! Which is great, and I love it too. But it makes me feel really insecure about my oboe playing. Gurk.

Right now I'm doing Beauty and the Beast for the 3rd production, this is my first time being the only wind player. Literally - there is keyboard (poor woman!) bass and percussion. And me. I suppose I could have played some clarinet, but I'm just playing it all on oboe/eh. Mostly playing books 1 (flute) and 2 (the actual oboe book), but also lots of trumpet, clarinet and violin stuff. Just trying to help out the keyboard whenever I can. I am not really enjoying it, so stressful! The pretty stuff is usurped by the necessary parts, so I'm leaving a lot of my favorite lines out. Oh well, getting the big $$...

After this show I have an actual break though, SO looking forward to it although I have the freelancer's fear of never working again. But I know there will be a rush before Christmas, and they've asked me to play Annie (no oboe, eek!) in May.

BTW, Jane Eyre was quite fun, lot of playing (we did it inconcert) but nice melodies, great cast. And FULL orchestra. Sometimes I get annoyed when the flute or trumpet is doubling my line, but after this fiasco of playing EVERYTHING alone I will strive to be more grateful to my fellow musicians! Of course there are shows that one wind is plenty, but B+tB is so grandiose in places - one little oboe sounds pretty thin.

Go Cougs!

2011-10-24T09:37:00.000-07:00

Here I am in the alumni band - holy cow! It's been far too long according to my sore body - but lots of fun. Seems so long ago now, a whole week past! Finally done with Millie - I notice my last post I had just finished with Full Monty. It has been a while!

I played Faust with CDA Opera, truly a wonderful musical experience, played with top notch musicians. Glorious oboe bits all through, but especially at the end when Margaurete ascends to heaven and the oboe resolves the huge chords over the entire ensemble. Chills!

Then I played with the local college on the Ravel Piano Concerto - HUGE English horn solo in the fancy theater! It was fun but I felt so insanely busy at the time, wish I could have enjoyed it more. My favorite part was the next day I went to coffee with my neighbors who happened to go to the concert, and they said - why did you stand up at the end? (!) I guess they didn't notice the nearly 3 minutes of EH solo in there - perhaps they dozed off? hehehe

Our little orchestra had the season opener - Beethoven 7 (which starts with a fabulous oboe solo of course), Fingal's Cave and Mozart Double Piano. The Mozart was really lovely, and the new 2nd oboe really did an amazing job! She plays so in tune with me, and we had all those neat Mozarty harmonies together - it was just a great experience. I think the whole concert was some of the best playing this orchestra has ever done. Unfortunatly only 350 people came to the concert. It is really a shame.

All through this was Thoroughly Modern Millie - I split the show with the 2nd oboist (SS) who plays all the saxes and flute extremely well, I think her clarinet playing is about on par with mine though! Millie had oboe/clarinet/tenor/bari (SS played flute as well) and just carting all that to the theater is a workout! The music was really fun, sort of 20s jazzy stuff but way hard for my limited saxophone chops. About 5 minutes into the first rehearsal I realized my ancient Conn Bari was just not going to be able to move around that fast - also it didn't have a low A which is called for quite a bit in newer shows. So I went out and bought my midlife crisis item - a BRAND NEW bari sax. It is beautiful, plays great - the action is so smooth I can actually play faster on it than the tenor! And it is super fun to play the low A, which shakes the ground.

Yesterday was the closing matinee for Millie, and we started rehearsal for Jane Eyre! REALLY poor timing, but it is a benefit and will only run this week. And I'm only playing oboe/English horn, which will be a nice change. The music is great, lots of nice oboe bits, and the singers are really fantastic. Lots of fun belting about how hard life is...could you fit more angst into a story? So that wraps up Saturday night and then D will have his birthday party on Sunday! And Saturday afternoon we start rehearsing for Beauty and the Beast. I'm so wiped out I can't think straight. Oh well, gotta take the gigs when they come right?

Summertime

2011-06-26T12:29:00.000-07:00

Can't believe it has been almost a month since I posted - but Full Monty is finally over! I'm kinda sad, the best shows are still fun to play after a few weeks, but it's always nice to get the evenings back. This week has been filled with non-musical stuff, although today I played oboe and RECORDER in church! Hehe, guess now that I'm a pro (played 4 bars in Full Monty) I can play recorder everywhere.

We are actually getting a group (consort) together just for fun, maybe to play in church sometime, but I'm excited to play the tenor and maybe get the alto (pitches are transposed so it's harder) up to speed. Soprano and tenor are really similar fingerings to oboe, so I'm pretty good considering. Fun times.

Our next musical endeavor is playing for the LC Parade on the 4th - I will play euphonium and J plays cornet, the neighbors (Ks) are coming too and will play tpt and cowbell. Hehehe. H & L , the masterminds who actually have a cabin in LC (pop. 150), will play some sort of tuba thing (opheclide, serpent, something low and nasty!) and accordian. Our baby will throw candy and possibly some percussiony thing, we'll see. We all sit in back of a pickup and go about 4 blocks (the whole town) and then we go back since the parade is so short. It is super fun, and pretty much everyone in town is on a "float" or horse or something.

Things are Full... Monty that is

2011-05-30T21:58:00.000-07:00

Full Monty is going well - at least it was before I left last Friday! Sub for two days, and we had Sunday off. It is a fun show, sort of R&B (according to my hubby) and I'm having a great time playing bari sax (in addition to tenor and oboe with occasional recorder moments).

Playing bells (!) in church Sunday, will also do some oboe stuff since I'll be there. Also volunteering to play EH (and oboe) on the Franck dm with the community college orchestra. Once Monty is over, I don't have any music scheduled for the summer til the end of July. Maybe something will come up.

Oboe still waiting for repair/overhaul - Carlos (the super oboe repair guy) is difficult to pin down! I was told to call back in July. *sigh* so I'm using the Laubin, which just doesn't feel right to me - glad I have it in reserve though!

The crash and burn

2011-05-15T08:20:00.000-07:00

Ack! Yesterday was one of the most stressful oboe days I've had! Started with an early morning rehearsal for Full Monty (bari, tenor, oboe, recorders) - but not before I had to drop off my extremely reluctant son at soccer pictures (daddy would be coming for the game later). Happy times!

So I get to rehearsal -it was the sitzprobe (first time w/singers) and LOTS of sound issues - mics and monitors a big nightmare. And I even figured out how to get our lights on (my tiny victory). In all the mayhem, I was getting my big old saxes out, and I put my oboe on the stand...but then I watched it in SLLLLOOOOWWW MOOOOTIONNNNN drop to the ground. This was kinda shocking, cuz all around me people were so busy and life was going on as usual. The other wind player (M) was freaking out with me though, and I picked it up and it looked ok, and it still sealed, so I tried a note. OK!

Great, I thought. Then I tried another note. Nothin. The second key wasn't going down. Huh. Surely I could fix this, just seconds ago it was fine! But after some furious fiddling around I had to give up (I'm in a dark pit remember, and our rehearsal was starting right then. So I put the oboe away and tried to focus on the other stuff. Mostly I play bari in this musical, so there wasn't much to cover.

Since my repair guy doesn't work weekends I called my mentor oboe godling, and he left his son's soccer game (see how soccer has invaded my life?) to help me out. We messed around with the oboe for over an hour, tweeking springs and checking binding keys but finally figuring it must be a bumper pad that fell off. This is the tiniest piece of cork acting as a spacer. So we put a piece of cork in and it seemed ok. G had no contact cement but we had some at home so I left (gratefully!)

J glued the cork and I started adjusting, when another cork fell off! This is a sign, I thought - been meaning to send my oboe off for an overhaul with the fabulous Carlos for a while now. But of course I had the big Scherazade concert last night which I REALLY wanted to play on the Loree. I am fortunate to have another pro oboe (Laubin) but I hadn't been playing it and the keys are situated a bit differently and the pitch is different. So we glued the other cork on and I adjusted - and the Loree seemed ok. But I was bringing my Laubin just in case!

At the concert I warm up both horns, find the reed I like and so on. Everything seem ok - so I play Afternoon of a Faun on Loree. It is fine. We all have to move (which we HATE) for the Haydn Farewell, and since we leave the stage I will have to gracefully try to leave with both oboes and my swab (since I'm having major water in the keys on Mr. Loree). I consider switching to the Laubin just to let Mr Loree dry out a bit before Scheherazade, but I just swab a lot and keep playing.

The Haydn is a huge hit with the audience and we are at intermission. We all go back out and resituate (my third seat of the evening!). We start and in the first solo (of many many) the second key is wonking out again. I decide I must switch right then so I can be ready for the big solo in mvt 2. This is ok, but then my reed up and DIES right then, so I have to hope something in the box works without really trying it (although I had played them at home earlier). Very stressful. Reed a bit stiffer but sounds nice, but my chops are so tired, probably from stress more than effort, although this is a BIG piece with endless playing.

Crazy day, but I don't think the audience had a clue (which is the point I guess). So glad I had the other instrument, there would have been nothing I could have done if I hadn't brought it. Also good experience to relate to those blowhards that don't want us woodwinds to have our "stuff" on stage, I had extra reeds and swabs and papers, without which people certainly would have noticed some wild oboes sounds!

May Day

2011-05-01T06:25:00.000-07:00

Today is the first day in weeks that is has NOT (so far) snowed! Happy May Day!

Giggage has been good - the Beethoven trio concert was fun, and I think I played the EH part well. I thought it was going to be after an intermission though, but the "intermission" was a sermon (this concert was at a church)! So instead of getting a few moments to honk on the EH I started cold (as did the 2nd oboe), we didn't even tune (1st oboist said no). Huh. Ah well, the delights of live performance.

Fiddler was fun - such a great show. This was a HS production and the kids really did a great job. Orchestra has started rehearsals for our season finale - Scherezade is just as scary as expected! But it is coming together and I'm sure it will be great in 2 weeks. The Afternoon of a Faun (NOT Fawn as listed on our stupid website) which I thought would be a breeze is actually really hard to put together - all that rubato I guess. DD is conducting in big beats instead of subdividing and I think that really threw the flutes off, but they were getting it by the end. I am concerned that we may never practice the Haydn farewell symphony - it is straightforward but I'd like to play though it!

Yesterday the ww quartet (our hornist is on leave til summer) played for the symphony wine club tasting - at a really lovely venue called the white house. Hope we get to play there again sometime. We were mainly background music, but it was very nice and I think we played well. Our flutist forgot her stand - she had her music on a chair which was less than optimal, then I offered to share stands - not ideal since we had lots of music and some complicated page turns. We had asked all the symphony volunteers if they had stands in their cars or were close enough to get one from home. The venue owner had a podium but it was too flat and too high (funny how specialized music stands are!). The flute player was making do but you could tell she was frustrated - when 2 minutes before we were to start my husband swoops in with a music stand he had rented from the tiny music store down the street! It had never occured to us to check, I thought he was quite brilliant to just go off by himself and even ask to rent such a thing! Saved the day.

So this week we start rehearsals for Full Monty - I'm playing bari sax (main) tenor, subbing oboe for flute, and alto recorder. Thanks to Grama Ruth for giving me that particular beast years ago, I've never used it til now! I'm interested in how the bari stuff goes - this part is written for a low A bari, and of course my old bari only goes to Bb. I found this great plumbing fixture (at Lowes!) that fits right in the bell to drop my Bb's to As, which means I can't play Bb's then, but we'll see if it works. I've had two offers from people with low A baris if I want to use them, but I'd like to use my own if possible.

wind player woes

2011-04-02T08:05:00.000-07:00

After the dearth of musical activity, I will be playing a ton later this month. First the Beethoven Trio and a couple other things on a recital - I had forgotten the Beethoven just goes on and on! Fiddler at DDs school, always fun but that means every night for a week - euphonium for Easter brass (hilarious), and WW4 for wine tasting - all new music since our hornist is unavailable.

And our season finale (Scherazade, Afternoon of a faun, and Haydn Farwell) starts in the midst of all this. Lots of endurance issues. For me anyway! Compounded by the NEXT show I'm doing (may-june) which is mostly tenor/bari sax. Bari just takes soooo much wind! I am just trying to practice long tones (not very long on that beast), but the proximity of the gig is making me nervous.

With all that coming up I almost forgot I'm playing (oboe) for masterclass tomorrow! Ack! I think I'll play some slow bits from AOAF and Scherazade, love all that really low stuff (not).

Still sick

2011-03-01T23:10:00.000-08:00

Well, this is really dragging on! I have been sick pretty much all of February, blech. Tonight we had a player's committee meeting to pick the rep for next year. I thought it went pretty well, and I'm so excited that my big pick (Beet 3) looks like a go for October. Trying to raise attendance is a really big issue right now, and the conductor keeps saying we need to program pieces people will know...

I'm just hoping we get to do a few real classical works a year, it is hard to justify since apparently the audience we attract only likes movie music, jazz and broadway. That isn't totally true, but it does seem like that is what people want. I have no problem ADDING a concert of broadway stuff, but I don't want to change one of our already sparse concerts to a pops format. Oh well, I guess that's why I'm on the committee!

First rehearsal for the young artists concert (all concertos) Thursday, we missed last week due to snow! Concert next week - holy cow.

Sick

2011-02-13T12:25:00.000-08:00

Well, I wasn't sure if I should post this on the music blog or the "life" blog, since mostly I am just feeling guilty about not practicing... but if you don't want to read about it feel free to skip this one!

Somehow a tiny tickle in my throat turned into the horrible death illness - fortunately I haven't had any required appearances this week. I did recorders before it really set in, I'm kind of excited to have them playing for St Paddy's Day next month! They are learning a jig (Scatter the Mud) and a lovely Irish tune - the Water is Wide. I may play the harp with them if they are able to play alone, and we might even bring in my friend who is another parent to play his uillean pipes - we'll see. Maybe we'd do that for the end of the year. Next week is vacation for them anyway, so I don't want to pile it on too high.

And during that vacation we're going to Disneyland!! J and I have both been but it's been more than 20 years for both of us - so much of the park is new or redone. My good friend works there and is giving us advice and a lovely discount! D is kind of horrified and won't tell people where we are going, he just says "southern california". He did perk up when I said we would also go to the beach and maybe Seaworld or the aquarium. What a dorky little dude. I'm betting I will have a changed attitude to post about next time.

And when we get back the symphony starts rehearsals for the young artist concert (my favorite!). I'm kind of excited, but because I have been soooo sick I am also dreading it. There are a couple oboe solos but I've played it all but the Neilson clarinet conceerto before - not even sure that has oboe. I really don't want to bring the oboe on the trip, although maybe I'll take the camping oboe - J would love that.

The other interesting news on that front is that I've been asked to join the symphony board. And I agreed. Could be a big mistake! I have complained about them for years, so I suppose it will be good to put my money where my mouth is...I do have a lot of ideas, but no experience on boards. Fortunately I KNOW people who have been on boards to give me advice, and maybe I can actually do some good.

Ball

2011-01-23T10:51:00.000-08:00

Last night was our symphony fund raiser the Bl@ck and Wh!te Ball. Fun fun fun. I got tix for several friends, and we filled a table (8). I think everyone had a good time...lots of people were up dancing the whole night and apparently the food was good. This is our first time in a new (less expensive) venue - in some ways I think it was a much better place.

Only big crisis was the flute player got there and realized her music was missing! Actually she just missed the sound check, so she didn't get her horn out ahead, and this was when we were tuning. Eek! So she thought it might be in the car so off she goes. DD didn't even notice, I guess cuz we were off to the left instead of front and center. First chart was Blue Danube, which is fine til the very end where there is a flute solo. I figured she'd be back way before that. But I guess she didn't want to walk in front of the stage so I was "playin some stuff" that vaguely resembled the flute solo. DD definately noticed the empty chair then!

I guess the music was in the OTHER car - she had switched with her hubby. Oops! So he was coming with the music (fortunately from not too far away, many of us live an hour from the gig). But til he got there she read off my music, and she did an amazing job remembering flutey stuff. Her lovely guy showed up after about 1/2 way through the first set. That was just crazy.

My honey saved his dessert for me, lovely!

It's a new year

2011-01-16T13:43:00.000-08:00

Ahhhh, a lovely break after the pre-Christmas insanity. But now things are starting to pick up in the music world, I have been teaching recorder and going to band (where I play clarinet badly), but have yet to actually practice anything. Bad bad bad! The orchestra does have a benefit next week so I have to get it together at least somewhat before Thursday. It will be all dance music, lots of poppy stuff, but still I would like to sound good!

We did host two young artists who competed to play with our orchestra in March. One (a cellist) actually won the college strings division! The other was a pianist, she got honorable mention in her catagory. There were both originally from Taiwan, which D was totally interested in (partly to tell *them* all the stuff HE knows about Taiwan); and J had been to Taiwan for work 20+ years ago, probably before they were born! Still they were both lovely people and it was fun to get to know them a bit. My little piano has never had such a workout!

I was also a judge for the competition (the HS division - neither of my home stays were in this division). It is fun to hear everyone but stressful to have to judge. We get so many AMAZING competitors from all over the country...and it is very hard to compare Paganini Vln concerto with Greig Piano concerto, or Mozart oboe concerto! The high school division is just everyone together, all vying for one spot. Crazy. But it is always a great concert - 6 winners each playing one mvt (the singers sometimes do two pieces since their stuff is usually short). Looking forward to that, especially since they opted to not use winds on the January concert to save money. I think it was a good call, but disappointing.

