"You can't play Berlioz without eating breakfast."

Good afternoon! It will certainly be a busy one...I have a chamber rehersal at 2:45 and I want to practice beforehand. That runs until 3:45, and I have a lesson 4:15-5:15. Then a quick dinner, sectionals 6:15- 7:45. Finally I have to run over to Dana and meet Jen (who is very kindly saving me a seat) so I can hear the Faculty Piano "Gala". funfunfun.

Let's see...last night we didn't go to the conert. We were waaaaaay too tired. Instead we watched Pride and Prejudice (again....hehe) and the Pirates of the Caribbean. I didn't really watch POTC. I got ready for bed, chatted with mom, wrote, and read. But I enjoyed listening to it. hahaha. It was a Keira Knightly kinda night. And going to bed early (before 11. waaay before 11) helped me tons. I am much more awake today.

Okay. Today in rehersal I was playing this one part in the fourth movement of the Berlioz where there is a dotted 8th/16 rhythm. And it is uber hard. But I got it. And I was sooooo incredibly excited about it that I kinda stopped for a second, smiling, then looked around and realized everyone was still playing. hahahaha. I don't care that everyone else could already play it...because now I can, too!!!! yay!

Well, I put my hair half up today. And I looked in the mirror and all I could think of was:
Caroline: "Did you walk here, Miss Bennet?"
Elizabeth: "I did." [pause as Darcy stares at Elizabeth] "I'm so sorry, how is my sister?"
Mr. Darcy: "She's upstairs."
Elizabeth: "Thank you." [exits room]
Caroline: "My goodness, did you see her hem? Six inches deep in mud..."
Yeah, I feel pretty cool.

I'm going to run now. Since I have a lesson today, I want to look at my Bach and etude again. funfunfun. Write later!

ps. thank you, Kelsey, for your letter. I will be sure to send you some as well- I love getting mail!!!

pps. JOSHUA BELL TOMORROW!!!! *excitement*

Chamber Rehersal

Well, my chamber rehersal went well. The piece we're playing is the Bottesini Grand Quintetto in C minor. We are unable to locate a recording of it so far....yeah. We read through it- the first violin part is rather difficult, but my part isn't bad at all. Just have to remember the key- mostly 4 and 5 flats.

I worked on some of the Berlioz and my etude for a while today. Played the Fiocco to make myself happy. Now I am rather hungry and am waiting for Jen to get back from sectionals so we can go to dinner. (Jen enters door)

I'll post more tommorrow, as we are leaving for dinner. I'm am starving...

Moulin Rouge and Tchaikovsky

So, how is everyone? I am lovely, thank you for asking.

Last night was the Ellis Marsalis concert. It was good but Jen and I left during intermission because we were sooooo exhausted. I slept well last night...

So, now I have a tiny bit of "free time" before I have to go to a chamber rehersal. yay for more sight reading!! haha.

ergh. my shoulders hurt. actually, it's kind of my neck. and my back. ...it's right above my shoulders...yeah, it hurt tremendously this morning when I woke up. Am I tight when I'm playing? Did I sleep weird? It only hurts now if I raise my shoulders or roll them forward. ....ick. I hope it stops. If they still hurt tomorrow, then...I'm not sure what I'm going to do.

Tomorrow Gerard Schwarz is leading a seminar called "Musically Speaking" that I really wanted to go to, but I can't because I'm in sectionals. *tear* Saturday I am going to the Joshua Bell dress rehersal in the morning and then the concert that night. exciting...yessss! Next Wednesday and Thursday are the Roberto Diaz masterclasses. I have to find out where and when the Thursday one is. hmmm... I don't have to play for either of them, thank goodness. I don't think I would be able to do that.

Okay. So. You are probably wondering what the subject of this entry could possibly mean! Well, the answer is not as exciting as some might hope, but I think it's pretty cool. Last night bought the Moulin Rouge soundtrack (because for a year+ I have been unsuccessful in getting ANYONE to burn it for me so that it works.) and a Tchaikovsky CD with the overture to Romeo and Juliet, the Sleeping Beauty suite (the whooole thing!) and the entire Swan Lake suite. Julie, I will burn you a copy of this as soon as I get my hands on a blank cd. hokay? hokay.

