March Madness

  Sometimes I wonder how I get to this point in the year.  March is usually the height of the school year, when there is a performance or recital at every turn. Expectations are high, hearts are anxious for the rush that spring is about to provide.  It can be an emotionally toiling month for some.  Taxes are coming due, weather is still very unpredictable, and gig season is usually picking up for many musicians.  So much is happening, and there is not enough time to get though it all.

   I have found a few things that have helped me get through the madness that is March, and I wanted to share them with you.  

   REACH OUT TO FRIENDS AND FAMILY.  If you are one who is often entrenched in the depths of your own work, take the time to call a friend or relative, even if it is only for a few minutes.  Find someone who is going to make you laugh, who might have a few words of encouragement if you are feeling distressed or run down.  Don't wait for that person to call you, make the call yourself. One might ask, does texting suffice?  NO!!!!  Texting is something that many of us now do on a regular basis, but a phone call is far more intimate.  It is something that will likely be mutually beneficial to both ends of the conversation.

​(Photo by Jiyang Chen)

   EXERCISE.  If March is a hectic time for you, be sure to pencil in a bit of time to walk, jog, go for a bike ride, sneak into the back of a yoga class, dance a bit.  If you are someone who is trapped in the library, locked in a practice room, sneak out for ten or fifteen minutes, especially if it is a sunny day.  Your body and brain will thank you for the much needed break.

    TREAT YOURSELF.  Treating yourself does not mean running down your debit card at your favorite store.  It could mean investing in a comfy pair of slippers, or grabbing a piece of chocolate, or meeting with a friend or loved one.  It might even mean getting that set of new strings that you have been wanting to try out on your instrument.  Paraphrasing a line from Fiddler on the Roof, "even a poor violist deserves a little bit of happiness in this lifetime."  You might ask, do exercise and treating yourself cancel each other out?  No!  The two may or may not happen on the same day.  Treating yourself to the fuzzy socks will not add to your calorie count for the day (the chocolate might, but you will likely be ok if you eat it in moderation.)

    SLEEP.  This last one might be more for myself than for anyone else.  Given the stress levels that often take place when the school year ramps up, it is easy to push yourself to the limit.  Practice that extra hour! Work on that movement in your chamber music rehearsal one more time!  Push yourself that extra mile on the run, the next 5K is coming up!  One more episode of Comedians With Cars... (one of my vices)  But are you balancing the extra exertion with a consistent sleep pattern?  The amount of time that a person needs will vary, but it is imperative that you continue to give your body the chance to rest and recharge.

    These are all things that are valuable as aim to get through the month of March.  These are certainly things that I will be doing as I get through an intense performing schedule.  (Please take a look below!)

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   Tomorrow, March 3, 2016, at 7:30 PM, I will be performing with the New York Concert Artists at Merkin Concert Hall at 129 W 67th St, in Manhattan.  The pieces that will be performed will include Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 with pianist Rachel Cheung, Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2 with pianist Vyacheslav Gryaznov, and Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1- pianist Danilo Mascetti.  All pieces will be conducted by Eduard Zilberkant.

    Later this month, I will be leading the viola section of the Hudson Valley Philharmonic, at the Bardavon 1869 Opera House, in Poughkeepsie, NY, on Saturday, March 19, 2016, 8 PM. We will be performing under the baton of Randall Craig Fleisher, performing works by Igor Stravinsky, Johannes Brahms, Jennifer Higdon and John Estacio.  Details for tickets can be found below:

https://www.bardavon.org/calendar.php#HVP_Concerts

   I am also thrilled to announce that I will be performing with the Albany Symphony Orchestra for two performances on Sunday, March 20th, at 2 PM at the Palace Theater in Albany, NY.  The theme of the concert is "Super Orchestra Man" and will include excerpts from several thrilling works, including pieces by Mozart, Wagner, Richard Strauss and others.  Details can be found at:

http://www.albanysymphony.com/concerts_and_tickets/

What is most exciting are three thrilling recitals that I am presenting over the course of the next month.  I will joining forces with Juliana Han, a fine pianist, for three performances.  

The first will be on Sunday, March 13, 2016, at 2 PM at the Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library in Shirley (NY), and will be hosted by Kara's Hope Foundation. https://www.facebook.com/events/1056353064428658/ For those of you who do not know of this organization, Kara's Hope Foundation is a non-profit organization that was established in honor of Kara Lynn Williams, (my younger sister) a senior at William Floyd High School who passed away suddenly in 2010.  Kara's Hope Foundation hosts an annual 5K Run/Walk for Scholarships every May in Southaven Park.  For more information, please visit www.karashopefoundation.org.

(Pianist Juliana Han, photo by Dario Acosta)

The second recital will take place in LeFrak Concert Hall, at the Aaron Copland School of Music, CUNY Queens College on Thursday, March 24th at 7:30 PM.  https://www.facebook.com/events/185833641774478/  If you haven't been to LeFrak, I highly recommend exploring it, as it is one of the finest concert halls in New York City (especially outside of Manhattan), and it is a real thrill to return there.  