On Christmas Day

2010-12-25T11:32:00.000-08:00

How wonderful to finally reach this day of peace, after the insanity that always seems to preceed it! After the final White Christmas on Dec 19, I have been "music free" - kinda fun. We did go to a fabulous concert by the Clarion Brass Ensemble - really top notch group here - for a taste of their concert go here http://figarotunes.com/12brassatooning.htm

We had a lovely Christmas morning, I was reminded why I never cook, and my hubby hooked up the big tv to youtube! We can finally see them without endless reloading and jerking pictures! Fun fun. In honor of our new hooked-up-ness, here is a Christmas recording of me and some random other people http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiR5j72IoRQ

4 more White Christmas-es

2010-12-16T00:01:00.000-08:00

Wow, the month is flying by! So glad to be on the last week of WC, it has been fun working with everyone but it isn't my favorite show. I do feel like I have improved quite a bit on clarinet and sax though.

The orchestra concert was a reasonable success - more ticket sales than they expected and we made ALMOST as much as they had hoped on the raffle. It is just sad how much we are struggling to stay alive here. Hopefully things will look up next year. The music was ok in the end, no actual ORCHESTRA music, but for a pops concert it was ok. Of course, in the past this hasn't been a pops concert (or at least 1/2 has always been legit); but if that's what it takes...

Hopefully we will be picking the next season in January. It is fun to be on the committee that proposes the schedule, I always try to suggest at least one good oboe piece! We also have our benefit ball in January - I'll probably get to play my sax for something...

Another messiah

2010-12-05T07:51:00.000-08:00

Overall, things went pretty well considering. Since they cancelled the rehearsal (snow) we were contacted via phone about coming 2 hours earlier before the gig. Previously we were supposed to come at 5 to touch a couple of things before a 7pm concert. So everyone was coming at 3, and we'd have a regular rehearsal from 3-5. Except.

No one called the trumpets/timpani players! This would be their only rehearsal, and they were all set to come at 5:30, the "manager" got all defensive and it was kind of terrible, but they did fine. They all got there by 5:20, we ran the tpt stuff and were done by 5:30. I don't get the natural trumpet thing though - our tpt players are terrific and can play anything on all the various modern trumpets. I get that it is fun to have a challenge, but this takes me right back to jr hi. Oh well.

The tenor soloist was terribly sick and we had a sub, he did great (always a relief!). The other soloists were our "usual" ones and all did a bang up job, fun to just sit back during the arias and enjoy! Our usual 2nd oboist couldn't do this concert so I had my friend M play, we don't get to play together enough anymore. It was fun and we did get to grab a quick bite between rehearsal and concert. She is playing 1st oboe with the Expensive Private College and they are doing the Brahms Vln on Monday (big oboe solo)! She will be fab I'm sure, wish I could go.

I have finally succumbed to illness - REALLY sore throat. I can't even talk this am, and I feel terrible. I have one more WC this week, but then 2 days off.

Christmas gigging

2010-12-03T08:27:00.000-08:00

So White Christmas continues, starting to feel like we should mark each night with a tally scraped on the pit wall. But last night the 3 wind players all had subs (bet that was interesting) and we were at the Little Orchestra rehearsal for the Christmas concert Dec 11. I'm sure it will be fine, apparently there is a choir, a child to sing the bit from Home Alone, some grown up soloists and us backing it all up. Blech.

I had hoped it would be cool orchestral arrangements (one guy is arranging the whole concert for free, which is lovely). But it is super disorganized, we are getting our parts in .pdf via email, which is great, except that out of 14 songs I only have 5. I asked our "librarian" and she said it was no problem, there just wasn't oboe on any of those. Somewhat annoying, but whatever. So I show up last night and the arranger guy (who is also conducting everything) is like, where is the oboe? This is a big solo! But there are no parts to be found anywhere. Grrrrr.

So I'm missing a paying gig (WC), to show up for a less paying but usually more satisfying and consistant gig, but I have nothing to play. I *think* I will end up with music for 7 pieces, and that is ok with me - I don't have to play on everything (although it is WEIRD for the oboe to not have parts if there are other winds in an orchestra!). I did get some reading done, the magazine I've been bringing to WC finally got opened in orchestra rehearsal!

The other crazy thing is the weather here has been bad - so bad they cancelled the only Messiah rehearsal Tuesday. So I'll be playing that tomorrow night (another sub for WC) with no rehearsal. Not worried about playing it, but keeping track of which mvts we are doing is always a challenge (we do the Xmas part and about 10 other random bits, including HC of course!)

The endless nights away are starting to wear on me, things would need to be different at home if I did this all the time! I see very little of J these days because before work he has his "puttering" time (usually messing with cars or some such) and when he gets home he goes directly down to his email in the basement, and I have to leave in usually 1/2 hour depending on when he gets home. And of course he is usually asleep or the next thing to it when I get home. Fortunatly I see D after school every day, makes me so glad I'm not teaching this semester!

Another openin'

2010-11-19T09:15:00.000-08:00

White Christmas, full steam ahead! This show has been a challenge for me (which I wasn't expecting) since I had done it before - but with full winds. This time we are covering with just 3 winds. Very different, LOT more "solo" stuff and all of it on clar/sax - not my comfort instrument!

The poor mc is trying, we can tell she is, but her inability to cue us is really problematic. Of course, as the show goes on we will know what is coming and how to respond, but I've written in voice cues on every song. I wish she could just sit in a pit with an experienced conductor one night to see how it works.

Last night we asked (again) about a slower rit on a measure in the overture. No singers - nothing on stage - so if we could just stretch the measure (which is printed with a rit) just a bit more to make the changes. We weren't coming in on the upbeat (which she commented on) and we kept saying we just needed one more second...Finally (this has been going on for 3 nights now) last night she said "you mean, you actually change HORNS there?! DURING the number?!"

Uhhh, yeah. I realize she is busy trying to play the keyboard and she is 4 feet above us, but you'd think she would notice that during the overture there is sax line stuff, oboe solos, flute stuff (and picc), and clarinet trios. All with 3 people - but I guess she is distracted. She didn't realize changes could occur DURING a number. OMG.

But, show is coming together! Should be a good opening. So glad I don't have any other music to worry about until after t-day.

Are you ready for a White Christmas?

2010-11-14T14:27:00.000-08:00

So! Ritzy Private College gig (Charpentier Te Deum) went well, Joint Chamber Group Benefit for the Little Orchestra went ok too, now all I have to focus on (this week) is White Christmas! Blah. It's a little worrisome that the mc has never directed from a pit before - but she's getting the hang of it. The whole directing with your head as you play is complicated!

Mostly I'm worried about my own playing - stupid F# major on clarinet! And many switches back and forth. I decided to bag the EH playing, sadly cuz I never get to play anymore, but it seems stupid to drag out another horn for 16 bars that are not even exposed. Seemed like there was more the last time I played this, maybe it's a different scoring? I also seem to remember a big tenor solo in How Deep is the Ocean that went up to D, but it only goes up to C in this score. Huh. Oh well.

Opening Thursday. And my BFF from WaDC is coming for Thanksgiving!!! Poor guy - he will be overly exposed to White Christmas, but whaddya do?

masterclass

2010-11-08T08:24:00.001-08:00

Bunch of musical stuff this weekend, although rather LESS practicing than I had hoped! Sat we had our first and only orch rehearsal for WHite Christmas, the very nice, I think quite good, pianist they hired to take the place of the Fired Musical Director has never directed from a pit before. This is a bit terrifying, as she had never even heard of the concept of the "head nod", which is generally how you conduct from the piano - at least when you are changing tempos. They way our pit is constructed, there is no one in front of her, two groups out to the sides (we can't really see each other) and she is up on a 4 foot platform. She seems willing and interested, but it is hard to imagine it being a whole lot better before next week. Oh well!

I also had forgotten (from 2 years ago) a lot of the clar/sax stuff in there - much of it is fine but with 3 winds instead of 5 my part is much more exposed. And there are a couple of places I pawned off a hard part, and now I can play it (yay!)

Sunday I went to a masterclass on the Lindemann/Sobel method of wind playing - OMG this was a wonderful class. Those are saxophone players, and the teacher (email me if you're interested in his name) is also a sax player (and doubler of everything) - but the class had trombones, flutes, couple of saxes including me, and a euphonium player. I regret not bringing my oboe, but I wasn't sure what the class was about. This was high end stuff for sure, connecting the air with your fingers and body movement - subtle and amazing. Some of the participants were from the Big Symphony, and while they did play beautifully, he had great points to make for them as well as even me, the lamest of saxophone players.

Is this normal?

2010-11-04T09:03:00.001-07:00

Back to "normal" after WSS, I guess! I thought things would be all calm and serene, but so far that is not the case. Partly due to White Christmas horning in already - first rehearsal this Sat! And there is a LOT of sax, I really should look at it. I guess I am happy I have this monster (6week) run to keep me occupied, I am very sad about orchestra right now.

We have a local arranger (he does a lot of stuff for B movies and cruise ships) who offered to arrange our whole Xmas concert for free! This is wonderful news since we have no money, and it is tough to put on a fun xmas concert with the same old stuff every year. So. He is very late getting arrangements to us - and as they are coming (via email) piece after piece has NO OBOE. And there are no bassoons in the whole concert. And only 2 horns. Etc.

This is so disappointing - we have worked with this guy before and I was afraid this would happen. The arrangements - which I haven't heard, only seen a few wind parts - look awfully jr high, if you know what I mean. The flutes (doubled), clarinets (doubled) and oboe (thank god just me) are all exact unison parts for 2 arrangements. That is at least 5 people playing unison for the entire piece. Not what I'd orchestrate if I had access to a full orchestra. *sigh*

Continued insanity

2010-10-29T08:36:00.000-07:00

The demo at my son's school went very well (although nothing like I expected!) The kids were really interested in the instruments - I played them all, a little from WSS but mostly just little songs they knew. I'd guess most of them had never seen an instrument close up (sad).

But tonight is opening for WSS! SO EXHAUSTING! Seems to be going pretty well and both shows are sold out. Yay. So glad this is just a benefit, can't imagine lugging all this stuff for 6 weeks. I will have ob/eh/clar/ten for White Christmas, but that's still only one BIG case. And we'll be in the pit, not on stage. Kinda fun to be on stage though! I like being able to see, and even though my riser is cramped, I think it looks very impressive (which is what it is all about, after all).

But before that - I'm stupidly playing for the Old Lady Music Club, which is a lovely organization but not super organized...my quintet is doing the Barthe Passacalia and Ibert Trois Breves Pieces (so cute). Then I'm playing the Poulenc Trio but instead of bassoon we're using opheclide! Then the pianist will pick up a cello and we're doing some trios that were originally for reed trio, but we'll do ob/cello/opheclide. That ought to wake people up.

And I stupidly said I would play in church Sunday. Not that I mind, but this has been a crazy week, and Sunday is Halloween! So of course we are going out for that too. Fun stuff - son will be a south american indian. Wish I had more energy to think of a costume, but I probably will just show up (we go to our friend's house as no one comes out to the wilds of Mica Peak). Happy halloween everyone!

Moment of Insanity

2010-10-27T07:37:00.000-07:00

WHY...did I volunteer to play all my doubles for Ds school this morning?! Moving all the cases and stands is a pain, and setting up is a pain, and PLAYING them is a pain...but his teacher is so thrilled - she got the soundtrack and I guess she'll play a little from that then I'll play my part for the kids so they can see how it fits in. And I'll talk about why I have so many instruments, and what they are. My guess is I'll play a little blurb on each one, and that'll be it.

So hopefully I will be feeling like I did a good deed later today. I have the hauling down to two (big) loads - just for fun I should weigh in. After tonight I can leave the stands at the theater (not the instruments, I'm just worried that way) so even though it will still take two trips it will probably be 1/2 the weight!

Since this is my blog I am going to whine about playing on a platform for a few moments. I got to the theater and since this is a concert version of the show (West Side Story) we are onstage. It didn't occur to me that they might put me on a riser. These risers are 2.5 feet up, and the worst part is all my stands. Many of them (bass clar in particular) have a fairly large footprint, and they have to be in a certain place so I can grab them FAST - there are a lot of quick changes in act I. Because of the riser, we only have about 3 feet from back to front - and I had at least another foot I was using out there. But I think I got things to work, although that was with only two of us on the riser (me taking up most of the space!) Tonight the third guy (book 2) will be there, I guess he can take his 1 foot of lateral space I left him! hehehe.

Dublin'

2010-10-22T18:17:00.000-07:00

My brain is full of fingerings (usually the wrong ones, or the right ones for the wrong instrument anyway!) Definately the hardest doubling gig I've had. I was pretty impressed with myself when I played ob/eh/cl/tsax last year, but this is WAY harder!

I finally got the cuts - as I suspected, since it is the concert version many numbers are just gone. I only had 6 bars of EH left, and it was all high enough to play the exact notes on oboe so I decided to bag the EH. I am disappointed but it's one less thing to deal with. AND only one double reed (the least of my worries!)

I am having a lot of trouble with the upper BC register. Apparently this is not uncommon, especially with the type of octave key I have on this rental (no J, it was not better on the Bettony). Also can't seem to get high F on the Tsax w/o playing E first. It kinda sounds jazzy, so it might be ok. Probably just weak sax chops, but if anyone has any suggestions I'm open!

Only problems with the bari are AIR (holy cow that is a beast!) and physically moving it around. It is huge! Good thing about the cuts is that I'm completely done with tenor and bari after Act I. Kind of a letdown, but then I can focus on the rest.

East west...some way or other

2010-10-18T13:33:00.000-07:00

West Side Story Update. OMG doubling becomes exponentially harder when you add instruments. I think I can say reed instruments are even MORE of a pain than doubling other instruments, at least those others are "fixed" and play somewhat the same every time you pick them up. But I'm playing SIX different reed instruments for this show, which means at least 6 reeds to keep wet and happy during the whole show (and 8 if you count the double reeds as 2, which I think I will just cuz). CRAZY.

And who would have thought each instrument would have its own quirks - like the top register of the bass clarinet is WAY harder than I expected, and I can get "in the zone" but as soon as I get that going, I switch to saxophone and wreck that whole embouchure. Kinda glad this is a benefit! But I expect overall I will do fine, WISH we had cuts of at least the big numbers we won't be doing. I KNOW they have this information (like they are probably cutting some of the big dances since it's a concert version), but for some reason I can't get across that I really don't mind adding the little cuts later. I guess they think it's better to give them to us all at once (at the sitzprobe!)

I did get one biggish cut from one of the singers last night - but most of them only write down things that directly pertain to them - and as we know most show singers don't actually count (come on, you know it's true!) they just come in "when it's time". So I have one cut that leaves out 2 pages of oboe (NOT the instrument I'd choose for cuts, but at least I know). And it looks like at least one of the EH parts (2 in the whole piece for a total of 16 bars) is good to go. Hopefully it is a big solo. It is the melody, so it's possible.

calm before the storm

2010-10-13T11:06:00.000-07:00

Mahler is all done, I'm not totally happy with my own playing but I'm not devestated either. Overall I think we did a pretty good job, and it was a great experience.

Now I have about two weeks before West Side Story, or the Extreme Woodwind Doubling Experience. I have procurred a bass clarinet stand from a friend, and since the bass clarinet was not quite playable, I rented one at the local musicmart. It is a LeBlanc, seems to be pretty good AND it comes with all those nice things like a peg and a neck! I do feel bad about J and all his hard work on the other horn, but maybe someday it will play.

The bari is still in the shop. Scary, but I've been assured it will be done today! Of course, I was assured that every day since last Thursday. The lady who loaned me her BC stand said she has had work done there and the metalwork is exceptionally good. So I feel a bit better...Just hoping it works smoothly. I've been practicing on tenor so at least I have the fingering thing going. It is scary to do this MANY doubles - since the oboe/eh parts are only a TINY fraction of the score. Usually I have those places for comfort, but I'm way out on a limb this time! Oh well, at least it is a benefit. On the other hand, I don't want other musicians (particularly) to hear me "not so good".

It is exciting though. And my quintet is playing at the end of the month - just a short thing we'll play Ibert. I'm also going to do some stuff with my friends who play piano/cello and bass things, so I believe we will try the Poulenc Trio (for pno/ob/bsn) and he will play ophicleide. !!!! Then we may try some reed trio stuff with the clarinet part transposed for cello and the bassoon part on serpent. They are really fun people (and professional musicians, so hopefully this won't suck!)

So I'm just trying to get all my reeds stockpiled before the end of the month - who knew it was so expensive to buy all these reeds?!!!

It's Mahler time!

2010-10-09T09:27:00.000-07:00

Has been really interesting putting this concert together with EPCO (expensive private college orchestra). I am surprised at how different it is with so many PEOPLE! We have nearly twice as many bodies, and it is hard to hear. The conductor is searching to cue people, a problem exacerbated by the fact that we have been in a different venue every night!

Musically it is coming together, but we're running out of time. We do have a sound check tonight, our only opportunity to play in the church. This is also our first time to play on our new moveable stage (available for rental!). Last year you may remember I painted plywood boards black so we would have a hard surface to play on - this did help a lot but the new stage should be even better as it is 4" high and interlocks in 8' pieces. We'll see!

I am worried because they are not planning to bring the shell tonight - I think it helped a lot but the concern is there won't be room for it. I don't understand that thinking, since there is no "wall" the stage just has a curtain then it becomes a huge backstage area. But no one asked me! Hopefully it will be ok - Mahler isn't too impressive if your giant brass section is swallowed up by curtains.

