audition week....

...aka "the best invention in the history of the world."

One year ago yesterday, my dad and I arrived in Baltimore and first stepped foot in Peabody's "Grand Arcade." It is quite an awe-inspiring sight, especially when you consider the many famous musicians who have walked through those doors. I remember thinking "this is holy ground."

And, now, one year later, I am remembering where I was one year ago today - taking exams, meeting with my now-teacher, rehearsing with a singer, performing...and playing a few games of Cribbage as well, to keep my mind occupied. I remember sitting in the hallway, watching hundreds of prospective students/fellow auditionees walk by. My dad and I enjoyed playing the "guess which instrument they play" game.

And I remember sitting in the cafeteria at the end of the day....I looked across the table at my dad, overwhelmed with emotion - in this, the culmination of a long journey of hard work. Practice in the early hours of the morning, long days of travel, interviews, exams, auditions. A season of long days and short nights. And for the first time, the spark of possibility was alive. Having spent the whole day just trying to tell myself that I could only bring my best...that I had nothing to lose.......I finally allowed myself to consider the possibility that Peabody might become reality.

And here I am.

This week, Peabody will welcome between 200-400 prospective students a day....talented musicians and their parents from all over the world. And unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, for the current students, there is just not room to house all of them and all of us. So we are basically kicked out for the week. No classes or lessons. No use of the practice rooms between 8AM and 7PM. A week off.

And it couldn't be more timely. It is frustrating to not have much practice time. But I went in early from 6-8 this morning and will hopefully be able to find a room this evening to do some more. In the mean time, on this glorious, crisp, sunny day, I have ventured up to the Homewood Campus (JHU's main campus - not the medical campus) to get some studying done. Homewood is a gorgeous campus - lovely brick buildings with wide open grassy spaces. A far cry from the cement that surrounds me in downtown Baltimore. I am gradually becoming more familiar with the large campus, and have found several wonderful student lounges.

So, I am looking forward to a sort of vacation this week. A chance to get caught up, and even ahead on homework. Time to spend with friends - I think I have a lunch date for every day this week! Opportunities to walk and be outside. Clean my house. Cook. Sleep.

This audition week thing could be dangerously addicting....

a new beginning

Another semester has begun - and here I am in my 3rd week of classes already!

A couple changes to update you on:

I spent the majority of my Christmas break learning a bunch of music that I thought was going to be on my recital this spring. But as it would turn out, literally the moment I set foot back in Baltimore, I received a message from a gal that was in the opera I worked on this fall. She was unable to find a lesson time that would work for both her and her accompanist - and she was wondering if I was available to play for her lessons and her recital this spring. Long story short - we will be giving a joint recital (meaning it will count for both of our degrees - not just hers) on April 7! And now I have a whole lot of new music to learn!

But this really is a gift. She and I are very alike in our approach to music, and to this recital preparation process. I am thankful to have a partner who is devoted to the process, to the repertoire, to making this a true collaborative effort. We had coffee last week and got to know each other better - which only affirmed the fact that we connect on a musical level, but also a level beyond that. I only wish she wasn't graduating this year so she could do my recital with me next year as well!

The semester has started off pretty well - but it will definitely be a busy one. I have two new classes. One is a Song Analysis class - focused on the relationship between the poetry and the music in how a composer chooses to set the text. And the other is a class on two operas - one, by Alban Berg, written just before WWI, and the other an opera of Mozart's. We are studying the first as an expression of Expressionism, and the second as an expression of the Enlightenment. Both classes will be a lot of work, but both have been very interesting thus far.

I am glad to have a day off today to rest and read and cook and clean. The weeks are long and jam-packed. I am trying to fit in at least 4-5 hours of practice a day, 6 days a week...which I just realized is basically a part-time job in itself...not to mention going to class, playing for lessons and rehearsals, doing homework...and hopefully sleeping and eating sometime too! No wonder I'm so tired all the time! This semester will definitely be a marathon, but at the end, though I may be pretty ragged and worn out, I will be alive.....somehow!