Upcoming Concerts!

Upcoming Concert this weekend. I get to start off the concert with the English Horn solo from Berlioz's Roman Carnivale!!!

Illinois Valley Symphony Orchestra

When: Saturday March 1st at 4:30 PM

Where: Ottowa High School Auditorium

This concert features our student concerto winners! 
We have a talented flutist on Teleman (Suite in A Minor) and a virtuous pianist on Mozart (Mozart Concert No. 20 in D Minor).

We will also being performing Bizet's Carmen Suite, Berlioz's Roman Carnivale and Saint-Saens' Dance Bacchanale

Blank Slate

I recently hit a bump in the road.  I was turned down from an audition, which is a first for me.  It threw me for a loop last week because I was feeling really prepared (this never happens for me!) and I was honestly looking forward to doing the audition.  Auditions are a tricky matter with me since I get really nervous (yes we all do).  So I constantly feel like I under represent myself as a musician and oboist.  I've taken on two approaches to solving this issues.  One, I am making an effort to perform, or "mock" audition, as many times as possible in front of others to get their feed back.  Being put on the spot with others around to do my best gives me practice at having to be on in the moment, instead of alone in my practice room with out any one to critique me.  Second, I am practicing being able to play the pieces without warming them up.  For me that means I still practice the parts that I struggle with.  But at the beginning of each practice session I start with the audition repertoire cold.  I play through it all as if it was an audition, just like if I had been sitting in a waiting area for the past 15 minutes.  This all seems rather obvious, but saying it out loud and actually doing it is half of the battle.  So last week was a bit of a bummer for me, but here is to moving on to the next challenge.

This week I am starting new.  I started with a day of tying blanks so I have a fresh set to work on this week :)

New blanks for a new week

Blast from the past

My old quintet!  Miss you guys (some of which I thankfully still play with!)

From Left to Right (Martha Robinson on bassoon, Kate Swope on horn, Stepher Eng on oboe, Zach Weiss on flute, and Amanda Kayser on clarinet)

Fun Fact of the Day!

Marcel Tabuteau was one of the most influential oboists and teachers in America.  He came from the Paris Conservatory where he was taught by Georges Gillet and came to the United States to play with the Philadelphia Orchestra and teach at the Curtis Institute.  He influenced the use of F.LORÉE oboes in the United States as well as helped to create the American Woodwind sound that is distinct to the US.  For more information feel free to reed this great book by Laila Storch (former student and friend).