My husband has been asked to take pictures during sound check - he is "into" photography and has some really nice equipment. The orchestra certainly can't afford a professional photographer, and it seems like a great idea to have pix of this extravaganza.

What's goin on?

2010-10-04T08:36:00.000-07:00

Today I have a clarinet lesson! It is really fun since I only do it once a year or so - but the guy who played in La Boheme is my "teacher" and he's really amazing. I believe he got a lifetime acheivement award from the Clarinet association (whatever it is) this year. Hopefully he can help me with that high range and some of the "in between" stuff that makes playing the oboe breaks look like cake.

Our WW5 is planning a 1/2 concert with the string quartet in November, I think we are playing Barthe Passecalia (from the Yellow Book), Ibert, Arnold Three Shanties, and Haydn-Muth (also from the esteemed book). Fun! And I do think it is helping us wind players play together better. The pitch in the opera was so amazing, it gives me new confidence that "it's not always me"!

I'm in this musical "club" (mostly elderly females - I'm definately one of the youngest) that meets once a month and has a music program. As a performing member I'm asked to play 20 minutes once a year or so - and I thought it would be fun if the quintet could play this year - and it is conveniently scheduled 2 weeks before our concert! But it is also the same day as West Side Story opening, which 4 of us are involved in (with a total of 16 instruments!) But we can announce it and maybe some of these people will see the Little Orchestra has some talent too.

So that's all coming up - but trumping everything is Mahler 1 this Sat/Sun! I can't wait. I've been asking about the bells up on the bulletin board, apparently most people hold them up higher than I was thinking! I was going to go on the side of the stand, but I tried it last night over the stand and I think it will work. The only problem is my stupid bifocals - can't read the music when I do that! Such great music though, we are combining with the local Expensive Private College Orchestra (Thursday first day together) and it should be a huge sound. Just worried about fitting us all in place!

La Boheme

2010-09-19T19:48:00.000-07:00

OMG this is the best music ever! Well, some of the best music ever. I am LOVING that I get to play! The orchestra is quite good, and I don't think I'm making a fool of myself (which is nice). They have brought in a conductor from NY, and I am quite amazed that he does in fact have distinct upbeats and downbeats! This is rather unusual for an opera/choral conductor (in my experience). I am finding him very easy to follow and obviously really knows the score - some conductors blame the musicians for "not following" when they are just lost. Very annoying.

Today we had the sitzprobe, only time we will actually see the singers. I think things went ok, few scary places but we have 2 more rehearsals. The best parts of this music are the luscious chords that just grow out of the phrases - it is just wonderful to feel your note fit in this huge sound.

Tomorrow the community band starts up for fall - once again I am planning to play clarinet. We have a new conductor and they may not like the idea since I leave at the break (so I can put my 8yo to bed). THe last 2 conductors have been happy to have him come to rehearsals, but we'll see what this one thinks.

And the little orchestra started up last week - we open our season with Mahler 1 (another fabulous piece of music!) and Tchaik Romeo and Juliet (which we previewed this summer).

Doubling mania

2010-09-14T16:58:00.000-07:00

Fun times here on the peak - yesterday a package arrived with the bass clarinet neck! For anyone who may have forgotten, J got me a bass clarinet for my birthday (fixer upper) which he had basically fixed up, but it had no neck. This is a huge problem, and he was actually contemplating MAKING one (OMG) but fortunately he found one on line. Seems to work great! Now I am getting excited about the BC, but it does need some adjustment work before it gets the green light.

Tonight I'm going to play tenor sax with my friend's dance band, just to get playing again. It really helps me to have a group to play with. I have about a month til rehearsals start for West Side, so all my weird instruments need to be ready by then. Of course I'm just assuming my oboe playing will be fabulous (hahaha).

I am having the best time rehearsing for La Boheme - the winds are truly a joy to hear. I am a bit concerned about how they are going to fit us all in the pit though - lots of percussion and people, at least there is no keyboard. And it is kind of weird they hired double winds except oboe! I don't know if they just couldn't find someone, or what - but you'd think they would have given me the 2nd/eh book to cover some of the exposed parts (which the conductor sings while he looks at me mournfully). Music is great though, and I can't wait for the sitzprobe (when the singers come in) on Sunday.

Crisis du jour

2010-09-05T21:13:00.000-07:00

I am running around putting out fires left and right (isn't that the definition of motherhood? Does this mean I'm the "mother" of the symphony? Huh) Several things I don't feel like I should post even anonymously, but the latest crisis is kind of my fault - I BRILLIANTLY found a 2nd oboe (our usual player is back from summer break early), and even though she will have no rehearsals she has played everything on oboe or violin so she'll be fine for this pops concert. BUT...

She goes to school at Snazzy Private College. Which is about an hour north of my house (and another hour to the concert). Our concertmaster teaches at SPC, and he was happy to give her a ride. Unfortunately, he miscalculated his car space and this evening he called and was so sorry but he couldn't fit her in. The other two people who live anywhere close are unavailable, and they are kind of occupied since it is the conductor and one of the soloists (my great friend M). Anyway, I had SAID I would get her if necessary, and it looks like it is. Which means I leave my house at 9 for a 11:30 call.

AND my husband had offered to take photos at the concert, so he was planning to go with me, but now he really doesn't want to leave 90 minutes earlier than planned...so WE have to take 2 cars. Argh. But I AM the only person who seemed to even care if we had a 2nd oboe (and that is not a paid position, so it is hard to find anyone). Feeling frustrated and a bit "used". I'll get over it - I am quite excited for the upcoming season and I have several good reeds!

Season off to a bang!

2010-08-31T09:49:00.000-07:00

Well, this isn't the official season yet, but since we didn't have any actual gigs in the summer, these two summer pops concerts seem like the beginning. And the first one went well - private concert at the country club - about 250 people! Perfect weather, we were in a tent overlooking the lake and it was wonderful. Of course last time we did this gig it was 105 in the tent. Yes, you read that correctly.

I am really worried about our little gang of musicians, the money is really tight. They are probably making the January concert strings only. I am sad but it's a good call, we are backing up a celtic band for the 2nd part of the concert (family concert) and they'll just change the first piece to something appropriate.

But we are on for Mahler 1 in October! After hearing us muddle through the Tchaik Romeo and Juliet I wonder how it will be - we weren't terrible, but it wasn't amazing. I am stressed because there is no money for and EH player, so I was juggling horns and outdoors that sucks. My reed was all dried out - I had planned to ghost some notes with the clarinets before the solo and not ONE of them spoke AT ALL! I was kinda freaking out, but the solo miraculously came out ok - and it is doubled with the cellos (not really a solo then, is it? but we all know the cellos are just there for backup)

No rehearsals til Labor day - we have a sound check/rehearsalette before the concert.

In other news, it appears I will be doing the giant reed 3 book for west side story! This is the book with flute, picc, oboe, EH, clar, bass clar, tenor sax and bari sax! Holy cow. I am planning to play the flute/picc stuff on oboe unless it just doesn't work, and then we can switch parts around. Since the last time they did this show they had ONE wind player for all FIVE books, I'm sure it will be great. I'm excited to do it anyway - and J has let his "aquiring" side go mad on Craiglist - I now own a bari sax and bass clarinet - neither of which is currently playable, but we have hopes this will change. *sigh*

Art Festivals and Lack of Fundage

2010-07-30T07:57:00.000-07:00

Last night our Little Symphony had a financial board meeting, and they invited orchestra members to attend, I guess to get more fundraising ideas. It was so depressing! Everyone seems to be trying so hard, but we have a huge deficit in this years budget Every time someone raises funds, another grant falls through or donor opts out. We now have NO major donors. They are talking about cancelling at least one concert just so we can function - and we only have a total of 5 concerts. *sigh*

I have volunteered to increase our presence on the internet - not that I have much of a clue but I can get us on the free local calendars and Cr@iglist events. Any other ideas out there? After playing with the Middle of Nowhere Symphony - where they have a HUGE (comparitively) budget I'm just depressed. We live in the same size towns, but the arts don't seem to be very supported here. Maybe I'm just not asking the right people.

Which MAY be the case, because this weekend is a big art fest in Little Town, and it is a big deal. The orchestra has a presence - the quartet and ww quintet will play (we're doing the Poulenc Sextet - so cool! and these fun Hallam pieces) The board members will pass out season brochures and I guess have a ticket buying table. Don't know how worthwhile that will end up being, but you have to try!

More Fireworks

2010-07-23T09:06:00.000-07:00

Tonight we start rehearsals for the Royal Fireworks Band - concert Sunday. It's pretty old hat by now - we do Handel's Fireworks music of course, and every year there are a couple new arrangments, but most of us have done it many times and it is a great way to get in shape over a few days! Lucky for me I had the Helena gig last week, so lots of rehearsals for that (and much more exposed stuff). The RFB is fun since we are just members of the section - like violins. There is NO COMPARISON to playing principal oboe, having all those others to count on is a huge advantage. Of course, then you don't get those Diva Moments where everyone listens to YOU, and I must admit those are kinda nice.

So anyway, I'm thinking of sending the Loree off for an overhaul - the Laubin is in such good shape now it shouldn't be a problem. I've been playing it all summer. Everyone here says to send it to Carlos Coelho at carlosoboe.com - any opinions?

Hoping my old EH is sold - I haven't heard but tonight (at rehearsal) the buyer's teacher will be there. I think for the money it is a screamin deal.

Planning to carpool with the Mysterious G - hopefully in the snazzy convertable! He is growing most of his cane in his backyard now, and I really like the reeds he's making. It really is every bit as good as the super spendy stuff from France. I have some cane growing at my house, but our rocky "soil" is not ideal. Just kinda fun to have cane, maybe someday I'll end up with some that I can use!

Vibrato

2010-07-14T05:12:00.000-07:00

I'm practicing like mad these days, and to quell my nerves about playing prinicpal for a group I've never heard before I took a lesson with the mysterious G (reed making demigod). Feeling much better about things in general (although this is a very nerve-wracking thing), MG said to watch out that my vibrato is too much in places.

WHAT?!!

For years I have struggled to have any tiny wiggle, my long-ago undergrad years peppered with jury sheets complimenting my tone or rhythm but "needs more vibrato".

I did all those undignified huffing exercises, where you slowly try to build up those diaphram muscles. I studiously avoided the evil throat or lip vibrato that is only fit for instruments like the saxophone. I tried making wavy lines over the long notes to remind me to kick in the "wobbles". Nothing worked for me - all the other oboe players were doing it, but I just didn't really hear it.

Then my 2nd year of grad school (!) I started singing in the (very good) school choir. I took some vocal lessons (what the heck, they were free with my TA-ship) and discovered that vibrato is actually a NATURAL occurance.

!!!!!

Totally against everything I had been working so hard on for years, and these crazy singer-people were saying, don't do that! Apparently if you use good air and keep your body relaxed the sound kind of "spins". You actually have to freeze muscles to NOT have vibrato - which can be damaging to the voice over time (many rock type singers strain their voices singing super loud straight tones all the time).

My vibrato is sort of a weird combination of diaphram throat and even maybe lip vibrato, it just sort of comes out and I don't think about it at all. Except sometimes on big long notes in a cheesy solo I punch it up a bit, maybe a bit Kenny G (OMG say it isn't so!) So thanks for the heads up MG, I'll keep a lid on in the symphony - even if we're playing schmoltz.

One more thing - I totally use vibrato on the clarinet. I know some people say that is a big no-no, but I think it sounds good in moderation - NOT all the time. And I've had compliments on my sound from actual clarinet players, so there. Always seemed very unfair to me, that oboe players were beleaguered by not only the horrible reed problems (sorry clarinet players, you have NO room to talk) but also the vibrato issues that were a completely non-issue for my clarinet collegues. So unfair.

summer gigs and stuff

2010-07-07T18:54:00.000-07:00

So long since my last post - seems kinda silly to post when I'm just doing the same thing! But Annie is finally over and it was mostly fun - the pit was great (IMHO). I was worried that I wouldn't have anything to do after the show, but I was asked to sub for a chamber group while the usual oboe player recovers from heart surgery (she's doing great). They rehearse once a week and the most interesting piece to me is the Bloch 4 settings for Chamber orchestra, really fun and not too challenging but not boring. I've never heard it before, and it has been fun to play with some new people in town.

Then I got a call from the HSO, a group about 5 hours away. They need a principle oboe for their Fireworks concert, an outdoor "Spanish Nights" theme. We will do lots of Carmen excertps, Espana, Bolero and Caprricio Espanol. I'm kind of nervous since I won't be able to go to any rehearsals until the Thursday before Sat concert, but I've played most of this stuff and there seem to be excellent rehearsal notes. Seems that many people are imported to play, so I won't be the only one.

Then our local Fireworks Concert is the next week, which is the oboe (and bassoon) extravaganza - 20 (or more) oboes, 4 EH, 16 bassoons, 8 horns, 8 picc tpts and percussion. This is the instrumentation of Handel's Fireworks Music (the real version!) and we've done it every year for 31 years - really fun to see all my oboe playing friends every year. Besides the Fireworks Music, we play arrangements of various pieces. It's a free concert, and of course the highlight is the coordinated fireworks during the Handel. We play on this floating stage on the river, and the audience is all over the lawn of the big park on the bank. Fun.

After a family vacation, the little orchestra is doing a pops concert, labor day and then season opener (Mahler 1!). I haven't been playing the clarinet since Annie, but I'd like to keep those doubles going - and the jazz band is patiently waiting for me to come back with my tenor sax on Tuesdays...What happened to slow boring summers?

doubling

2010-06-01T10:25:00.000-07:00

I've been busy doubling! On oboe, Eh and CLARINET! And my $30 Buffet J found at the Value Village is actually doing a great job - all the real clarinet players are very impressed. So any trouble I have is due to operator error, not faulty equipment.

The show is Annie Get Your Gun, and it is really quite perfect for my initiation into real doubling. I played clarinet for Gigi, and doubled on Pirates of Penzance and Music Man, but those were more grass roots productions. I think I did get paid, but this is a union job, and it has been a LONG time.

Many oboe players start on the clarinet, so it is an obvious double, but I started on oboe (after piano lessons). I am loving (mostly) the part, I even have several "solo-y" places which are really fun. I like the places with 2 clarinets in harmony best, it is a blast to play with M.

This weekend for some reason the PTB decided NOT to do a show on Sunday (Mem Day), so I surprised my honey and took him to the big city to see Candide - his favorite opera of all time. This is a show that is rarely mounted, and he had never seen a live production, so it was really fun to go - the pit was great (although the sound guy was NOT), and the oboe/d'a/eh part was played by a guy I knew from Tacoma Symphony days. Did a great job too, and what fabulous music! Kinda sad to come back for AGYG, but it is fun in it's own way (and they're paying me).

Amazing

2010-05-03T09:47:00.000-07:00

What a great experience! The Barber (vln) was the best we've ever done it and Dr Phil was terrific! I even felt good about the big solo in the 2nd mvt, and the horns were glorious when they come in later - I swear Howard Shore stole this stuff for his LOTR score. Gives me goosebumps just thinking about it.

The Brahms 3 went pretty well too, there were a few terrifying moments, but when I think of how far the symphony has come it is so exciting. One of the more exciting bits is that our 2nd clarinet had his appendix out the day of the concert, so there was much scrambling around to find a replacement that could play that night, sightreading! This was further complicated by the fact that the Big Symphony was playing Don Juan at the same time, so 3 of the best players in town were occupied. This isn't the biggest clarinet mecca, so people were getting stressed, but one of the retired players was in town, he still subs with them and is playing a fair bit. Fortunatly he got the word at 4pm and was in his tux on stage at 6:45, seeing the Barber for the first time! Fortunatly he had played the Brahms many times, but I'm sure that was an adrenyline rush for him.

Now on to Annie Get Your Gun, and my (hopefully) not too sucky clarinetting on 4 numbers.

Concert week!

2010-04-29T08:53:00.000-07:00

Today I pick up some new reeds (guilt guilt, but they are soooo fine!) from the mysterious G - who has decided to go public if anyone is interested. Gary Plowman is the awesome reedmaker, and he can be reached via email gdplowman@q.com

He is working on a website but right now he just has the email address. I'll post a link when he gets a site up and running. His reeds are fab and he is a terrific guy too.

Anyway, stopping by to pick up reeds (he adjusts them right then if needed, advantages of living close by! AND I save postage). Then off to convocation where my student is playing the Hindemith. Much better than ME playing the Hindemith! She should do great. Back home since I have a cancellation at the college, and see no point waiting around 5 hours, then back over for one more lesson and orchestra rehearsal!

Tomorrow is dress, then our last real concert at the college. Sad in a way, but we are working on the church and it will be fine. And less than 1/2 price. WITH the latte bar!

Very excited to hear the Brahms today, have been working on the easy looking but deceptively hard triple meter things - this is the 1/2 note part that is off from the rest of the orchestra - I can play all those quick passages just fine! This is offset by my less able playing of the Barber Vln 3rd mvt - NASTY quick passages but I'm hacking away at them - I think all but one will be pretty solid, and fortunately that one is with all the other winds (hiding behind the flutes!) I can get most of it, but it's soooo long something always gets messed up. Grrr.

a princess is a delicate thing...

2010-04-24T07:01:00.000-07:00

Tonight is the last night of Once Upon a Mattress - fun show! And really well done for a HS production. We are in an open pit - just a space in front of the seats. They only hired 3 winds, no brass and a combo (keyboard, guitar, bass and drums). I think it is quite effective, and hopefully they are glad they hired all three of us.

