The Start of A New Chapter

The month of March is often considered to be a turbulent month: the weather is unpredictable; love and romance can mangle our brains and hearts; and for musicians, this is often the start of the busy season.  This March is proving to be a busy month, but my busy period began back in January, and hasn't let up.

I am amidst an intense growing period.  January helped me develop new habits of consistency: practicing everyday; writing everyday; exercising on a regular basis.  I was fortunate to start rehearsing with an incredible bunch of people in the Archipelago Quartet, putting together a brilliant piece (Ravel's String Quartet).  I have been trying to collaborate with friends old and new, and trying to find the spark and passion that has fed me as a musician.  I have been wanting to use that spark to help me continue forward- so that I can finish my Dissertation on time, and take my career as a violist and teaching artist to a new level.  I don't quite know what this means yet, but I want to be able to put all of my cards on the table.

I have been incredibly fortunate in how many facets of my career have developed thus far.  Fortune has been kind to me in terms of the quality of students that I have worked with, the colleagues I have crossed paths with, and the musical opportunities that I have had thus far.  I want to continue to aim high, and see where this journey is going to take me.

I chose the name of this blog, "Violist of the Archipelago" a few years back, and delayed starting it until now.  The name had multiple meanings- string quartets are like archipelagos, in that they are a set of individuals who formed together to create a fantastic combination.  (The islands of the Galapagos each have a unique biodiversity, but are best known as a larger group.  New York City, spanned over several islands, is another prime example, even the Bronx!)  

I didn't start writing this for a long time though, and was nervous about starting to write tonight.  Perhaps I didn't have time to write on a regular basis (I am going to try to write at least a little bit each day, or fairly regularly), or was fearful that I didn't have enough to say that would sound too mundane, too cliche, or too abstract for non-musicians.  But at this stage in the game, I have a lot to share, and hope that I can help inspire and enlighten a few people along the way.