Well, I need to work on the Berlioz for a bit. ...the movements I worked on we didn't play today. Which makes me tres triste. (pretend there's an accent over the e in tres....I'm too lazy to look up the keyboard shortcut to do it...)

write more after my chamber group reading!!! I can definatly say two things about what EMF has done for me already- I don't get nervous sight reading things and I can read treble clef almost fluently. ...yay pour moi!!!!! hahahaha.

ps. http://emfstudent.blogspot.com/ I didn't get the chance to do this (it was chosen randomly), but my roomate Jen is doing it. Basically, several EMF students are blogging their experiences at EMF. It is affiliated with the local newspaper. I just thought I would let everyone know about it!

Chamber Assignments and Private Teacher

Today I got my chamber assignments- I'm playing the Bottesini Quartet. I don't know that one...If anyone does, let me know.

Well, this morning I was throughly lost and confused...I didn't actually have to play until 9:50. hahahaha. I sat around in Dana Auditorium's lobby for, like, an hour. I'm cool likt that.

Tonight I have a Master Class...not sure if I'm playing or not. I'm supposed to bring my viola anyway. Chamber coaching starts tomorrow. yay! And tonight is the Ellis Marsalis concert. I'm excited. I think it's in Dana....I'm nearly positive it is. yeah.


Well, I need to go practice. I need to work on some passages in the Berlioz and get them up to speed. Metronome, here I come! (you should be so proud, Karen. hahaha)

[edit]
My teacher's name in Jerome Gordon. He is really nice, but really young. only 24...which is barely old enough to be out of graduate school....unless he is young for his...grade. or something. Anyway, he does play for the New World Symphony in Miami...he asked me where I lived when I gave him my cell number. I explained to him that I used to live in Ft. Lauderdale but moved to Raleigh a few years ago. When I came into the room, Jeremy (a violinist who shares the studio) was in there and asked me who I was and where I was from. He plays for the NC Syphony...I'm guessing it was Jeremy Winslow Preston, the only violinist named Jeremy in the symphony. yeah. that's my story...

post later. the Eillis Marsalis concert is tonight. Jen and I are going. i'm excited...

Orchestra Assignments

I am in GFO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Which means I perform on Fridays. Roberto Diaz. Symphony Fantastique. !!!!! I am sitting 5th chair this week (3a) which I don't think is based on scores because Yaniv is sitting behind me and he is awesome...

Okay, so basically, I get to playMozart's Jupiter, Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, Debussy's Nocturnes, the Roberto Diaz/Jeff Multer concerto (Mozart)....etc. I'm just sorry I'm not playing Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet or Bernstein's Symphonic Dances from West Side Story. But I'm very happy.

My private teacher's name is Jerome Gordon. Yaniv and I are his only two students. He lives in Miami, went to Northwestern and USC, played with Los Angeles Philharmonic, studied with Roland Vamos and Donald McInnes, and plays for the New World Symphony in Miami. Prettty cool, I'd say...

I'll post more after my rehersal today- we're reading the Debussy, the Mozart concerto, and the Berlioz. yay! I meet my teacher and get chamber music assignments tomorrow. Write later- I need to go warm up for my 2 pm rehersal. love you all!!!

[EDIT]- for the record, musicians do switch orchestras and change positions. ...I thought this was an appropriate post to put this in. And if no one ever reads it...oh well!

Piano Recital

Last night there was this amazing piano recital. Student piano recital, might I add.

So, first there was Nozomi Marusawa. she played a Sonata by Schumann and a concert etude by Liszt. she was verrrrry good.

Second was Ruby Chou...wow. She played a sonata by Haydn. Amazingly well. fingers flying...

Third was Whitney Pizza. She played the preludium from a Bach Partita and an etude by Chopin. Again, her hands flew up and down this gorgeous baby grand, especially on the Chopin.

Nick Luby played a Tocatta by Poulenc. That was very good. Not as memorable as some, but still good.

Then there was Jake Coleman. He played Improvisations on Hungarian Songs by Bartok. wow. It was lke children's music tainted with a shade of evil. Verrrrrrrry amazing. This kid is talented.