It has been a really busy week with all the shows and rehearsals, orchestra rehearsal, lessons, Catapult Day at Ds school (daddy was highly impressed) and Grampa G comin to town. Fun! A trip to Cabe((as is planned for today - but no obligations beyond the show. Forcing the boyz to go, or they don't get the awesome steaks tomorrow at the best steakhouse ever.

I was surprised that I had some rhythmic "issues" on the Brahms (3) - first mvt and I blame the strings for not laying down a steady beat - on the other hand I should be able to play it no matter what they do. So I guess I better practice! Also if anyone has ever played the Barber Vln that 3rd mvt is a bear - really awkward passages at warp speed. AND if I feel like more is needed, I have all that clarinet stuff for Annie - I'm assuming I can play all the ob/eh stuff. Of course, there seems to always be SOME passage of hardness in most shows!

Recital

2010-04-18T17:46:00.000-07:00

I have been a terrible blogger, but since I played in a recital I suppose I must post! All went well, ended up playing the Hindemith after our flutist for the Dring Trio was called to boot camp! Apparently they just whisk you away for that, she left last week.

I was very brave and spoke to the audience before I played, just a few sentences about Hindemith. I love when people do that so I figured I should too. There were about 7 people performing, it was very nice even though we weren't allowed to use the hall on campus. This is the same hall the symphony has been priced out of playing at - sort of a shame. But I loved the church we played at - big and resonant - I really wanted to play something schmaltzy! Too bad we didn't have any rehearsal time there.

I have spent the past week frantically trying to learn the 3rd mvt of the Barber Violin cconcerto. The 2nd has this beautiful oboe solo, but the 3rd is what I have to focus on as it is faster than...well, some fast thing! And it is hard (whine whine). But so cool, I can't wait to play it.

Also working on my music typesetting - can't get my midi to midify (keyboard to talk to the computer), but I got 3 pieces from Once Upon A Mattress input to transpose down 2 whole steps. NASTY transposition, and it's going to the lovely key of Gb so I decided not to try transposing by sight, I can do up or down a step if it isn't too tricky, but this is NOT my thing. Then I felt sorry for the flute player and did her parts too. I'm sure I'm getting musical credit somewhere in orchestra heaven.

spring gigs

2010-04-07T09:02:00.000-07:00

Yay! I am so happy to report things are picking up. I did get the call for Annie Get Your Gun (not my favorite show, but it is a long run and it pays well!) Lots of people I love to work with are playing and it's my favorite local conductor. AND I'm getting to stretch my doubling wings as this book has oboe/EH/clar. Just took the "new" clarinet into the shop so hopefully it will be amazing when it comes back - Jim got it most of the way but it needs fine-tuning.

Also playing for Once Upon a Mattress, HS production for the Little Orchestra Conductor. Same great wind players on this one, and it is only one week. Pay ok, and has been a really fun gig in the past. Only oboe which I expect will be a no-brainer.

AND we start rehearsals for the final orchestra concert this week - Brahms 3 and Barber Vln Conc. Haven't played either one, should be fun.

Finally we are actually having quintet again tonight (first time in MONTHS!) but due to three of us playing for AGYG for 6 weeks, I think we're taking some time off. We need to discuss options, I'm very discouraged about the fact that we have only had two rehearsals since December! I'm hoping to do a few Saturday rehearsals since we can't meet on Wednesdays during the run.

Update

2010-03-18T11:45:00.000-07:00

Things are picking up again (sooo glad!) After a mostly dead month or two, we had an orchestra concert last weekend, which was great. I am really excited that even though we are being financially squeezed off of the college stage, the local church has been really open about working with us to make their venue more appropriate. The biggest things were the carpeted floor, and no shell. Our conductor has a portable shell (HUGE pain to move) at his HS, and he brought that over. It takes hours to tear down and put up even with help, but it was a big improvement. He also bought 12 sheets of plywood which I (me myself!) painted black. Those were put under the strings to see if it helped bounce the sound - which it did! We may get enough for the whole stage, and we'll buy our own shell to be stored at the church. Very exciting.

The concert itself went very well, 6 concerto winners. We did Rach Pno I (1st mvt), Dvorak Cello (1st mvt - nice oboe parts), Beethoven Vln (1st mvt - more good oboe stuff), Ibert Flute (yes! more oboe!) and 2 singers did Puccini, Mozart, and Massenet selections. Fun.

Two of my students participated in solo contest that morning, they both did very well. Probably playing at the edge of their ability, I was really proud of them. I try to have them do state repertoire, they don't have to unless they are trying to go on to state contest, but I think it is good for them. They are both freshmen, so off to a good start!

Then I got 2 gigs! One is just a HS choir concert, but I get union scale and it is a show up and play thing. Nice. I know a lot of the people playing so it should be fun. The other is a musical but it is only 4 shows (not weeks and weeks) - Once Upon a Mattress. Also good pay. I was starting to feel like I'd never get another call, so depressing. But I think the economy is really hurting the music industry.

I have been playing the clarinet and tenor for community band and my friend's stage band. Just trying to get my "doubling chops" up for future gigs (hopefully). It is pretty fun, although kind of enlightening! My first band concert is Monday, and I'm pretty excited even though I've played oboe with this group many times.

Gigage

2010-03-06T07:07:00.000-08:00

Finally I have some things to play in! And I'm sick!

Wouldn't you know. I just felt that tickle in my throat yesterday - and it was so sore by night I couldn't sleep. Hopefully it will stay in my throat until Monday, when I can cancel things until Thursday (or Friday if I have to). But tomorrow I am playing in church, and I really don't want to cancel because it has been over a year since they asked me (with changing music directors and so on). Hopefully it will be ok.

I am playing the slow mvt of Marcello for communion (nice for Lent I think) and an obbigato with the choir - then I'll play on various hymns/praise tunes.

This week is our competition concert - and we are doing some lovely concertos. Unfortunately we are in the carpeted church again, lovely they let us have the space for a reasonable price, but it isn't as nice as the college hall we used to play at. We'll be back at the college for our May concert, but next year is still up in the air. I'm betting we're at the church the whole season. Money is just too tight. *sigh*

My baby reeds are gearing up for solo contest - which is next Saturday! So exciting to see them madly practicing, I love it. Sadly, one of my BRs is grounded - isn't it weird to be grounded from lessons? And she's not allowed to play for contest either - seems odd to me. But supposedly she'll be back for lessons in a couple weeks, wouldn't surprise me if she just dropped out. That would be really sad as this particular student was really working hard lately.

Dry spell

2010-02-28T09:18:00.000-08:00

Wow, it has been ages since I've done anything musically. Of course I'm still teaching, but our orchestra has had to cut rehearsals back drastically due to budget cuts. But now we have a concert in 2 weeks, and we had our first rehearsal. Must say it was a bit rough! I'm sure it will come together by the concert though - all concerto winnners. Some of the biggies are Ibert Flute (m3), Dvorak Cello (m1), Beethoven Vln (m1), and a bunch of vocal things I can't keep straight. These people come from all over the country to play with our little group, which is amazing!

I've been playing clarinet in the community band. I get a bit frustrated with myself, but it is fun. I will play oboe on one piece that has a big solo, but that will be fine. I also played tenor with my friend's dance band (just a rehersal) last week, and for the most part I did pretty well! The music is really unfamiliar to me, so I'm really working on sightreading skills while everyone else knows these "standards".

The heat is on for my HS students - solo contest is in 2 weeks! I think most of them were kind of shocked when I pointed this out. But this will be great for them, I love contest time - everybody practices!

Fabulousity

2010-01-24T10:00:00.000-08:00

Our family concert was yesterday, and my clarinet-wielding friend really played amazingly well on the Shaw Jazz concerto. I must say it was kinda fun playing the saxophone, although I'm glad it was THAT concert. Looks like there may be an opening in a dance band which I might consider doing as a sub, but I don't think I want another weekly gig. But excellent to get those sax chops going.

The Mother Goose Suite went well, this was the "real" music on the program, the rest being little fun bits like D's favorite Russian Sailor's Dance - that was one of the first pieces I playing in a symphony back in the youth orchestra days. Now we have a hiatus for about a month (budget cuts) before our next rehearsal.

Quintet is finally rehearsing again this week, and I'm hoping to nail down some concert ideas for March/April. We really need to get going or there won't be any space available - all the schools have overflowing concert halls in May/June. I'd love to play some of the stuff on the Imami Winds album, but I think that would be out of reach for a concert that soon.

stuff goin on

2010-01-17T05:50:00.000-08:00

After my last post the conductor of the little symphony called and asked me to play the tenor sax for our next concert (which is in 6 days). I was kind of glad, because I'm trying to improve my doubling chops, I'd like other musicians to see that I can play sax, this is a kiddie concert and I don't have a lot to play, but still! It was a bit nerve wracking to have less than 12 hours notice (and no music) before playing an instrument I'm not all that comfortable with. AND I had actually forgotten that my "new" sax has not been played with others - but it went fine (at least no one told me I was terrible). We are doing the Shaw Clarinet Concerto (jazz) and my old college roomie is just wailin' on the clarinet part!

The Laubin also made it's public debut on Thursday - big success I think. Seems to have a really lovely tone and the pitch is great. I ALSO played my new Laubin bocal (in the english horn, part of the mouthpiece) and that is great too! I do need to get more familiar with the upper register, the notes just seem to sing out there but I'm not used to it being so easy and was overadjusting.

We are doing the Mother Goose Suite, and I will play eh for that, the only piece of any difficulty on the program. The eh has a few solo-y bits that are higher than the usual eh fare. The biggest worry is that we are in a new venue (a church with a carpeted stage). We don't get any time in there except the hour before the concert! We did do a Messiah concert in the space, but I really don't have a sense of the sound - one of the attendees just told me you couldn't hear ANYTHING from the audience except through the mics. I hate the idea of mics for the orchestra, and I don't think we have anywhere close to the equipment that would take, but DD is trying to build a stage before next week! Just plywood sheets painted black, but what a huge undertaking, and all without being able to test at all before the concert. Crazy.

clarinetting

2010-01-12T06:15:00.000-08:00

Still haven't had a chance to "test" the Laubin in a rehearsal - nothing going on til Thursday. But yesterday I went to j's band and played clarinet. It was really fun! Since I play out of tune (somewhat) on clarinet it doesn't bother me nearly as much. Hehe. Anyway, I'm playing 3rd, which actually had some great parts, and I am quite sure I won't be bored with this. I will play oboe on any solos he needs (as there is no other oboe available) but mostly I'll just be 3rd clarinet. This is great practice for me doubling.

This weekend I was a judge for our young artists competition. I was pretty excited to be asked and it was fun but I also felt a lot of pressure, deciding people's fates. There were at least 8 people in the winds category (the only one I judged) who flew in from the east coast from big name schools. It is kind of unfortunate that the local students really don't stand a chance with such competition, but there was a definate tier of abilities. Several of the locals did a good job, but they were not even close to the professionalism of these fancy imports. Having said that - it is exciting there is such interest from all over the country, and it was so hard to narrow down the top 5 spots to just one winner. I was exhaused and sooo glad I didn't judge the other 5 catagories.

Like New!

2009-12-26T06:27:00.000-08:00

I sort of inherited a Laubin oboe from my first teacher about 20 years ago. It has been languishing in my possession for all this time, and I finally decided to send it off to it's place of birth (the Laubin factory) for an overhaul. It just came back (like a Christmas gift) and although I haven't played with others it seems to be fabulous! I'm really looking forward to seeing how it works in a group (I usually play a Loree).

Only thing is it seems to be very dark (lovely) but I've been having trouble projecting my sound in the orchestra - so this oboe may not work for that setting. We'll see, it's fun to play anyway. Think I'll bring it along just to get used to it for our week of visiting reletives, I'm sure they will all be thrilled for me to play! hahaha.

In gig news, I am annoyed to hear that they are doing a show (Curtains) at the local theater but only hiring ONE wind player to cover FIVE books. Grrr. The most annoying thing is the 2nd book would be perfect for me, oboe/EH/clar/tsax - I'm really trying to get my doubling career going. Why won't people work with me here?!!! Ah well. At least the one person they DID hire is someone I know and like!

Trio

2009-12-17T13:07:00.000-08:00

Wow, first rehearsal this am with the pianist for the Dring Trio - what a fun piece! And overall we sound great (IMHO) - can't wait for faculty recital (April, we are way ahead of the game). Looking for other fl/ob/pno trios, preferrably NOT baroque unless the keyboard part is more than continuo. Anyone?

This afternoon is my recorder student "recital" - actually I think only one of them can play Jingle Bells, but I'm bring the oboe to drown them out. Should be fine, they are WAY more interested in the santa hats and jingle bell bracelets. Silly girls.

Tonight I have a fun gig with two awesome wind players at the local HS choir concert. And I volunteered to sort/pass out music for our Jan orchestra concert, so I will be the fun person who give out music in my area (the orchestra is located in a town 30 miles away, so many people drive over from the "big city") Anyway, should be good - then two cantatas Sunday and I'm done. Kinda sad I have nothing on Christmas eve, but I guess that is nice for a change. Merry Merry, everyone!

Swans a swimmin

2009-12-14T20:07:00.000-08:00

The big piece on our winter concert was Swan Lake (yeah baby!) which starts out with this huge oboe solo. What a great experience, but as always we get to the day and I'm wondering how time flew by so fast. I feel that it actually went pretty well, but I guess I'll know more when I hear the recording.

Orchestra is over until January, except for a party - which is unfortunately the same day as another gig. I'm playing for a HS choir concert, the conductor is a good friend who makes these fabulous arrangements and always gives me great solos. LOVE to play for him! Also doing a cantata on Sunday, not with my church, by some guy named Pepper. It seems like it will be "nice", but I won't hear it with singers til the gig.

The only other music-y thing going on is my recorder students - last year we played Christmas carols for the rest of the school (20 kids). Fun and low key, so I figured we'd do it again. THIS year they are SO not ready to play. Except one student, they can't get through 8 bars of Jingle Bells! I feel bad, not sure what the deal is. They can play the notes - and last year I did a kind of "suzuki" type approach with no music for a while. This year that playing by ear thing doesn't seem to be catching on. Oh well. They'll have a great time with their santa hats and jingle bells even if they can't play! I'm bringing my oboe to blast over their sound. Will report on the insanity after Thursday!

Yep, it's Christmas!

2009-12-03T04:07:00.000-08:00

Burst of activity! Band concert went pretty well on Monday - I was NOT perfect but I think I did contribute; J sounded great on his solo (trumpet). Fun to come in and play the concerts, but while I miss the people it is so nice to have my Mondays at home.

We saw the most amazing concert Tuesday - it is a chamber music series that we actually got season tix for (three concerts); you sit at little tables in this beautifully restored ballroom from a 5star hotel (turn of the last century), each table has a lovely bottle of wine and cheese/crackers chocolate-covered strawberries for nibbling. The performers all announce their own pieces and give a little What to Listen For speech. It is somewhat more casual than the usual orchestra concerts. LOVE it - there was a Mark O'conn@ll trio (fiddle-inspired), the B@rber Summer Music (ww5 - they were so good!) and Br@hms Sextet (Sectstet? for my mom- hehe) which was awe inspiring.

Tonight we had our first ww5 rehearsal - at my house!! after a crazy day of school meetings, oboe lesson (teaching), swimming lesson (for D across town) and dashing back to rehearsal. Also made dinner for the boys somehow. I was kind of nervous so I didn't eat but it went great. It was just fun making music with such musicians, we are hoping to have a fairly regular weekly rehearsal schedule and are considering which direction (gigs or recitals) to go - right now I want to just work on playing well with these people - this is going to be great for our symphony playing. So any of you musicians with ww5 suggestions please weigh in!

We currently have Ib@rt Trois Pieces, Hind@mith, Arn0ld Three Shanties, and the Poul@nc Sextet, and a few ditties.

At last some action!

2009-11-30T16:03:00.000-08:00

Tonight I'm playing with the local community band (that J plays in) as a ringer - they are actually doing some music that has excellent sightreading twisties for my fingers. I've been working on reading faster stuff without mistakes, not one of my better skills, and this is a good opportunity. Also nice to support the band.

And then the dearth of activity is over (hopefully!) Our ww5 has been talking the talk for three or more YEARS, and we will finally meet at my house for the first time Wednesday! I'm very excited about playing chamber music with these people (principals in the orchestra mostly).

This weekend we have our first Messiah Singalong. I hate singalongs, but they can be great crowd pleasers. I am worried the powers that be are charging too much, since so many churches offer singalongs for free around here. Love to play the Messiah, even part of it (as long as it has the normal orchestration!) at Christmas - really gets me in the holiday spirit.

Then next week is our orchestra concert - we're doing a bunch of Christmas music (probably too much!) and Swan Lake Suite, yay, big oboe solo right up front! And all the fun little dances, some of which have nasty little parts. But all very doable, nothing too stressful this year (so far). I'm playing for a church cantata later in the month, sort of weird to have all this available time since I'm not directing the bells.

So maybe I'll be better about posting now I have some musical things going on...

MHSR

2009-11-09T11:47:00.000-08:00

I have been terrible at keeping up this blog, it is so hard when there are no gigs! We haven't even had a rehearsal due to budget cuts, so next week will be the first one since the concert. Which I haven't written about either!

