One of the hardest things about playing in a chamber group is when you are in charge of starting a movement. You have to indicate the tempo and mood in one cue. Here are some ideas to help:
Read MoreYou want me to play with HOW many people?? WHEN is our next rehearsal???
A pianist’s perspective on chamber music.
You’re probably wondering what a pianist is doing blogging on Aspen Winds! Much less a pianist you’ve never heard of and don’t know, but I hope that all changes on May 8th though!
I met Amy Gabbitas this past summer when she graciously invited two clarinet students from Las Vegas Academy whom I was playing with to perform the famous Brahms Clarinet Trio, Op. 114 at their Summer Chamber Music Festival. Several months pass and Amy calls me out of the blue in December to see if I was interested in playing with Aspen Winds at Gallivan Center. Hmmm, let me think-YES!
Read More"Competitions are for horses, not artists" - Bela Bartok
What happens when you don’t do well in a performance or competition? We’ve all been there. You prepare, dream, get excited and feel ready — but BAM! You don’t get a 1 or make it to the next round of competition. What does that mean? Are you a terrible performer? Did you look at them funny? Did they hate your sound? Should you quit performing? Are you an embarrassment to society?
Read MoreAspen Winds started in my living room three years ago when Stephanie and I played oboe/clarinet duets for the first time. We had just met through her daughter and my niece who had set up their own playdate after swim class. Truth be told, we were both rusty, both recently giving birth and not having played seriously in several years. After about twenty minutes of sight-reading we decided we needed to do a recital.
Read MoreFirst off, lets define a Symphony Audition for those less music savvy readers out there. It is the equivalent of a job interview for a classically trained, professional musician. It is for a salary position with a major symphony orchestra, which for an oboe player there are 3 spots per orchestra. So when someone chooses to get a college degree in music performance, this is one of the career paths they could choose to attempt. However, notice I used the word "attempt". It is one of the hardest jobs on the market to acquire. IF you get good enough to even audition for the position, you are competing against 80 other oboists who are just as good as you for the ONE chair.
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