Last was Irina Arbatskaya. With a name like that, it's practically required that she do something amazing. hahaha. She played the Mephisto Waltz no. 1 by Liszt. It was...gosh, there isn't even a word for it!!!! Her hands seriously flew. She would be at one end of the keyboard and then, before you knew it, she was at the other end. It was beautiful...


Well, I'll post later after I get my orchestra assignment and private teacher. Then I have a rehersal from 2-5 and a reading with Gerard Schwarz from 8-10 pm. Wish me luck!!!

Audtion

Last night I was in hysterics over this audtion I had this morning. They gave us six excerpts on Saturday that we had to know by today (monday). They were hard excerpts, too!!! Especially the Wagner. And I just kind of had these thoughts like, "What the heck am I doing here?". Really doubting myself. And last night a bunch of violists got together to go through these dreaded excerpts. Everyone was....really, really good. Two guys said they hadn't even looked at the Wagner yet and then played it perfectly. grrr...

So, the actual adudtion wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Everyone was very nice- Suzzane Russo was there. She said hello. Then they were all passing out these little Hershey chocolates. Suzzane was like, "Maybe Emily would like one. Here. Emily, you can have mine." haha. Then I played the Fiocco, which went well. Admitedly not perfect, but still good. Then there were the excerpts. They had us play the Debussey, the Sibelius, and the Stravinsky, none of which are too terrible. NO WAGNER!!!! yessss...i think everyone was excited about that. Then we had sight reading. Which wasn't too bad. Again, not perfect (nor as well as everyone played it that I heard. stupid prodigy children. hahaha), but not too terrible. So then they asked me what I wanted to play or didn't want to play. I told them that based on the excerpts, not the Wagner. hahahaha. They all laughed and one guy said, "That wasn't the purpose of the excerpts..." But then I said that I would lovvvve to play the with Roberto Diaz when he does the concerto with the orchestra. Afterwards I sat outside with some other kids and listened to other auditions....I wasn't ready to go back to the room yet. And now I'm sitting at my computer typing this!!! Later today I think I'm going to watch a movie...I have a meeting at 4:30. And there is the concert tonight in Sternberger and then another concert in Carnegie. I think I'll go to both because there really isn't that much to do here. And then I'm also not feeling too guilty for not practing....


PICTURES:


both beds and the desks underneath. Mine is the left, Jen is the right.


Me at my desk


My bed and closet.

FIRST NIGHT!!!

Well, today was my first day here. It was...better than expected. I love my dorm rrom. It is SO much nicer than expected. We have two loft beds with desks underneath. And a sink. and dressers. And it's carpeted. yay!

So, my roomate (jen) is awesome. like, way better than I ever could have hoped for. Tons in common. same sense of humor. Same desire to practice, even if it is just for five minutes...we had to pick up our instruments after the concert tonight. like, just had to. plus the fact that the amazing violinist across the hall was practicing and we just had to cover her up. hehehehe.

So, the concert. "Unbelievable. Amazing. Musical. Beautiful. Inspiring. Jaw dropping. Original." -Jen. In my words....the Mozart was boring. But that was only because it was Mozart. The first piece was good but not enough for us to remember it too much. But perhaps that was only because the piano concerto was AMAZING!!! Written by Billy Joel and arranged by some other guy. Performed by Jeffery Biegel. It was showy. Slightly cheesy in a movie soundtrack sort of way. But not John williams bad. very, very good. seriously.


So now I'm typing and we're eating poptarts. Which Jen thinks tastes like rum. she's wondering if someone spiked them. They're cookie dough flavored...hahaha. I wil write tomorrow, along with posting pictures of my lovely room!!!

One More Week

Well, last weekend was my big shopping trip. Mom and I drove down to Smithfield to go to the outlets- I got everything but my swimsuit and black shirt at Gap!!! Easiest shopping trip ever. And not too painful. hahaha.


Today I got a new camera, which I am having a lot of fun playing with. It's very nice- an HP. There are so many different settings and such- a little intimidating!



There's only one more week until I leave. I'm starting to get nervous... I had the Meredith strings camp this week, which was fun. A nice...warm-up, if you will, to what I'll be experiencing this summer at EMF. for five weeks...


Just wanted to update this- I'll post pictures from my new camera later!!!