The concert went as well as I could have hoped for - it was a big one for me. The Dvorak New World (I played EH on the 2nd mvt) was probably the best I've played it. So glad I was able to use the fabulous Lau bin bocal. The sad thing is for the Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue they did NOT tune the piano!!! Such a shame, DD did an amazing job, my high Es came out great and the clarinet player rocked. I am so annoyed with our venue - they are now charging us for each piece of equipment (including the out of tune piano). We bring much of the percussion equipment from the local HS, but they are just pricing us out of the building. We don't rehearse there anymore, and 3 of our concerts will be at another venue.

So we rehearse this week on Thursday, but Friday I am getting my first gig in the big arena downtown - with the snazzy group (whose name I will spell wrong in an attempt to not get hits) Man hime Steem Roler. Hmmmm. Ok that is stupid, maybe I shouldn't care if people find my blog. But I'm very excited about this! We don't get music til the actual gig, but I've been assured this is not a hard book. Hope not!

And today I'm sending off my Laubin oboe to the "factory" - hopefully it will play delightfully when it comes back. I haven't been playing it at all (it was a hand-me-down from my teacher) because it is pretty gummy, but it may have some twisty rods or something too. The sound is amazing though.

New World

2009-10-04T21:12:00.000-07:00

The opera is over, went very well and we had decent crowds. I was so happy to have it be over just to have some time off! But only a week before our season opener for the symphony. And it is a big one for me, which is nice but stressful.

My brother and his family are coming the day of our dress rehearsal - which is great but I wish I would be able to spend more time with them. They will leave Sunday am, and are not going to the concert so I only get to visit Saturday morning (when I will be totally focused as a great hostess, not thinking about the concert and my REEDS at all!)

Anyway, I hope we have fun, but the concert is Rhapsody in Blue with our fabulous conductor playing piano. I had forgotten the orchestra part is way better for the oboe than the band part, which is nothing. Yay. Then Hanson Symphony #2, which has some lovely oboe moments. This would be great except I am also playing EH. We do not have any money for any extra personel, so I'm just covering the parts. Love EH stuff too, just stressing.

And the big piece, New World which has great oboe stuff; and once again I'm covering the EH part. Not to say I'm not excited about doing it! I can't wait - and I am borrowing a Laubin bocal that makes my horn sound MAGICAL; but I am stressing. After this weekend I have NOTHING until the first week of December! Hopefully I will live through it and play well, it would make me so disappointed to get the opportunity to do this great music and then not do it justice.

La Cenerentola!

2009-09-24T11:08:00.000-07:00

I'm being a bad blogger - no updates for weeks! But nothing much is happening - opera opens tomorrow (and closes Sunday - operas don't last long up in the hinterlands!) Dress rehearsal went great (mostly) and we cut off over an hour from the night before. LOTS of start/stop Tuesday, always amazing how much longer that all takes.

Apparently this version (the Rossini) has only Cinderella and the 2 stepsisters - all other parts are men. They are really hamming it up and using a 50s theme - of course the king is Elvis! Everyone but C and the prince have huge funny hair and over the top costumes, but even with all the corny stuff some of the singing is just fabulous. And the orchestra is sounding pretty good if I do say so - we only have 1 flute and one oboe - so I'm playing some 2nd flute stuff (and even picc parts where there is two ; on oboe of course!) and a couple places the flute or clarinet is covering 2nd oboe. Fun times.

Tonight is our first rehearsal for orchestra! Strings had a sectional last week, but due to budget cuts we have lost 2 rehearsals for most concerts. Eek. Hopefully people will step up and be prepared. We are doing New World (!!!) and I'm playing the EH part since our 2nd oboe doesn't have one and there is no money to hire another person. So we will just switch for mvt 2 - I'm pretty excited. Of course the 1st oboe part has some great stuff too; and I would have been happy just playing that.

Also doing Howard Hanson's 2nd Symphony - also an EH part but I'll just cover as best I can - really unfortunate they programed all this stuff for a larger orchestra. Hopefully they will THINK about these things more in the future! And we're doing Rhapsody in Blue (total snooze for me) which audiences always like - and I'm looking forward to our conductor playing the solo - he really is a fab pianist. Of course M is really excited about the clarinet part with the big scoop.

Guess that is about all I have to report. All my students are back at it, looks like I'll have 3 this year. Which is just fine, since I don't want the hassle of more. Trying to get D in for piano but I'm not having much luck with the teachers around here, and of course many of them just annoy me with their complete lack of skill and knowledge. Such a diva I am!

First day of recorder class!

2009-09-13T21:44:00.000-07:00

I'm getting all giddy, making new worksheets and notebooks for my little recorder class tomorrow. I basically hate all the books I've seen for beginning recorder (if anyone has one they recommend I'd love to hear about it!) so I write my own stuff. This is for my VOLUNTEER position with my son's school - so much for not taking too much time. But it is fun and I liked it last year.

Only 4 students, so it isn't too much of a madhouse (usually). I do like them to have notebooks so I buy them all because I always forget to ask for that to be put on the school supplies list. Oh well. It's my contribution to the school. Also going to try to get them to come see Cinderella (Rossini, in English) but it's a hard sell at $18 for student tix. Hopefully I can get a deal, but they are so slow to get back to us about that...

Also called about Ds piano lessons. This could be the year - one of my oboe students has piano right near here and I thought we'd try it out. He is reluctant but resigned - but he never wants to try ANYTHING new so that's not news. He spent the morning telling us he didn't want to go to the fair today; he's too OLD for that (7). Of course he had a great time; no rides except the llamas, but he won prizes at the shooting gallery and for hitting the hammer thing.

Cinderelly Cinderelly...

2009-09-06T14:30:00.000-07:00

Been ages since I posted - things were pretty quiet on the music front. Til last week - I started teaching at the little college where I haven't had a student for 2 years! Yay. I have one this semester, but several HS students (they encourage us to teach at the college). So that is great, and I figured everything was fine.

If you remember my little plaque was gone from the Adjunct Faculty office, there are about 12 of us that have our names on the door. Last spring mine mysteriously dissappeared, but I figured I'd eventually call and check up on it. They hadn't mentioned anything to me, and I still had keys to the whole building.

So they called this fall with a student, and I asked if there were any problems. No, they had just taken my name down because there hadn't been any oboe students for 2 years (which makes no sense - anyone walking through would assume they didn't HAVE and oboe teacher) But no problem with me just starting back up.

THEN I got an email Thursday night (after I spent the day in this out-of-the-way town) saying there WAS a problem, apparently HR had TERMINATED me in April of 2007! This is weird, because I never heard about it. No one seems to know WHY, there is no reason listed and there is a new Dean and new secretary since then. I assume it has something to do with no students signing up for the summer session that year (which would be unheard of for this tiny 2 year school), but who knows.

Anyway, the new secretary said it was all HRs fault, and would be no problem, they could just re-sign me up but I needed to come in to show ID in person and fill out more paperwork. Of course they want this paperwork 3 days into the semester (it is now day 14). If she had sent the email 1 hour earlier I would have gotten it before I left Thursday and could have taken care of it then! But I'm not going in next week, so now it will be a month into the semester before I can go in. Cuz I'm NOT making a special trip. What are they gonna do? Hire another oboist? HAHAHA. This is acually one job I am totally NOT worried about losing, there IS no one else who would drive that far for so little pay. I do get mileage, but the only reason it is worth it is the Little Symphony rehearsals are there too, and no other oboe players have that going for them. I'm so unique.

Ah well, I love the education system! The Little Symphony actually isn't starting up (for winds) til the end of this month, but we have been having opera rehearsals for La Cenerentola (Rossini). Fun, no big oboe stuff, couple of fast places but mostly the strings are sweating it. It actually sounds amazingly good - often our strings are pretty raggy but we have excellent people this time around. I'm really excited to hear it with the singers. I guess they are doing it in English (meh), and to a 50's theme. Huh. Don't know what I think of that. But it pays well, and I can wear whatever I want in the pit!

Audition Tale

2009-08-15T14:13:00.000-07:00

So the audition is over! This was the local "Big Symphony" 2nd oboe/EH chair. I was in the 2nd group of hopefuls - apparently there were 16 people and they heard us 6 at a time or something like that. The first group started at 9:30 am, and I was told to be there at 10 for position drawing.

I was first in the 2nd group to play. Good spot, who wants to wait around getting more and more nervous? They gave us the order of excerpts and we could use our own music. It was Mozart exposition, Brahms Vln, La Scala, Don Juan fast and slow, and New World on EH.

We each got a practice room (which was very nice). The moment I stepped into the practice room my heart started pounding like crazy. Before that I was pretty calm. So I'm trying to deep breathe and get my heart rate at some more normal tempo so I can even try to warm up. I played a bit but I almost passed out - my logical brain was thinking how ridiculous it all was, but when your body reacts there isn't much you can do about it!

So I was wishing for beta blockers, wondering how much time I had when there was a knock at the door. The proctor told me they were listening to the last person in the first group and then they were taking a break. Thank God. So I had some time to pull myself together. Eventually I think my heart and adrenyline just ran out - glad I had enough time for that to happen.

I was able to run through things, a bit shaky but after a few minutes things were going ok. I thought I would just take a tiny bit off the tip of my reed and I realized I had LEFT my reed knife on the table at home. HOW stupid was that? Then the proctor came back and it was time.

We went to the stage door and the stage manager (who I know) wished me luck and asked if I had any questions. I was really glad there was a water cooler right there and I asked if I could bring a cup of water with me. The hall is beautiful and I was really excited to finally get a chance to play in there. They had set it up a table, where I put the water and EH. There was an instrument stand provided but I figured I might knock it over (klutz that I am). There was even a chair but I had been playing standing so I just moved that out of the way.

The panel was out in the orchestra seats - big screen covering any sign of them. I didn't hear a peep from them, so different from our hilarious attempt to screen the Little Orchestra auditions (where you could see our feet under the table). Time to start. I tried taking deep breaths, but after a couple I figured it wasn't going to get any better, so I started. Opening was pretty good, not the best I've ever done, but I got all the notes in there. The Mozart went ok, OMG the hall was AMAZING. I really did sound great in there. But I wasn't super even on the fast passages, although I don't think I actually messed up, and a couple of the low Gs didn't speak (stupid inattention).

After I finished there was no noise. I just got the Brahms up and played. It actually went great, but the evil 8th note blips at the end the A didn't speak! But I was happy with it except for that. Still nothing from the panel, on the La Scala. I got through at a reasonable tempo, but it was kind of uneven. I have to double tongue it cuz my single tongue is the slowest known to man, and I think when I am nervous it exacerbates the unevenness. Oh well. I was super delighted I nailed the low C at the end and got through it with no actual note issues, but then I heard K say "thank you".

So no Strauss (probably my best of the set) or EH for me. I wasn't really surprised but I wish I could have played those. But the job of the panel is to weed us out. I did hang around for almost TWO HOURS for the official word on who would go on, I didn't realize that not playing all the stuff meant I could leave right then. But it was great to visit with some of the other oboists, after we'd played everyone was in a more chatty mood.

Four people from my group went on, and two from the earlier group. I heard they chose three people from the 2nd round to go on to a 3rd round, and they offered the job to someone. I guess we'll see if they take it within a week. It really seems amazing that people would fly in, pay for hotels food and airfare for a 16K job. But what do I know - some of the auditionees were from NYC, Boston, Florida, Chicago - only 4 were "locals" (Pacific NW). All the people in the 3rd round were from far off places. The level of talent was really remarkable.

So overall, I am totally relieved! And I think it was a great experience. In between terror I loved the way I sounded on the fabulous stage, and I certainly can hear a big difference in my playing. I am glad I wasn't too invested in the whole process, I was mainly doing it because it was right here. I am thinking I may audition for the sub list (apparently that has to be a separate thing) in September. Right now I am enjoying an oboe-free day!

Argh.

2009-08-12T16:56:00.000-07:00

Back. from. another. vacation... Was lovely at the beach but WHY do auditions always seem to fall at these inconvenient times??! My family was great about giving me space and time to practice, we ended up in the big suite with a huge walk-in closet (which was my practice room). Made about 2 hours each day - although I didn't do the playing in front of people thing. So much harder to ask non-music people, I just felt like I was imposing enough by leaving every morning and squacking away.

In the afternoons I really tried to not think about anything but vacation stuff - we went to the beach, one day beautiful and sunny, but rain is far more typical on the WA coast. I kind of love that misty rain and clouds on the beach, but the sunny day was great too.

Today I don't feel terrific but after sleeping in I did get up and played a couple hours. I will be so glad when this is all over. I do know my playing is improved, looking forward to the opera (end of Sept) and orch season.

I am in the second group to play, 10:00. That is ok with me! I think there are two groups in the first round, then they will choose who goes to the 2nd round right then. I believe the whole thing will be over by lunch, but I could be wrong. J is staying home so I don't have to get a sitter (thank god) always a nightmare to ask someone to come for an indefinite period of time.

I was actually kind of impressed with myself - I played on all my own reeds today (as opposed to the mysterious Gs reeds) and they were pretty good. I'd love to play on my own, just because. And G is auditioning too, so it seems kind of like cheating to play on his reeds. But I will if his are better that morning!

Mozart seems to be shaping up nicely - wish I had played it this well when I did it with the symphony. Sometimes I still get tangled up in my fingers, or I am not concentrating and I miss an attack - so frustrating as I KNOW I can play it with no mistakes. But playing it with no mistakes in front of judges is another thing.

Brahms is pretty good, Scala is surprisingly stable although I think my tonguing is a bit on the jerky side. But I'm willing to accept that if I get through it with no mistakes! Don Wan (hehe) is my fav, I really think I can nail the beginning (have I just jinxed it?) and I am doing pretty good on all the low Ds in the tune. Low notes are not my "forte", funny that I'm taking a 2nd oboe audition! All the 2nd stuff is starting low notes without the squawk, so hard for me but I'm much better than a month ago. And I figure I'll never get to the EH round, but those sound ok too. So big day is Friday, I'll post all about it at some point this weekend!

practice, practice, practice

2009-08-05T13:30:00.000-07:00

Back from the Tetons! Fun fun fun. BUT, since the audition is less than 2 weeks away I practiced 2 hours every day before any fun stuff. I'm so impressed with myself (sort of). I know I should be doing more, but really I just want to get on the sub list! And not be awful.

So, one good way to practice is ask your (former) friends to listen to your audition! They can even pretend to be judges and critique. It's really great because the easy stuff you think is nailed suddenly isn't - nothing like a little adrenaline. While my friends were enjoying their first coffee of the day, I forced them to be my "panel" and they picked from the list of 12 excerpts for me to play. I was in the middle of the Mozart oboe concerto (exposition only) when one of the neighbor heard my siren call and stopped by. I had never met this guy (guitarist) but we were all in our pjs! Funny, at least I was completely covered. AND, I didn't stop or lose my place when he came in (without knocking - it's kind of a casual place).

Tomorrow I'm playing for my college teacher, who is actually the reason they are having the auditions (she's retiring from the symphony). Hopefully she will have great insight and I will be able to keep myself focused.

2 days til our next vacation (will they ever stop?) this time to the coast. Hopefully I can find a good place to play where I don't disturb everyone too much as this time there will be 15 people in the house! Should be interesting, but I have to do it because there are only two days left when we get back.

Fireworks

2009-07-30T07:45:00.000-07:00

It has been forever since I posted, but I guess not that much is going on (sob, sob) Oh well, my time is coming, fool that I am. Big orchestra auditions are Aug 14, and I have two 5 day vacations before then. Why do I always have some vacation right before auditions? Stupid. Progress is being made, but I feel woefully inept.

The Fireworks concert was great this year - as always. So lovely to see all the other oboists (and bassoonists, tpts, horns and perc, not to mention the serpent) without all the competition since we ALL get hired. This year we didn't play that much, although the Fireworks Music is plenty all by itself! My son was really excited by the crawdads found on the side of the river this year, much more interesting than the "baroque faire" or the concert, which takes place on a floating stage in the river. I personally did ok - nailing the 16th passage (that every 1st oboe player will know) the second time through - the first time I actually watched the conductor and got a bit lost in the insanity. I think it went very well though, and since there were 9 other 1st oboes it is hard to tell who is "getting" it and who isn't. Sat in the back row for the first time ever, fun to play in the back!

Several other people at the concert are also auditioning, I'm probably the weakest of those I know taking it. Sigh. But my goal is to play well for ME, not to actually win a job I don't really want. So, it would be great to get on the sub list, but as that hasn't happened in the past I'm not holding my breath. Still have the Little Orchestra - and as we are doing Dvorak 9 and have no EH player, I will probably be playing that for our first concert! Should be all set as it is one of the excerpts for the Big Symphony audition. Also doing Hanson Symphony #2, does anyone know if there is EH on that?

Auditions everywhere

2009-07-11T08:02:00.001-07:00

Our little orchestra just had auditions for many of the 2nd wind positions. At this point every chair has now been auditioned, which is a big step for what used to be a warm-body group. I was on the hearing committee, my first time to do that. There was only one oboist, so not a big decision, but it was a great experience for me. I was thinking the whole time about my audition for the big symphony and it made me really nervous! I guess I'm not really ready yet, but I still have a month to go.

A funny thing was that the auditions were advertised to be blind. It is probably not that big of a deal since the 2nd positions are not paid, and we are not unionized, but the conductor wanted to follow through. Unfortunately no one had thought about a screen ahead of time. We were in a high school choir room, and there was one of those big velvet curtains for sound absorbing along the back wall. They put a long table about 2 feet out from the wall and draped the curtain over it. Great - except of course the curtain only covered about 6" past the table top, so our legs were all sticking out! Hilarious. I'm sure most of the auditionees were too nervous to pay much attention.

