Wednesday, April 29, 2015, Forest Hills, NY
Dear Readers,
I did not realize how much time has passed since I last left an update. April has turned out to be an incredible month, and it is still not quite over!
My last few days in Europe were fantastic. Leipzig is an incredible and magical city, enchanted with a rich musical history, and a vibrant atmosphere. I only had a chance to stay there for about 24 hours, exploring the Thomaskirche (where Bach was Kapellmeister for the last 27 years of his life), the home of Felix Mendelssohn, and a live performance of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra.
From there I returned to Berlin, for one more night, getting a chance to explore the Bauhaus Gallery and Museum, and the Berlin Philharmonic performing Hector Berlioz's Damnation of Faust. One thing to keep in mind, Americans, when visiting European ensembles, is that you must purchase a concert program, and they usually only accept cash. I used the last of my cash on hand at an Indian Restaurant and had difficulties finding an ATM before hand. Berlioz's masterpiece was performed in French, and the supertitles that were presented on the far ends of the concert hall were of course in German, and my long distance eyesight is not quite what it used to be. This proved to be a bit of a challenge, but what a powerful work!
From Berlin, I made a gradual return to New York City, making a second stop in the charming city of Oslo, where I had a chance to tour the home of Henrik Ibsen (Norwegian playwright who wrote A Doll's House, and Peer Gynt, among other works).
To catch you up over the last few weeks, I collaborated with Dr. Esme Allen-Creighton in a pair of Masterclasses on April 15 and 16. On Wednesday, April 15, I had the honor of giving a Masterclass to three viola students at the University of Delaware, while Esme gave a riveting Masterclass to three viola students from the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College.
I had a chance to pair up with violist Nicholas Pauly, performing Douglas Townsend's Duo for Two Violas. This was part of a concert honoring the recently deceased New York Composer, Douglas Townsend on April 19.
In between, I have conducted two performances through St. Francis Preparatory School's Music Department: the first took place on Saturday, April 18, at PS 115Q, the Glen Oaks School, conducting my elementary beginning students. The second took place on Friday, April 24, at St. Francis Prep, where I conducted the String Orchestra, as well as a combined performance of the Chamber Orchestra and the elementary beginning students form PS 115Q and St. Kevin's Elementary School.
That brings me to yesterday. I was successful in my audition for a spot in the Hudson Valley Philharmonic, and will be part of their viola section starting this Fall. This was an exciting accomplishment for me, and one that I am really proud of. This was a great milestone after a year of intense adjustments and refinement in my technique, a renewed vigor in my practicing, and greater focus on excerpts. (Particularly over the course the past weekend, where there were a few days where I topped 6 hours of practicing. I will likely follow up post in the coming days on lessons learned from this Audition.)
The month is not quite over. Tomorrow will include a performance by the viola students from the Aaron Copland School of Music, (a patchwork of violists from several studios) who will be performing works by Bach, Schumann and Von Weber.
In short, this month has arguably been one of the most exciting months of my adult life, and giving me a catapulted boost to aim higher and go farther in my musical pursuits. Onward to May!
Humbly,
Greg Williams
PS- I will continue to publishing this blog on a fairly regular basis. I encourage you to keep reading when you are able!
Dear Readers,
I did not realize how much time has passed since I last left an update. April has turned out to be an incredible month, and it is still not quite over!
My last few days in Europe were fantastic. Leipzig is an incredible and magical city, enchanted with a rich musical history, and a vibrant atmosphere. I only had a chance to stay there for about 24 hours, exploring the Thomaskirche (where Bach was Kapellmeister for the last 27 years of his life), the home of Felix Mendelssohn, and a live performance of the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra.
From there I returned to Berlin, for one more night, getting a chance to explore the Bauhaus Gallery and Museum, and the Berlin Philharmonic performing Hector Berlioz's Damnation of Faust. One thing to keep in mind, Americans, when visiting European ensembles, is that you must purchase a concert program, and they usually only accept cash. I used the last of my cash on hand at an Indian Restaurant and had difficulties finding an ATM before hand. Berlioz's masterpiece was performed in French, and the supertitles that were presented on the far ends of the concert hall were of course in German, and my long distance eyesight is not quite what it used to be. This proved to be a bit of a challenge, but what a powerful work!
From Berlin, I made a gradual return to New York City, making a second stop in the charming city of Oslo, where I had a chance to tour the home of Henrik Ibsen (Norwegian playwright who wrote A Doll's House, and Peer Gynt, among other works).
To catch you up over the last few weeks, I collaborated with Dr. Esme Allen-Creighton in a pair of Masterclasses on April 15 and 16. On Wednesday, April 15, I had the honor of giving a Masterclass to three viola students at the University of Delaware, while Esme gave a riveting Masterclass to three viola students from the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College.
I had a chance to pair up with violist Nicholas Pauly, performing Douglas Townsend's Duo for Two Violas. This was part of a concert honoring the recently deceased New York Composer, Douglas Townsend on April 19.
In between, I have conducted two performances through St. Francis Preparatory School's Music Department: the first took place on Saturday, April 18, at PS 115Q, the Glen Oaks School, conducting my elementary beginning students. The second took place on Friday, April 24, at St. Francis Prep, where I conducted the String Orchestra, as well as a combined performance of the Chamber Orchestra and the elementary beginning students form PS 115Q and St. Kevin's Elementary School.
That brings me to yesterday. I was successful in my audition for a spot in the Hudson Valley Philharmonic, and will be part of their viola section starting this Fall. This was an exciting accomplishment for me, and one that I am really proud of. This was a great milestone after a year of intense adjustments and refinement in my technique, a renewed vigor in my practicing, and greater focus on excerpts. (Particularly over the course the past weekend, where there were a few days where I topped 6 hours of practicing. I will likely follow up post in the coming days on lessons learned from this Audition.)
The month is not quite over. Tomorrow will include a performance by the viola students from the Aaron Copland School of Music, (a patchwork of violists from several studios) who will be performing works by Bach, Schumann and Von Weber.
In short, this month has arguably been one of the most exciting months of my adult life, and giving me a catapulted boost to aim higher and go farther in my musical pursuits. Onward to May!
Humbly,
Greg Williams
PS- I will continue to publishing this blog on a fairly regular basis. I encourage you to keep reading when you are able!
No comments:
Post a Comment