Christmas Eve Performance

 I will be performing at the Candlelight Service (11pm) at Bethel Lutheran Church in Rochester, MN on Christmas Eve (Dec. 24th)!

I have been rehearsing with my accompanist (my mom) at least once everyday since last Friday.  We practised in the sanctuary for the first time on Sunday...such amazing acoustics, but I'm not sure how it will work with the mics.

O Holy Night, in F, makes that high note at the end a high C (C6 to be exact!) but that's not a hard note for me to reach.

I haven't quite figured out if I'm going to be nervous or not - I know my mom is getting nervous, and it's only Tuesday!!

We're going to rehearse again tomorrow in the sanctuary.  It's kinda funny to watch the people who come in and out of the church look through the glass windows at the back as we're rehearsing.

Maybe I'll see you there...?

Happy Christmas!

Poll Results!

Thanks you to those of you that

participated in the Polls!
Please take the new one!

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What is the tippity-top reason you like

the artist(s) you listen to?

• 75% - They have talent!
• 25% - The sound - don't you like it?

 sadly, only 4 people voted in this poll :'(

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What are the important qualities in music?
(select all that apply)

click to enlarge

• 87% - The Quality!
• 75% - The Entertainment Value
• 50% - Relaxation Properties
• 87% - Evoking Feeling
• 25% - It sounds cool/good
• 25% - Dancin' Time
• 0% - Don't care as long as it has a beat
• 0% - It's on the RADIO...
• 0% - I need to know?

 Thank you to the eight people who took this!

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What do you think about memorising music?

click to enlarge

• 0% - It's Stupid!
• 42% - SO AWESOME!! ... to watch
• 14% - IT'S SSOOO DIFFICULT!!
• 0% - It's how I learn everything I play
• 0% - never have I ever, never will I
• 0% - whatever
• 28% - Love It!
• 14% - Do you know how many things I can randomly pull out for you???

 Seven People took this one...

Friends of Rain Part 2b

I found out that since I had partially filled out my time card for November, I'm getting paid for the time I put in!  YAY!!  Now to add the rest of November's hours so I get paid for them!!!! 

Orchestra's Winter Concert - Last Thoughts

(I apologise if this isn't entirely coherent...)

Last night's orchestra concert (@ L&C) was probably the most difficult concert I've played.

A lot of the music was written in the stratosphere - i rarely played in 1st position...almost always in 3rd or higher

Dvořák  - first movement of the "From the New World" Symphony.

     i think with all the time we spent on this, we hit that plateau of goodness and some of us started falling off the other side.  we had already performed this in mid-october

 
Humperdinck - Hänsel und Gretel - Lied des Sandmännchens, Abendsegen und Traum-Pantomine

   it was really neat to have two student vocalists join us for this piece (Ameila Mulford & Courtney Williams)

   had the 1st violins' highest notes of the concert

Mascagni - Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana

         technique-wise, the easiest piece on the program.  it went amazing well, we had a student conductor who did a lovely job

Tchaikovsky - Overture-Fantasy from Romeo & Juliet

   we had SO MUCH energy in this - I don't know if it was from feeling or wanting to to be done, or knowing we were almost done...but it was amazing - we (being 1st violins) even found the REALLY high B out of nowhere at the end

~ Performers ~

Violin I: Helen Goldstein, Rachel Klabunde, Erica Liebert, Chrissy Misso^ ^{D, M},
Dan Rasay*, Lucy Roberts, Nicholas Wilkins, Julia Yeckes ^{H, T}

Violin II: Gabby Castro, Christian Dicker ^{D, H, M, T}, Alexandra Hubbard, Emily Katzman,
Cate Margeson, Jarrod Nixon, Devan Wardrop-Saxton

Viola: Greg Allen ^{D, H, M, T}, Angelika Furtwangler*, Dana Levin

  Cello: Daniel Caplen, Sage Coy, Joshua Dunham ^{D, M}, Genevieve Harding ^{H, T}, Dorien de León*, Kenzie Rowlett

Bass: Neva Hauser ^{D, H, M, T}, Elliot Kuhlman, Susan Su; Harp: Sophia Dagnello
Flute: Barra Brown; Clarinet: Alex Burfitt*, Catalina Schnitman; Oboe: Erin Ohashi, Caitlin Partridge
Bassoon: Mark Eubanks*, Erika Thorsen; French Horn: Joseph English, Justine Flynn*, Sarah Kelly*, William Stalnaker*

Trumpet: James O’Banion*, Branden Pursinger; Trombone: Spencer Suffling, Gabrielle Yelland; Tuba: David Salkowski

Percussion: James Patrick Lenon, Steven Skolnik

*L&C Community Members; ^{D, H, M, T} Chairs (Representative of Composer’s Name); ^ concertmaster