It was wild listening to people and really trying to be critical - of course listening for good things but I found myself really honing in on ANY mistake. It was very enlightening, and one of the flutists (who was offered the job) is really a great player, far better than the other winds but she is here (in the cultural wasteland) with her SO. But her audition was not flawless! I was sort of weirdly comforted by that. Auditioning is such a bizarre thing, but I'm glad to have had the experience of being on the other side.

I had a session with the mysterious G at my place yesterday - a new situation. He has 2 kids and my son usually comes with me to his place and they all play (or fight) while we have a lesson. But we decided it would be fun for them to see our newly remodeled place and my cool studio, so they came to me. Fun! I didn't play fabulously, but progress is being made. I chose not a great reed, will have to be way more on top of things by next month. He did bring me some great new cane (I don't have a gouger) so perhaps I'll make reeds tonight.

audition comin'

2009-06-20T06:07:00.000-07:00

So the Big Orchestra is having auditions for 2nd oboe. I am hoping the current aux oboe will move up, my big competition in town will take that spot and I will be on the sub list. Of course this would mean that no one from out of town wins. Which COULD happen! And I'm sure they won't be filling the sub list from out of town people, so my chances are not awful.

But as always the list is daunting. Not as long as some, but really perfecting any number of excerpts (and that d*#^@ Mozart) is a challenge. The Mysterious G has a system for auditions when he's on the panel - he just tallies every mistake. While this may seem obvious, it was kind of a shock to me! EACH mistake carrying that much weight. It is a really good way to get me to the next level though, I'm kind of a overall sound person as opposed to the notes on the page are the law person. But in an audition you have to play for the panel, and that is the easiest way to weed out people. No mistakes. Thats my new motto. HA!

So any die hard oboe people will want to know the list so here it is: Mozart oboe conc exposition, Brahms Vln Conc, Rossini Silken Ladder, Strauss Don Juan (fast AND slow); 2nd oboe parts: Brahms Variations on a theme by Haydn, Dvorak Cello Concerto (LOW stuff) Prokofiev Classical Symphony, Bach Brandenburg #1; EH parts: Dvorak New World, Rossini William Tell and Strauss Ein Heldenlaben. And there ya go. I have playedat least the excerpts before except Prokofiev, THAT is a true pain. But this will be good for me right?

Went for a coaching with the MG and he actually sat down and acted like it was a real audition! Keep in mind I just got this list a couple days ago, and most of this stuff I'd only played through. But it was surprisingly good experience, not that I sounded great, but I was ok AND now I really know what needs work. Will see him again next week. Audition isn't til August.

Triumph!

2009-06-12T23:06:00.000-07:00

My little recorder crew was great! They all played well, we didn't get off on the round (which was harder in the big echo=y room) and they all got through their solo pieces without freaking out (which is the main worry for me). I was kind of freaked out about accompaning on the harp, but it went fine. And of course the harp is an excellent distraction!

I got a lovely rose for helping out this year, and the head teacher made a sweet little speech. I was just one of many "helping staff" or whatever they call us, but it was nice to be recognized. The piano teacher asked if I gave harp lessons! Hahahaha! Guess I fooled her, into thinking I could actually play the harp! Funny how crappy I play the harp and people come up asking for lessons and offering wedding gigs - and that NEVER happens with the oboe. Maybe I should take a hint?

harpy

2009-06-11T15:56:00.000-07:00

Tonight is my little recorder class's recital. I am funkily nervous, mostly because I foolishly offered to accompany them on my harp for one piece. I figured it would be no big deal, but harp is not really my "thing". So I'm nervous. Which is crazy, this is a recital for the KIDS, I'm just the accompanist, blah blah blah. Now I know how accompanists feel (sort of!)

In other oboe-y news, I planted my arundo donax (cane plant) from the mysterious G - he has some growing in his yard. I think he planted it two years ago and has made quite a few lovely reeds with the stuff that is the right size. Hopefully mine will grow as well, although D is eyeing it for pikestaffs.

No exciting playing news, but maybe I'll get something done in the garden!

I survived!

2009-05-31T05:53:00.000-07:00

So the recital thingy went pretty well, I thought. Of course there are always things that could have been better, but overall I was quite pleased. It would be nice to do that set a couple more times so we could be really tight, but oh well. There were three performing "groups" at this little gathering - me and H (pianist), another pianist (and her fabulous student), and a singer with yet another pianist. I knew the singer's accompanist - her husband is the contractor for the summer theater stuff. It was a little awkward (for me) but nothing was mentioned and she was complimentary afterward (but that was just politeness). *sigh* The singer was really good and she had been singing this stuff at all the area schools trying to drum up business for opera camp - they'd obviously done it a lot! Glad I was first.

Now I'm trying to focus on the next thing, which in my mind is my STUPID promise to accompany the recorder class on the harp if they all memorized Scarborough Fair. I can do it, but of course that adds a whole level of complexity I did NOT want, and it may take focus off the students. Of course, it would be no big deal if I accompanied on piano (which is funny - I would never think of playing piano since I don't really play, but I could probably do it easier than the harp! Then again, everyone thinks you are wonderful on the harp no matter how bad you are)

And the real next thing is Js band concert, which I'm playing, tomorrow! Dress tonight. After the Church Choir picnic, which is after choir this morning which I guess is REALLY the next thing since I will be sight singing. Not super worried about that, more concerned about leaving on time so I can grab a coffee before practice!

what am I doing?!

2009-05-28T08:26:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is my "mini-recital", I am still trying to figure out the order. That is the problem with doing little pieces instead of one big piece. Hmmm. Should be ok, I have some reeds and of course stamina is always an issue, but hopefully not too bad since I chose little pieces. I plan to talk about them in between, and the fabulous H is going to talk too. We are having lunch and then a rehearsal today - it is really fun to play with her.

She played the Schumann Romances back in grad school (some decades ago) so we are both good with that. She hadn't ever heard the Neilsen Fantasy Pieces and the Romance goes faster than she was expecting. But I think it will be fine. We both really like the Capriccio from the Contemporary French Recital Pieces, it is by Murgier who I have not heard of except for this one piece. And I'm doing 1/2 of a Telemann Sonata, but her part is easy. We have done the Bizet (solo from the Symphony in C) in church already and also Gabriel's Oboe, gotta end with that! Every time I play that I get swarmed with people who say it is their favorite oboe piece - who am I to argue? I wish there was a better arrangement out there; my friend JB used to improvise this great accompaniment and I offered to pay him to write it out (he's a professional engraver, would have been easy) but he never did. Oh well!

banned

2009-05-20T15:35:00.000-07:00

Tonight J and I are playing in the band concert at Local State University. We will play with the community college band, and there will be a HS band playing as well and the university band. Our group sounds ok - no big oboe-y solos so I'm not sure what they brought me in for, maybe just pitch centering! So we'll play three numbers which will also be on the June 1 Final Concert. Fun.

I'm also working on a mini-recital; for one of those noon music clubs where they have a program once a month. Hopefully it will be good exposure. I'm sort of worried because my summer theater gig, which I thought was kind of "mine" and they usually have 1-2 shows with oboe parts (out of 4) they ask me to play. But this year they have someone else doing both shows. I am disappointed, but last year they asked me to do 3 shows, and I felt I could only do 2 with all the time commitment. So the woman they hired to do the other show is playing this year. She is married to a wonderful clarinetist, so maybe they like getting the pair of them. Of course, they could just like her playing better. And then the same woman played (as a ringer) with the Youth Orchestra this Sunday - they were doing Pines of Rome! She got that fab EH solo - and the director of the YO has told me he loves my EH playing, and how he would call if he ever needed anyone (because I was begging him to get me a gig playing in the great new hall here) he is an old friend and I feel kinda disappointed about that too. The girl is actually an alumnus of the YO, so maybe that is why they called her, but I'm starting to feel like this is a sign. Oh well, I'll just do my little recital and spend the rest of the summer moving furniture around!

not my symphony stuff

2009-05-11T21:33:00.000-07:00

Now that our season in the symphony is over, I am still playing a bit even though it looks like a slow summer. Went to community band tonight for 1/2 rehearsal (little guy bedtime) and they are doing some hard stuff! Nothing I really need to practice but I will look at a few places before next time. I am the only oboe (as I like it) and they are so grateful! Makes me feel all special.

This weekend we went to the big symphony's season finale, they did Beethoven 9 and a choral piece by Brahms that I can't spell. It is "song of fate" in German. The acoustics in their new hall are just great, it is such a joy to go hear them. This is the first time I've really noticed the choir sounding amazing, their diction was really good and it was like listening to another instrument (with words). I've heard them in the hall before but for whatever reason this concert really showed them off. Sadly it was my friend the choral conductor's last concert, and we went out to the fancy hotel after. Fun fun fun.

I'm also working on what to play for the music club - my 20 minutes of fame (or going down in flames...)Anyway, I thought I'd do easy stuff, and I wanted to do real oboe pieces for the most part anyway. Here are some of the things I want to do but I'll need to pare it down (no particular order):
1. Murgier Cappricio from the French Recital Pieces
2. Schumann Romance #1
3. Bach Aria from Cantata #89 (Gerechter Gott - this arrangement is w/o voice, weird)
4. Nielsen Romanze from Two Fantasy Pieces
5. Bizet Theme from the Symphony in C (as found in the lovely Tustin book)
6. Gabriel's Oboe by Morricone
7. Telemann Allegro from one of the concertos - can't remember which one but it's in Am
8. Christmas Lullaby by Chip Davis - probably wouldn't mention the Christmas part - but this is pretty. Probably wouldn't do both this and the Morricone.

I think that is all, just want to go over things with my accompanist (who is generously volunteering so I don't want to overtax her). Many of these things we have done at church sometime, so it should be easy to throw together.

finale

2009-05-05T13:39:00.000-07:00

Saturday was our season finale - all I played was the Beethoven 5 and (IMHO) it went great! My little moment of glory (the teeny cadenza) was good, I don't think I rushed through it (the tendancy since it is alllll alone). Will have to listen to the CD.

Monday I played with the youth orchestra since they only have one, and it was somewhat rewarding since they were doing a couple of Mozart concertos (lots of oboes in thirds). I probably played more than our 2nd oboe on the Beethoven! Which is sad - this was her last concert. They are auditioning all the 2nd winds (DD has been going through the whole orchestra slowly, this is the last group that has never auditioned). Don't know if that scared her off, but I think the long drive and 2nd oboe parts being what they are...but she is so silly, next year we are doing both Dvorak New World and Berlioz Symphony Fantastique! BIG english horn solos. She would probably get the part if she auditioned, but I don't see us using her if we have to bring someone in (there are lots of more qualified oboists that would come in to play those solos) Oh well. I may even try to do the Dvorak myself, we'll see how the parts work. Of course the Berlioz wouldn't work for that (big duetty thing with 1st oboe and EH)

This summer looks like I have a very light playing schedule. I'm doing a mini-recital (20 min) at the end of this month, but no shows (sad face), and no parks concerts (not too sad face). In July we are doing the fabulous Fireworks concert (recently featured in the Double Reed Journal!) and that's always fun. But that's about it until Labor Day.

Bad blogger

2009-05-01T07:22:00.000-07:00

Wow, it has been weeks since I blogged. I guess not much is going on in the musical world for me. But that is all about to change (well, a little bit) This weekend the orchestra has our season finale (Mozart Requiem and Beethoven 5). Of course there are no oboe parts for the Mozart, but it's been kinda nice to leave rehearsal early. The Beethoven has more exposed parts than I remembered, including that somewhat terrifying baby cadenza in mvt 1.

The choir director at church asked me to play this Sunday, should be fine although I won't have any rehearsals with them. But it's just a little cutesy part. Then later this month I'm playing a couple concerts with the community band (J's group) and I'm doing a mini-recital for the Friday Music Club - I think pretty low key but might be fun. I've been thinking I might do the Hummel Theme and Variations, one of the French Recital Pieces (the one in 5/8, can't remember title offhand) and we could always end with Gabriel's Oboe, I think this crowd would really love it. I thought about doing the Poulenc but that might be a little out there for this group...don't know.

It looks like I'm not getting a call for the summer theater at all - there was only one show (Ms Saigon) that had an ob/eh part, but they have called me first every year til now. I'm really hoping they didn't call this other oboist in town, who is married to a fabulous clarinetist - and she is the new manager of the big symphony (which is the group the contractor plays with). I have a feeling my days are over there - so sad since last year they asked me to do THREE shows. Oh well, makes summer vacation planning easier!

Gooood Friday

2009-04-10T21:24:00.000-07:00

Wow. I always love our Tenebrae service. My organist friend says we should have Tenebrae on Thursday. Oh well, I couldn't do it if it were Thursdays because of orchestra! So I played the EH; that first arrangement in the Thomas Stacey Solos for the EH book - When I am Laid to Rest. PERFECT for Good Friday. And I actually had a reed that worked well - I am so tempting the fates here. MUST work on reeds, but my EH playing is done for the forseeable future.

Yesterday we had Beet 5 rehearsal, I have only played this once, and I was 2nd then. There are actually quite a few exposed places. Yay. This is the only piece I play on this concert, although I love the Mozart Requiem, maybe I will sing since I'm sure they can use people. I have sung it three times, just because every choir I have been in sings it the first thing when I join. Weird.

So Sunday is my big brass moment of the year. Hoping I don't suck. Happy Easter everyone!

Euphonious

2009-04-02T18:11:00.000-07:00

Today I auditioned the 7th grade tbone for Easter - I think he'll be ok. It's not like most of the rest of us are super good! He probably sounded as good as I did, and he was able to follow, and skip if he flubbed on the eighths or something. So all good - esp since he is the minister's kid! I was reminded why I'm SOOO glad to not be working there anymore - the minister just drives me nuts. Glad to get a chance to play my "fun" horn, but just as a volunteer!

No orchestra tonight due to spring break (we rehearse at a college), so that is a nice little hiatus. Of course I am not practicing, WISH I could get inspired but all I'm playing on the last concert is Beethoven 5. Not a lot for me, nice little cadenza and a few spots of glory; but not a big oboe concert. I need to get some stuff together for a music club recital in May - just 30-40 minutes worth. Was considering the Dring but we need a good piano (and pianist, who can get noon hour off); would be easier to do things that don't require such. Really not into the whole solo oboe thing, maybe some flute/oboe duets? I also have an excellent cellist.

Feelin LOW

2009-03-25T09:39:00.000-07:00

Haha, I've been practicing the Euphonium! Yay for me. J got me one for Xmas, and this (Easter) is the first time I've had a chance to play. Actually, since they DOM at church (who replace the fabulous DOM we had for many years at Christmas) quit a couple weeks ago....this is the one where they FORGOT I was on the music staff when they hired her. I found out from my neighbor. Kinda pushed me to "retire". Mostly I was really mad they had her second interview with the music staff (except me, cuz they forgot) and since the choir director couldn't come, they brought in a former director! I'm annoyed. Let's move on.

Anyway, new DOM quit - too much work, not enough hours, no appreciation - blah blah blah. This poor girl didn't have any real experience and so of course it was taking forever with kinda mediocre results. Oh well. So we are left before Easter with no music planned (to give her props - she did offer to do the Easter service but the pastor said no). But this worked out great for me, I just offered to put together a brass ensemble (read: any brass players I could find that will play for free). There are several people that have done this before, and I just printed out parts from the hymnal for 2 hymns and there we go! Yay.

Only hitch is the pastor (can you tell he's kind of a thorn in the music dept's side?) is asking for his 7th grade son to play trombone. That COULD be ok, if he is really good for a 7th grader. Which he may be - so I said he would have to audition for me. What do I care, he's not my boss anymore. I don't even have a relationship with him as pastor/congregant - the only conversation we've really had is when I quit. He was EXTREMELY grateful when I offered to do the brass for Easter though. So hopefully his son will be up to scratch, cuz I'm NOT putting up with him screwing around (like he did for jr. bell choir) or playing really out of tune or behind. We are only having one rehearsal, and I don't need him so I feel ok about being brutal.

In oboe news, I am putting off practicing the Dring Trio. Anyone know it? Our picc player did it on her recital and thought it would be great - I just started looking at it and it appears to be a counting nightmare (1st mvt). Oh well. Orchestra we have our first Beethoven 5 rehearsal tomorrow - no oboes on the Mozart Requiem so that's it for the year!

The Easy concert

2009-03-14T23:49:00.000-07:00

The concert actually went amazingly well. Here is that sentence in excruciating detail:
Schwantner: Terrifying, but no big mistakes. The first mvt the bass drum and timps were not super together, but you could just feel the nerves. Also the whole mvt was a bit tentative, but we stayed together and I think it got the point across (whatever that was). Mvt 2, which is a palendrome for sound, went great. Perhaps it would have been better had we played a bit softer at the beginning and end, but still, great.

Mvt 3 is the big oboe mvt. I must say I think it was fine. Not that if I messed it up totally anyone would have known, but *I* was happy with how it went. And my reed responded for all those weird intervals, yay. Mvt 4 is basically review of the previous mvts and it was ok, we even got a Bravo! at the end.

The soloists all did really well every one getting a S.O. The Stravinsky was surprisingly good, esp considering we got the music (and even heard we were doing it) the day before. I mean, it is one thing to spring a Mozart aria on you last minute, but Stravinsky?! Eeek.