The third recital (which also happens to be my last degree recital at the CUNY Graduate Center) will take place at the Elebash Recital Hall at the CUNY Graduate Center, at 5th and 34th Street in Manhattan.  The performance will be Monday, April 4, 2016, at 7:30 PM.  https://www.facebook.com/events/717762368359380/  This performance will be live streamed, at /http://videostreaming.gc.cuny.edu/videos/channel/9/. These performances will give you a glimpse of the music of the composer that I have been researching for my Dissertation, Günter Raphael.  I will be performing Raphael's Sonata for Solo Viola, Op. 46, No. 4, along with Hans Gál's Sonata for Viola and Piano, Johannes Brahms' Sonata for Viola and Piano in F minor, Op. 120, No. 1, Alan Hovhannes's Chahagir for Solo Viola, and Miklós Rózsa's Introduction and Allegro for Solo Viola.  

An air on the air, thoughts about going on the radio tomorrow

Well, tomorrow is going to be really interesting. I have been invited to speak (and play) on the radio, to discuss upcoming events that will be happening with Kara's Hope Foundation. You are probably wondering how on earth I found myself in this exciting situation.

A few days ago, I was putting together a few press releases announcing the first of three recitals that pianist Juliana Han and I will be performing. (For more information about the recital taking place on Sunday, March 13, 2016 at 2 PM, please click here:  https://www.facebook.com/events/1056353064428658/) I sent the releases out to a few of the local newspapers in my hometown on Long Island. Within minutes, I received an email back from the editor of one of the papers, inviting me to speak on behalf of Kara's Hope Foundation on Long Island News Radio, 103.9 FM. (For those of you who are native Long Islanders, this used to be WRCN, a classic rock station.) Originally the thought was to call in to give an update on what Kara's Hope Foundation is doing.

My original thought was, "Wow, this is really exciting!" Anxiety quickly set in, as I was scrambling to think of what I should say. (For those who don't know, Kara's Hope Foundation was a non-profit organization established in my sister's memory. Take a look here at the website, http://www.karashopefoundation.org)  

Kara and me in a Williams sibling reading session (circa 1998)

To what degree do I talk about Kara and her life? Which events organized by the Foundation do I discuss? Will calling in be the best way to get the message across, or would it help for me to be in the room where the radio show is airing?

As discussions continued to determine when I would make my radio appearance, I offered an idea, "I could perform on air if you would like." Since the original press release was announcing a viola recital, and figuring live viola is a rarity on radio stations on Long Island, that might be the best way to balance the conversation. The idea was warmly received, and I was invited to come in tomorrow morning.  

So, if are interested in listening to me as I wear three hats at once (as Kara's older brother, as Vice President of Kara's Hope Foundation, and as a violist), please tune into http://linewsradio.com/john-gomez/ tomorrow, (103.9 FM) Monday, February 15, 2016, at 12 PM. I plan to play Alan Hovhaness's Chahagir, for solo viola, and discuss the upcoming events that are being organized by Kara's Hope Foundation.

A New Month, and A New Mindset

Whoever said that life was over once you hit 30, either didn't know what they were talking about, or was not a musician! My thirties have been monumental so far, with each year breaking new barriers. I suspect 32 will be on a similar path forward! My practicing regimen is more thorough and consistent than it ever was before, and I have learned to listen to myself more critically. I am trying to be more careful about my sleeping habits, and I am more mindful of what I ingest and how I exercise. Perhaps it is an internal sense of having higher stakes, or a recognition that I can be successful if I do "x, y and z."

January 2016 was a month of a some memorable performances and projects!  After the holidays, I was on tour with the Strauss Orchestra of America, performing with several dear friends in Philadelphia, New Brunswick (New Jersey), New York, and the outskirts of Washington, D.C.  It was a real thrill performing with ballroom and ballet dancers, and some phenomenal opera singers.  I was also fortunate enough perform with some fine colleagues at Carnegie Hall (on my birthday, no less).  I had a chance to return to the Cornelia Street Cafe, performing Elvis Costello and the Brodsky Quartets song cycle, The Juliet Letters, with Lisa Flanagan, a fine soprano, and the Archipelago Quartet.  While the snow marred some plans, it gave me a chance to regroup for an awesome recording session for Rhymes With Opera.  I had the privilege of working with some really awesome musicians (and dear friends), while recording the orchestral part of Ruby Fulton's opera titled Adam's Run.   To find out more about this project, please take a look at their website, www.rhymeswithopera.org, or at their Indiegogo campaign site, https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/adams-run-a-rhymes-with-opera-video-production#/.

(Rhymes With Opera recording session. Photo courtesy of Ruby Fulton.)

Now that January is out of the way, I can return a majority of my focus to practicing and working on the Dissertation.  As I have become entrenched in the writing process, I am realizing that the two do have to go hand in hand, at least to some degree.  My writing as able to improve and grow when I am feeling confident about my playing, and vice versa.  February is going to be a relatively calm and quiet month, which will enable me to be productive.  I may not surface as much this month, but I encourage you to reach out and say hi!  An occasional coffee with a friend or two will definitely be welcomed!

