Last week, I wrote about the many benefits that regular exercise can afford performers, including that of reducing “anxiety sensitivity” (reacting negatively to anxious symptoms). Fittingly, this past weekend I was asked to speak on the matter while teaching at a high school orchestra retreat. The retreat, which took place at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater,[…]
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Those of you who know me personally can attest that “exercise” is not a word that appears in my vocabulary. I can’t jog a block without stopping, I can’t throw a basketball to save my life, and if the grades I received in high school gym class had actually counted in my G.P.A., I definitely[…]
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I once had an intriguing conversation with a mentor about whether we tend to take concerts and all their formal trappings too seriously. Sure, it all seems to be a big deal, but in the grand scheme of things, such events don’t even compare to other, more serious life experiences. My mentor related this observation[…]
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I’ve been keeping busy. Over the past ten days, I launched a website, rehearsed and performed two separate chamber music programs, and played a concerto with an orchestra in Chicago’s Symphony Center. It’s been a grueling couple of weeks, but now my schedule has finally leveled off, and I at last have a chance to[…]
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My summer concert season has officially begun! Currently, I am writing from the beautiful peninsula of Door County, Wisconsin, where I am once again in residence for the Midsummer’s Music Festival. As some regular readers may recall, I spent a good part of last summer here as an intern, and this year I’m pleased to[…]
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By now, most of us have heard something about the Obama administration’s ban on commercial trade in elephant ivory, but its direct implications for musicians traveling internationally have been continuously changing, and somewhat overwhelming to decipher. As a result, a lot of discourse on the matter might have fallen under the “tl;dr” (too long, didn’t[…]
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Sunday, May 18th represented a milestone in my musical and personal life: my graduation from the Eastman School of Music. It was certainly a momentous occasion, and I celebrated by participating in all of the obligatory Commencement Day activities: being blinded by multiple photo shoots, attempting not to choke on my windswept tassel, and praying[…]
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It’s that time of year again. Finals are over, juries are but a distant memory, recital season has come to a close, and all that remains is the pinnacle event of the school year: commencement. Of course, commencement time does not merely entail the usual ceremony with its stuffy gowns, flashing cameras, and a speech[…]
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Good to know. I'll be interested to hear how everything goes.
Recently, I had the opportunity to speak to students participating in “From the Top” here in Rochester. The morning after their concert, they took part in an “Arts Leadership Day” at the local radio station, which entailed multiple activities and discussion sessions intended to promote entrepreneurial thinking. My presentation centered around what I believe to be[…]
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Lately, I’ve spent a fair amount of time on trains. In fact, I’m currently writing this from somewhere in eastern New York on hour nine of a tiring return to Rochester. I’m not just riding the rails for my health, of course (in fact, it has quite the opposite effect); some professional opportunities arose in[…]
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They mean business--at least in New York. http://slippedisc.com/2014/06/exclusive-new-york-customs-hold-orchestra-to-ransom/