The worst part was definately tuning. My reed just wasn't responding during that part - during the actual playing it was great. I don't know if I'm psyching myself out or what, but I MUST do better. So annoying to have all my hard work shot down by a squawky A at the beginning, cuz EVERYONE hears that; and most people have no clue what instrument is playing once the music starts.

And another argh!

2009-03-13T10:33:00.000-07:00

Well, tonight is supposed to be our "easy" concert - winners of the concerto competition play (usually) one movement of their piece and we do one orchestral piece. There are 7 winners this year and who would have thought they would all play hard stuff for the orchestra?!!! Actually that isn't true, only most of them are hard. Prokofiev Piano Conc #2 (hard), Ravel Tzaigne (or something like that) ppp high f# solo, Liszt Piano Concerto oboe solo 3x as fast as it should be (IMHO!), Stravinsky Rake's Progress (do you know this Patty?) Anne Somebody's aria - HUGE oboe/EH/bsn solo trio (oxymoron? no one else plays) for like, 20 bars!!!

And all this plus more, but the crowning horror (I say this meaning MY horror of playing it, not that the piece is horrible - that is yet TBD) Schwantner's new piece. We actually played it through last night, but I wish we had another month (!) to work on it. There are so many things about this piece that aren't quite lining up (our fault). The huge oboe solo mvt (3) I have spent hours on with the metronome, and it is really pi$$ing me off that when the other winds come in (joining me), they are playing consistantly wrong rhythms! I can totally understand playing it wrong, because it is quite complicated and looks very scary, but it is quite repetitive. So if they just played it like I did (by myself for say 8 bars, then they join in on the same thing for 20 bars)....Makes me mad. Maybe it will be better tonight - we have only had 2 chances to play that mvt.

The first mvt is probably the most scary - TONS of meter changes, basically every bar. It is fast, and the WWs have these swoopy parts that I think we are all just getting the "shape" of the swoops, not the actual notes (which are more or less 12-tone).

Sorry to rant, but nerve-wracking and my reeds are sucky. As always it seems! I keep getting one and then the weather (or the gods of bad luck) changes and it is terrible. Anyway, I'm sure I will feel better about it after tonight! Next concert we are doing Mozart Requiem, so a nice break for me. Also Beethoven 5 which will be great. I'm doing some solo stuff for church and a little recital thing, but my next big thing will be playing euphonium for Easter!

Schwantner n stuff

2009-03-10T19:09:00.000-07:00

This has been a nice little hiatus, but now we have Wednesday and Thursday rehearsals for Friday's concert. Mostly concerto winners, but we are also playing the "premier" of Chasing Light. It was a special commission that will be played in all 50 states, we are somewhere in the middle. I think the actual premier was in Reno last fall.

As far as I'm concerned, it is really hard. I have actually been practicing, but there are parts I won't be getting. How annoying. The only other notable part I have is in the Liszt piano concerto. We should be hearing the soloists tomorrow, usually it is just amazing the talent we get. I can't believe people come from all over the country to play for $500! And lots of them don't win, so they come for nothing.

on to the next thing

2009-03-01T09:13:00.000-08:00

Secret Garden closed last night - kind of a relief! Pitch was really a problem in the pit, but I've heard the audiences really liked the show. Yay. Honestly, if the story gets across and the actors do a good job, the pit is really secondary (sadly). But it is so great to play in a really good pit.

Today I go to the youth orchestra's dress rehearsal - they need an extra oboe so i'll play 2nd with my student playing 1st. The only thing I know they are playing is Braham's Academic Overture. Can't remember ever playing 2nd, but hopefully there won't be anything too stressful (like nasty super soft low notes). After that I really need to look at the evil Schwantner - so hard! I think everything else will be fine (on the orchestra concert, 2 weeks out)

Secret Garden

2009-02-18T23:44:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is opening - kinda terrifying but it was SOOOO much better last night. This is a HS production, they hire a few pros to scatter through the orchestra to sort of "coach". It is so great that they hired me AND my friend M to play clarinet, she was my college roomie and it is so fun to play with her (we also play together in orch, but in this show we actually sit next to each other, fun!) Also a form of sanity as she is a pitch ROCK. The horn player is great too, and the HS players are really coming around. This isn't the craziest show, but it isn't easy if it's your first experience; LOTS of cuts and added vamps and "after m35 go back to song 4 and play m25-130, then return to song 20 at m13 and play to the end" kind of thing. But great experience for them - my FIRST show was when I was in college - Fiddler on the Roof at a comm theater - I couldn't believe I'd never done something like that before it was so fun. Of course that is a great show.

Anyway, M and I are missing orch tomorrow to play for opening night. Next week we will do orch and apparently they are just going to cover our parts in the pit (keyboard I'm sure), DD is NOT happy we won't be there tomorrow, but what can he do? I feel bad, but it is a rehearsal vs. opening; gotta play the show. And we actually get paid 1.5x what we get in orch, which is nice (although not why I'm doing it - the orch has been very good to me!) I will practice the evil Schwantner - holy cow that is harder than Harry Potter (who would have thought?! teehee)

oboe kicking me in the chops

2009-02-13T15:11:00.000-08:00

Wow, rehearsal last night was killer. Mostly we are doing moventments from various concertos, but the one "big" piece is Chasing Light by Joseph Schw@ntner. He just wrote it last year, and apparently it is his 12 tone period. Also very minimalist. Which is ok, but sightreading was Nas-ty! I love doing new music, but I'm really hoping this one grows on me.

Tomorrow I have the sitzprobe for Secret Garden, lots o EH. Haven't touched it since November. I did this show in 1996 and really liked it then, but this is a HS production. Of course it was community theater (tiny community) when I did it before, so this could be better (at least in some ways!)

Broadway!!!

2009-02-07T07:40:00.001-08:00

So one of the big reasons for coming to NY is to see the shows - of course the biggest reason is to see C sing with the Cleveland Orchestra in Carnegie Hall (tonight!). Wednesday we went to a matinee of Wicked - really awesome, pretty much what I expected but so fun - the set was very cool. We walked around a lot but it was SOOO cold - I was wearing two extra shirts under my coat and my scarf over my head (I didn't bring a hat - who wears a hat?!) and it was numbingly cold. Today is the first day it isn't insanely freezing.

Thursday we saw Lion King - as everyone says "the costumes are amazing!" It really was a great thing to see. I am glad I went - looked in the pit and it was like a recording studio in there - all plexiglass partitions and clicktrack headphones and stuff, and obviously a lot of the band was in some other area because they weren't where I could see. The soundboard was immense! Disney production values. But it was WAY better sound than for Wicked - the mix was impeccable and all the instruments I noticed sounded great. The oboe was weak in Wicked - of course I would notice that but I wondered if they had a sub or wonky reeds, no technical issues I heard, just lame sound.

Yesterday we saw Avenue Q - OMG I was LMAO!!!! That is a very different kind of show too, but it was really great. I actually bought the soundtrack and merchandise (which I NEVER do, cuz I'm a cheapskate). Today we are going to In the Heights (matinee), which won the best musical last year, hopefully it isn't too much rap. But I think almost anything we decided to see would be great - all the shows are so good here. And tonight is the orchestra concert - my first time in Carnegie!

Flight to NY

2009-02-07T07:27:00.000-08:00

Ok, first of all the flight DID get in and there were no plane problems, but I had a horrible flight. I was leaving at 11am (Pacific time) and supposed to arrive at 8:30 in NY (Eastern time). All was well with leaving, we got into Denver as scheduled. I was a little worried about getting my connecting flight as I only had 40 minutes and it is a big airport, but turned out the gate was right across from where we landed. So I am waiting while they board the plane...and about halfway through they get everyone off. Storm in NY, no more flights into LaGuardia until further notice! Fun.

So they tell us it will PROBABLY be at least 2 hours, maybe more, but they aren't sure and it might be less so we should check in every half hour. But I have a book and get a sandwich so I'm pretty good just sitting there. At least we're not on the runway! After the 2 hours, they start boarding again. We pull out of the gate and are driving around the endless maze of runway weirdness, and then we stop. Another halt from LaGuardia. So we wait for an hour on the runway - sooo fun. They decide to give us free tv to soothe the grumpy people (this was an excellent idea on their part). Finally we take off. Fly fly fly. We see NY, we descend, we land! I can see "Welcome to New York" on a sculpture out the window as we taxi into the gate. Wait! We stop before the gate - no gates available. The pilot announces someone is in our gate and they will be right out. Ten minutes later he announces the other plane is still in our gate but they are working on getting out. Twenty minutes after that he announces they have no control over the other plane as it is another airline, but he is sure they are pushing off soon. After 45 minutes on the runway, we finally pull into the gate. So I finally got to the hotel at 1:35...

Movie concert

2009-01-29T08:47:00.000-08:00

I sort of forgot to blog about the concert (obviously a huge thing in my life!) But it went very well, although I still think it was a bit long. Could have bagged Band of Brothers. But a lot of us were really distainful of the "Fifth of Beethoven" that disco version so popular in the 80s, and that was the favorite of many people I talked to! Who would have thought? I still liked our version of Pirates, and Harry Potter was not too bad (so hard! in places) My poor bassoon friend was all morning sick-y throughout the concert. Hopefully she will feel better soon.

Tonight is our only rehearsal for the Black & White Ball - that could be interesting. But I think it is mostly the principals, and we have done all this stuff before. EXCEPT...M is insisting that I need to play tenor sax! On just one piece. I keep telling her it is just not that big of a deal but it is a big band chart (String of Pearls) and she keeps thinking of the actual big band arrangement instead of the orchestral one. So she is bringing her tenor tonight. Which is super generous of her to let me borrow it, just what a pain for one chart. And the bassoon player (with the sickys) could play...M and the flute will play altos. Stupid. Get over it Jill!

Anyway, very exciting because I have coerced our neighbors to go and be "dates" for J. Such a drag for him to just be alone, but hopefully it will be fun. It seemed like a great time last year, although as always the advertising was ABYSSMAL. I don't think they even mentioned that there was dinner (snazzy 3 courses from a 5 star restaurant). Hopefully J will be infected by the fun-ness of all the people dancing, I'd love to take dance lessons (socially acceptable public groping - how can he not like it??!).

Not a graceful loser

2009-01-23T12:53:00.000-08:00

I just realized the bell choir never gave me a Christmas present, or even a going away card. Not to keep score, but we gave the choir director a nice thing, and even the organist who had only been there a month got this lovely gift. When H left (granted she had been there 9 years and I only 3) we got her a beautiful handmade wooden music stand. I guess it is more proof that the bells were too much trouble for anyone to deal with.

But tonight it dress rehearsal! I love that we are playing 2 songs with the youth orchestra, and a bunch of them thought you wore your concert dress for dress rehearsal. I remember my first dress rehearsal was for a piano recital, and I agonized over what to wear (cuz I assumed we had to dress up, but I couldn't wear the actual dress because I didn't have it yet). I showed up in a dressy pantsuit (it was the 70s) and everyone else was wearing cutoffs and jeans.

The music sounded better last night - we weren't in the hall as that apparently saves us $800. Which is a large part of our budget for this concert, so good for them. Tonight will be in the hall and I'm sure it will be fine. I kind of love that the stage crew is charging overtime if we are in the hall later than 10 on rehearsals - DD always dragged out the time to 11 or 11:30! NOT professional. This sort of forces him to organize his time better (not his best thing). We have a new orchestra manager - my good friend K! S is still around but busy with work/school for her new career, and I think this change will be good for updating some things in the orchestra.

No bells!

2009-01-21T12:04:00.000-08:00

No bells tonight, or ever again - kind of a relief. Although I am a little sad too. Oh well.

This week is our Family concert - so Thurs/Fri/Sat all taken up with rehearsals and concert. But no stress at least, all easy stuff. EXCEPT Harry Potter - OMG hardest stuff ever and I do include everything. Only the 4th mvt of Chamber of Secrets - it is just insanely fast and with no pattern at all. But not exposed really, I decided to not spend the time to get closer (loser) and just noodle around the notes - that is what it sounds like anyway. I wish I was super dedicated and really worked this up, but I just can't get that excited about it.

update on everything

2009-01-09T14:10:00.000-08:00

What an insane time. We have had over 70 inches of snow! Crazy. Now much of it is melted, at least on the roads - almost like driving in summer; but for a couple weeks it was really horrible trying to get around. I mostly stayed home going insane. We were supposed to go visit my folks and Jim's right after Christmas, but couldn't get there. Trying to go now, but there is a lot of flooding where they are and the interstate is closed. We have a plan though, so hopefully we can pick our way through the flooded areas and see most of our reletives!

It is so weird to not be worried about the bells. I still have my keys, the weather has been to awful to merit a trip to town for that. Orchestra had our first rehearsal for the Movie concert last night - some really terrible arrangements. Some that are ok. Horrible: Close Encounters, Band of Brothers, Robin Hood (good music, bad arrangements) and ok: Pirates of the Caribbean, Star Trek through the Years, What's Up at the Symphony (cartoons) and Harry Potter (but the 2nd movie so no one knows these themes). There is some other stuff, but the only thing where you can hear the oboe is in "My Heart Will Go On" from Titanic (from some movie medley). That's ok. We are supposed to dress up as a character from one of the themes we are playing - thought I should go as Kate (from Titanic) since we look so much alike (hahaha!) Probably we will all just be pirates or wimp out and wear white/black. Oh well.

Last bell gig

2008-12-28T12:12:00.000-08:00

What a crazy night - Christmas eve that is. Now that it is over I can reflect calmly on the situation. First of all, we are experiencing an insane amount of snow for this area - over 3 feet at once, and more was falling every day. A huge storm was predicted for Christmas eve into Christmas. So I was concerned about us getting to church (and back!) as well as the ringers. I had 4 subs coming in, 2 of whom hadn't rung in 6 years (college aged) and one who had never rung a bell before - but she was an exceptional musician. And my options were limited. I got there early so I could mark parts for these people since they'd be sightreading - it is way easier to follow your two notes in the score when you highlight left hand in one color and right in another. I was up for anything to make this go easier.

Somehow my early arrival slipped away and we were rushing around setting up tables etc (which the praise band had shoved to the far side of the stage in a clump instead of our usual line - exactly why I had wanted to be in the balcony!) The pastor came in and said I had a phone call (odd). It was B - my only 4in hand ringer (which means it takes 2 people to cover his part) and he couldn't get in due to weather. His wife is the choir director, she was playing violin in the praise band, and he was in charge of all the readings. SO! That was kind of terrifying news.

I went back out to the bell choir and tried rearranging people again to cover Bs parts (which were on top - so big melody notes). Amazingly the 2 who had rung at camp 6 years ago were really fine, the music major had no problems and everyone really stepped up to cover holes in the middle. Maybe not our most memorable performance, but husband J said you couldn't tell anything was wrong! Good enough for me.

My super people will be the worst part to miss about quitting this job. I am sad but so excited about getting more time. Someone from the bell choir found the readings and they distributed them for people to read - another ringer/vocal choir member directed the vocal choir in their two pieces (which I sang in) - fortunately they had just done these pieces in church and the accompanist just pulled us along. But still these wonderful people just rose to the occasion.

B's wife S was supposed to play violin in the praise band, which was this motley assortment of musicians our new DOM did not-well-thought-out arrangements for. I was playing oboe because I felt sorry for her, not realizing I would just be filler - most of the oboe parts doubled the trumpet parts an octave down (so you couldn't even tell I was playing). This annoyed me. But since S couldn't get in, I offered to play the violin parts (also crap, but better than the oboe parts). DOM was amazed to figure out the oboe was in the same key as the violin (Finale, what have you done to us?!!) but I assured her I could play it just fine. The girl playing the 2nd violin part was REALLY out of tune, and she didn't know how to tune her instrument. I had the cellist (who was the music major playing bells for the first time) sneakily tune it for her between services. Lines of sight were another huge problem, even with the bell tables awkwardly shoved out of the way. It was kind of a dreadful experience, at least musically. I am sad for what I consider the death of sacred music (praise bands in general); although I am a huge advocate of well arranged live music with more than 2 chords. I think it is good I'm taking a break now!

one more gig

2008-12-22T11:45:00.000-08:00

Still snowing endlessly! I guess I wasn't clear in my last blog that our neighbor's son who helped us clear the driveway came with a shovel (not a plow!). Our driveway is about 1/8 mile, so this was kind of a big chore. I am still very sore, and now it has added at least 8 more inches to what was there!. *sigh*

White Christmas was good - excellent turnout for all 3 shows. I felt that I wasn't too bad on all the sax/clar stuff, and it was fun to play. I think I will try to play in the old people orchestra (it meets in the daytime) just to get my clarinet chops up. M brought her "outdoor" plastic King clarinet to try and it was SOOOO much better than mine - I'm sure I can get something better for a reasonable price. The sax I'm not as sure if I need something better, or if I can just "pimp my ride" with new mouthpiece and some keywork. Also practicing makes it sound amazingly better.

Church is the last thing I have to do before Christmas, I was going to shop today and tomorrow but J has the 4wd and so I'm here. We ordered many things online which probably won't make it through the mail. Supposed to be another big "system" coming though on Christmas eve so who knows if I'll have a whole bell choir. As it is, I'm missing tons of people and have 4 ringers coming in to help (one of whom has never rung a bell but she's a performance major at a good school - should be no problem for what we are playing). More and more I am feeling the lack of support for the bell program, just got an email about people rehearsing Wed before the services and they didn't schedule us in! We are the only performing group playing that hasn't played all our stuff in church service already - and I have 4 subs! Obviously an evil ploy to make me quit - oh wait...

