SPAC

I've been in Winchester, VA since the 29th of June - about 2 and a half weeks I guess. The first week was for the Shenandoah Performs festival, where we did Beethoven 9 (which is awesome, because I'm taking an audition that requires that excerpt) and the Berenstein Serenade (which is awesome because Anne Akiko Meyers is awesome).

The past week and a half, I've been working at the Shenandoah Performing Arts Camp as a counselor and a chamber music coach. I guess I'll point out the highlights of both below.

Counselor:
-My 5 campers are great. Two of them were only one week campers, but they are all really cool and respectful, and great musicians all around. I have 2 pianists, two trombonists, and a tubist. They are all really hardworking and seem to have really great musical sense and maturity that goes far beyond their years. I know that any of them would be successful musicians, if they choose to go that route.

-Camp Olympics was great. There were several contests, but the best was definitely the donut on a string eating contest.

-That's what she said jokes. Constantly.

Chamber Music:
-The first week, I had a quartet that played the Schubert quartet in Bb Major, Op something or other. I was a bit worried giving them such a hard piece for only a week of rehearsals, but it went really really well. I was really proud of all of them. The most remarkable part was how quickly they were able to really sink into each other's sense of musicality, especially the 1st and cello, and the 2nd and viola. Great musicians all around.

-This week, I'm coaching two violinists doing the slow movement of the Bach concerto for 2 violins in d minor, and a quartet on the Brandenburg 3rd concerto. The Brandenburg is pretty easy, and it's nice for that quartet to have a bit of a break and play that piece. The Bach is killer for rhythm and tempo, but I'm sure that in a few days it's going to be really solid.

So, I'll be here for something like 5 more days and then it's back to MD. It will be really nice to get back to the apt and get to practicing and teaching again, but I sure will miss it here. I really enjoy this kind of work: making sure the kids get a solid musical education for a couple of weeks, and have fun at it at the same time.

Until next time...