Snow Snow Snow

2008-12-20T03:54:00.000-08:00

So White Christmas opened last night - complete with 2.5-3 feet of snow! Holy cow. I spent the morning frantically digging out our truck - our driveway is about 1/8 mile long, which doesn't seem too long unless you have 2.5 feet of snow on it. It was exhausting and J was awesome, but about 10am we realized there was no way we could possibly finish before 12, when I needed to leave for dress rehearsal. Our one other rehearsal was cancelled Thursday night due to...Snow! Ironically, this show is all about how this resort in Vermont has no snow (til the very end) and the annoying stuck-in-my-head song is Snow Snow Snow.

Anyway, called the neighbor's son and paid him handsomely to bail us out, and even with the three of us killing ourselves it was a near thing. I am extremely sore, and could barely lift the cases of my instruments (with lovely HEAVY stands). This doubling thing s@cks. But kinda fun too, in a masocistic kind of way.

Got out driveway, some wonderful neighbor had plowed our main road (one tiny lane, you just hope you don't meet anyone coming up!) but we only go on that about 1/2 mile before the "big" road. This had been plowed about a foot of snow ago. Glad we had the 4wd, but only one vehicle so J dropped me off with M who brought her Suburban - she plays bari/bass clar for this show. Fun to carpool too - although J had to wake up D and come get me at the freeway at 11pm.

Finally we made it to the show - with 10 minutes to spare. Which is great if you're a trumpet player, but I (and M) had 3 horns to get out, get reeds wet, and harness up. Oh, wait. No harness. Crap. This is the harness I got when I nearly killed my back playing tenor 2 weeks ago - and after the 5 hour workout I was really worried about playing tenor anyway. There is NO WAY I could play without some sort of strap, so I asked the conductor (who teaches there at the college where the show was, as do I) if he had access to any of the student horns that might have a strap. No. None of the other saxes had an extra...except M!!!! What a goddess - she had her bass clar strap which I tied knots in until it was short enough. Thank goodness.

Rehearsal went ok; M also loaned me her spare $300 clar mouthpiece which made quite a difference over my $10 stock mouthpiece! If you read a previous blog L (who is Reed 1) had loaned me his $300 tenor mouthpiece - I'm so lucky to know these fabulous players. I actually played a solo on tenor (2 measures) credibly, although it went better in rehearsal. But just wait until tonight. We only have 2 more shows, but hopefully the others will be easier to get to at least! Although our forcast if for another storm tonight....

wow

2008-12-15T05:49:00.000-08:00

Bunch of stuff done. whew! My recorder students were darling at their 10 minute Christmas carol presentation; I got them santa hats to wear and they were SO excited.

The Sibelius went great - well, greater than we have ever played it. Ob 2 didn't come in several times *sigh*. There are these back and forth measures where we play and they didn't go back and forth (as she didn't play). Oh well. She is nice and plays fine when she counts right, so I'm ok. Hard to complain too much as our section players still aren't getting paid. The economy is not helping our little orchestra grow, now they are talking about not paying us for the black and white ball, which is a fundraiser. This is difficult because they did pay us last year. The civic theater has fundraisers they don't pay the musicians for; and several of our key players were in that production (people who I think will make a big stink about the orch not paying). We'll see what happens.

Cantatas at church went ok - can't believe I was singing in the middle of everything else! But I think it was good for me to contribute. Since the music program seems to be going down the tubes there. I am really annoyed that it appears the bells are going to be sidelined for Christmas eve, which has in the past been our big feature performance - usually we play several things. I prepared 3 pieces this year but was informed we would be playing once for the early service and 2ce on the later one - but those would be prelude/postlude (NOT featured, as no one is listening at those times and people just talk over the music) Since this is our final performance I was kind of hoping to at least have the offering slot. But there is a new DOM and she is arranging praise tunes (which will be lovely I'm sure). SO. Not only am I POed that the bells aren't having a bigger role; I'm also playing the oboe on FIVE praise tunes and singing two selections from the cantata with the choir! This is NOT how I planned Christmas eve - and I am super annoyed that the DOM practically BEGGED me to play oboe that night and I caved since all my other stuff is over by then - and she is just having me play with a herd of other people on crap music. I should have asked but I Assumed (stupid stupid!) that I would be playing an obbigato part for some hymns or a solo of some sort. I should just bag out but I don't want to appear bitter as I'm leaving the bell job. Even though I am.

FINALLY, rehearsal for Wh*te Chr*stmas was yesterday - first time I've played tenor in public for 20+ years! And the clarinet - both had some issues, mainly because I got there just minutes before we started with 3 big horns to get out. I thought it was at 2:30, but actually started at 2! NOT good, but at least I wasn't late. Crammed oboe together in time for a miraculously in tune A. Was happy to see oboe parts were not too bad - actually featured in a couple places (which is all you would expect of any part); so I feel better about playing this book. When I realized how much sax/clar there was I was wondering if I should step down, but I'm giving two screamin tenor parts (measure or two each) to book 4 guy; and I'm transposing a couple of the harder clarinet songs to oboe. Most of the stuff I can play ok on clarinet though. Hoping M can loan me her MUCH better tenor and she also may have a line on a clarinet I could use. I might consider buying it - her old Selmer Bb, I have my brother's Bundy he played in jr hi band.

One down

2008-12-06T11:24:00.000-08:00

Amahl went quite well last night! So great to play in a big cathedral - although I'm guessing it was hard to understand the diction. The singers all did a good job, esp Amahl and the deaf king.

Now I am really going to start practicing the doubles (t sax and clar) for White Xmas. And I need EH reeds for that too - I'm not worried about the ob/eh parts, just having decent reeds. So odd that I don't worry about good reeds on clar or sax, maybe I should more - but it seems like they just play no matter what reed I use. I probably would notice more if I was a better player! Off to sacrifice to the reed gods.

Opera!

2008-12-05T12:24:00.000-08:00

Tonight is Amahl (take one!) I missed the dress rehearsal because of orchestra, but no one seemed to be worried about that. Looking forward to seeing it, should be fun (please good reeds!!!)

I STILL haven't tried my sax harness. I'm kind of afraid to mess up my chops for tonight, but I think 15 minutes will be ok. Also afraid to mess up my back again, it still twinges. The super sax guy L (who coached me a couple times) was at orchestra last night. We are doing the Duke Ellington Nutcracker, which I have to say is not my favorite. I think the audience will love it though. L sounded FABULOUS on his solos - he is just the best saxophone player I have ever heard. So.

speech

2008-12-03T22:59:00.000-08:00

I told the bell choir I was leaving (after Christmas) tonight. It was hard and I am sad to leave all my people (would those be my "peeps"?) but I am more and more convinced it is the right thing to do now. I feel bad for the secretary, I think she is very unhappy. I told her I was leaving this afternoon; and brought her a little snowflake candle (I like to bring her little gifts since she makes everything run better!). What a drag.

I didn't practice at all today, but my super sax harness came! Hopefully I will be able to practice tenor without killing myself.

Amahl

2008-12-03T07:23:00.000-08:00

So last night we played Amahl at the big cathedral and OMG we sound so great in there! Not that everything went smoothly but the SOUND was good. And for the most part I felt comfortable - I am way more relaxed about this gig now. Whew!

I will miss the dress on Thursday - so the 2nd oboe is excited to play my part. She will be great (hopefully not better than me, at least not noticably!) During the dance I asked the flute player to cover my part as both parts are so exposed and I thought it would be really confusing to the dancers to not have both. This guy G is the best flutist I have ever heard, certainly the best live. He is really world class - moved up to G*d's Country from the studios of LA and he has some mad skills.

I'm kind of annoyed because the contractor for this gig emailed me (when I specifically asked) that admission was FREE but there would be an offering taken. So I told a bunch of people (mostly my poor friends who never come to concerts unless they are free). Yesterday I got a postcard in the mail about the concert and it said $12 admission! This is not astronomical, but for this area (for a college concert) it is not cheap - I think the orch tix are usually $5. And after telling us it is free. AND for the orch concerts we get at least one comp ticket - no comps are available for this. Grrr. Not that I begrudge them ticket sales, I just have to tell my neighbor with 3 kids and no job they can't afford to go. And the kids are all excited about going. Hate that.

It begins...

2008-12-01T10:37:00.000-08:00

Argh! The Christmas season is starting! Tonight I am playing with the community concert band as a ringer (oboe ringer, not bell ringer). This is the band J plays in regularly. They are actually doing some stuff I need to look at - nothing scary, but still. Canzona by Perter Mennin, Danza Finale by Ginastera, Whisper to Their Souls by Samuel Hazo and a bunch of marches - oh an the lovely Sleigh Ride of course. Should be fun. I am mostly playing 2nd as they have an oboist, he is just out of HS and does pretty well although his reeds are terrible, and last night he was having trouble coming up to pitch. He said, don't worry, I'll cut off the bottom of the tube and that will fix it right up! I was kinda horrified, and asked him if he'd like me to clip the tip of the reed, which obviously needed to be done for pitch and tonewise too - but he assured me he knew what he was doing. *sigh* Oh well.

Tuesday is the last rehearsal for Amahl - I am excited and nervous about that. What a great oboe piece. I just hope my reeds are good. Wednesday I have to announce to the bells that I quit my church job (after Christmas). This is not going to be a fun announcement - I really like all the people but the more I sit with the decision the more I realize it is the right one. I'm staying to sing with the choir as they are doing a cantata on the 16th and really need more ladies (such as I am).

Thursday is orchestra, concert (with Sibelius 2) next week - then 2 Amahl concerts. Holy cow. I am really wondering what possessed me to take the tenor/clar/ob/eh part for White Christmas (Dec 19-21) - nearly killed myself playing tenor, couldn't move for 2 days. I have ordered one of those fancy harness things so I don't die while playing. Also somehow have to work up clar chops while not sucking on the oboe for Amahl and Sibelius. The ob/eh parts in White Christmas appear to be nothing exposed. Hopefully the sax/clar stuff is buried as well!

hello

2008-11-27T23:37:00.000-08:00

So, I posted last week and I have no idea what happened to that post. It appears to be gone. Huh. Well, nothing stunning happened - we had orchestra and there was some weirdness in the section with the recently removed wind player. We actually sounded kinda bad on the Sibelius, which I thought would be so easy to put together. Ah well, it will be fine in 2 weeks.

I quit my church job. Just this week. I had an appt with the pastor, mostly to talk about how I was unhappy that no one told me I had a new boss; and no one told me the position was open, or asked my opinion about filling it. But between asking for the appt and our actual meeting (about 2 weeks due to scheduling); I decided I was just done. I think our new DOM will actually work out just fine, she is nice and has a great attitude. I wish her well, and I'm soooo relieved.

Here is something the pastor told me that just confirmed my decision: when they brought the future DOM back for her 2nd interview, he thought it would be good to have the music leaders in the church present. So he asked Terrible Praise Tune Guitar Man and Lovely Choir Director Lady to come. LCDL was not available, and so he asked Former Choir Director Lady to come instead. As the pastor was talking during our meeting, he said "I probably should have asked you to that interview too" - well, DUH! So they had this big process and talked about how the music would work during the new service and the old service - and I didn't even know this meeting/interview occurred! I was annoyed but vindicated, as it is obvious they never included me as part of the music staff. Stupid people.

Symphony, sick people, and stupidness

2008-11-10T09:02:00.000-08:00

So - yesterday went to see the Big Symphony in their fabulously beautiful new hall, they did a world premier which I hated (Phillip Glass wannabe), Haydn Cello concerto (boring) and Sibelius 2 which was AWESOME!!! OMG they sounded amazing.

But perhaps even MORE amazing was that I saw L at the concert (heart surgery guy!). He was released from the hospital Saturday after they put in 2 or 3 stints. I had heard he was home but I never expected to see him out. His wife (my former boss) was playing, and he should have been but the sub they got did a great job (pretty exposed part for him in this piece). He should be playing by next week (at least practicing). WOW!

And then I suppose I will mention that I went to church before. The new boss was there, she is older than I had feared, which may be good. Not that I'm opposed to a young person, just a stupid young person. Or a stupid old person! Anyway, she played keyboards for the 2 praise tunes they had for the early service, then she left, I guess to go prepare for the 2nd service. She did a fine job, although praise tunes don't really stretch one's abilities! But she didn't screw it up, so that is good. The organist (our new pt lady) actually didn't do a bang-up job, couple of wrong turns and some extremely weird harmonizations for some of the hymns. But I had a revelation.

I realized it doesn't matter if I play praise tunes or the oldest hymns, or classical arrangements or something put together on the spot. I try to make it a special musical moment - something to add to the worship and perhaps open that communication with G*d. When I go in a beautiful cathedral, I feel something special - the glory of that building seems to confirm a presence. It is the same for me to have glorious music - no matter what style it is. I am NOT saying you need to have church in a beautiful building, or you must have fabulous music to connect - but it helps! I feel that this church used to do that but our new minister does not value music for this purpose. Maybe it doesn't work for him. But it seems like ALL he cares about it connecting with youth, NOT connecting with G*d. I am all for playing music the youth can relate to, but it has to be GOOD! And it isn't the way we are doing it now. Which is sad.

Guilt Guilt Guilt

2008-11-07T10:38:00.001-08:00

So I was so unhappy about the situation described in the last posts, I called the old DOM (who was WONDERFUL, a seriously talented professional musician) and she was at the HOSPITAL! They are doing tests on her husband who has had brain cancer (I don't know if htis is related) and he was just leaving in an ambulance for the bigger downtown hosp. OMG I feel like such a whiner. Please send good thoughts (or prayers if you do that) this way for L...my stupid job is just that.

UPDATE: L had heart surgery, but he is recovering well. Two stints were put in and they didn't have to "crack him open" so that is excellent news. Puts things into perspective on my job situation. I will most likely quit right after Xmas. Yay!

Now I am really POed

2008-11-07T10:15:00.000-08:00

Just got the "resume" of our illustrious leader (my new boss, the DOM). I'm so mad I am shaking as I type. This girl is "working" on a bachelors degree in music. She has attended 4 different community colleges and has no degree or certificates from any of them. Her studies at one were music/gen studies, but the others were architecture, horticulture and gen studies. WTF???!!!

Also, her "resume" (which was hilarious, I would love to post it here but that would just be wrong) had bible quotes on it! She used bible quotes for her objective and goals. I'm sorry, I know this is a church job, and I guess that is why no one wanted me to know about the hiring process - because I would have wanted someone who could actually DO THE JOB, not just blather on about faith in G*d (which is a good and wonderful thing, but a resume is just not the appropriate place to do that). Obviously the minister is not concerned with her musical abilities.

I just have to say under experience she listed Unknown Community College From Distant State Jazz Band II as her "best" ensemble experience. She lists keyboard, a loud wind instrument and vocals as her areas of expertise. Which could be fine, but I am dreading this whole thing. I guess this is good, as I was considering leaving after Xmas anyway. The biggest thing now is I want to have a pt job so I can still deduct my symphony miles from my tax return (you can't deduct for your primary job, which amazingly, this church job was)

Orchestra players committee

2008-11-07T09:32:00.000-08:00

Just in case you missed my blog, I will inundate you with news today!
Yesterday was orchestra - lots of Xmas Crap (which I can say in my own blog) we are actually doing a version of the Nutcracker by Duke Ellington - NOT my cuppa, KWIM? It is actually kinda hard, and the whole "sometimes play the 8ths swung, sometimes not and just figure it out by the sound" is confusing. After a couple rehearsals I'm sure it will come together, but we (the strings and oboes) are out of our comfort zone! I just want to play the REAL Nutcracker - sorry, but I just love it. Probably because I haven't had to play it 8million times. Oh well, not to be this year.

Also the same crappy Xmas sing-a-long. We have a fabulous singer coming in from Oregon, she has done the leads for the opera a couple of years, lovely voice. The only Xmas piece I am excited about a little is Xmas at the Movies, which is a medley and one of the parts is "Making Xmas" by Danny Elfman (my hero) from The Nightmare Before Xmas. There is also something from Home Alone and some other modern Xmasy movies. Also kinda hard, but nothing practice can't fix!

The big piece is Sibelius 2, which by weird coincidence, the Big Symphony is doing this weekend. So we're going on Sunday, hopefully to be inspired and not crushed by our incompetence. Last night was not my best rehearsal ever. I need to hit the reed table. And I HOPE people actually listen to this piece, they did pass out CDs yesterday (of that and the Ellington) so IF we use them that should help. I just hate when people obviously have NO IDEA how a hugely popular piece like this goes. And then I make some stupid mistake and I am humbled in my arrogance. We all make mistakes! The bassoonist sounded great on her huge thing in the 2nd mvt though, I think things are really better now the loud complaining person is not there.

After rehearsal the players committee met briefly, mostly to pick a time for our big repertoire meeting, which we did (tentatively)! Getting 8 schedules to match for a several hour block is hard. Also found out we will have to have 1-2 concerts in a different venue next year, they are reaming us on the price. It is a fabulous place to play - and if we leave those weekends are gone forever. So if you have pieces that would be great to play make a suggestion! Of course oboe intense pieces are best. And we are trying to stay away from rentals and piece that require lots of extra staff, but make any suggestion you like - I'd love to hear what you think!