And now for the exciting part... I am thrilled to announce a series of recitals that I am organizing.  I will joining forces with Juliana Han, a fine pianist, for three performances.  The first will be on Sunday, March 13, 2016, at 2 PM at the Mastics-Moriches-Shirley Community Library in Shirley (NY), and will be hosted by Kara's Hope Foundation.  https://www.facebook.com/events/1056353064428658/ For those of you who do not know of this organization, Kara's Hope Foundation is a non-profit organization that was established in honor of Kara Lynn Williams, (my younger sister) a senior at William Floyd High School who passed away suddenly in 2010.  Kara's Hope Foundation hosts an annual 5K Run/Walk for Scholarships every May in Southaven Park.  For more information, please visit www.karashopefoundation.org.

The second recital will take place in LeFrak Concert Hall, at the Aaron Copland School of Music, CUNY Queens College on Thursday, March 24th at 7:30 PM.  https://www.facebook.com/events/185833641774478/  If you haven't been to LeFrak, I highly recommend exploring it, as it is one of the finest concert halls in New York City (especially outside of Manhattan), and it is a real thrill to return there.  The third recital (which also happens to be my last degree recital at the CUNY Graduate Center) will take place at the Elebash Recital Hall at the CUNY Graduate Center, at 5th and 34th Street in Manhattan.  The performance will be Monday, April 4, 2016, at 7:30 PM.  https://www.facebook.com/events/717762368359380/  This performance will be live streamed, (for those of you who are out of town) and will give you a glimpse of the music of the composer that I have been researching for my Dissertation, Günter Raphael.  I will be performing Raphael's Sonata for Solo Viola, Op. 46, No. 4, along with Hans Gál's Sonata for Viola and Piano, Johannes Brahms' Sonata for Viola and Piano in F minor, Op. 120, No. 1, Alan Hovhannes's Chahagir for Solo Viola, and Miklós Rózsa's Introduction and Allegro for Solo Viola.  

Stay in touch, and be on the lookout for a few more exciting announcements in the weeks and months ahead!

-Greg Williams

Upcoming Performances of Gregory K. Williams, Violist, November 2015

Greetings Music Lovers of All Varieties (Friends, Family, Colleagues, Students, et al),

     I hope this message finds everyone well.  The fall has been an absolute blast, filled with much music making, running, and writing.  September and October have also been rather intense, with performances around New York City, the Hudson Valley and Long Island.  Before everyone starts carving turkeys, tofurkey, and boiling their cranberries, I wanted to let you all know of a few exciting performances coming up this month.

     Next Wednesday, November 11, 2015, at 7:30 PM, I will have the distinct privilege of joining forces with cellist Philip A. Ewell, Professor of Music at Hunter College, on a faculty recital that he is organizing.  Together with violinist Elena Peres, and pianist Steven Graff, we will be performing W. A. Mozart's Piano Quartet in G Minor, K. 478.  Also featured on the program will be Tchaikovsky's Piano Trio in A Minor, Op. 50.  The concert will take place in the Ida K. Lang Recital Hall, at Hunter College.

  
    Later this month, I will be among a section of fine violists, performing with the Hudson Valley Philharmonic, at the Bardavon 1869 Opera House, in Poughkeepsie, NY, on Saturday, November 21, 2015, 8 PM. We will be performing under the baton of Randall Craig Fleischer, performing works by Bartok, Ravel, and Sibelius.  Details for tickets can be found below:

https://www.bardavon.org/event_info.php?id=809&venue=bardavon

As the weather continues to cool down, I will be writing away, (amidst a Dissertation on the unaccompanied viola works of Günter Raphael) practicing, working with several fine students, running, spending some quality time with loved ones, and preparing for a few upcoming recitals that will take place in the months ahead.  I will keep you updated with more details soon!

Musically yours,

Greg Williams, Violist

Procrastination

Procrastination

Over the past several months, I have made tremendous gains in terms of my focus and productivity.  I have been successful at knocking out watching TV as a way to procrastinate, I have switched around my work schedule so that I have fewer days of commuting.  I spend less time on Facebook (which I need to continue to weed out).  I have learned how to say no to obligations that didn’t make sense with my schedule, and have found ways to ramp up the amount of time I spend practicing, exercising, and writing.  As a result, the quality of my playing is improving, my endurance while running or doing yoga has improved, and I have made significant strides on my Dissertation.

Well, I have been able to keep up most of the momentum with practicing, and I still find time to run about 3 days a week, assuming the weather is cooperating.  But an addictive game has needled its way into my life- Mini Metro.  It is a glorious little game, where you get to build subway lines, with trains and traffic, etc.  It is quite marvelous, and akin to a doodling habit that I have (drawing subway maps of imaginary cities, which I do on long car trips where I’m not driving, sitting in a dreary meeting).  Over the summer, I started playing it a bit more, on days where I had a bit more downtime.  Perhaps one game in the morning or after a long day of work is fine-- some people do crossword puzzles, others do sudoku to get the noggin going in the morning.  But I often find myself playing a game in between practice sessions, or while I am having lunch, and it puts a cramp on my productivity!  It would be one thing if the game last for 5 minutes, but one single game, if successful, can last close to a half hour!  

I have a similar problem with 2048, a number stacking game that I have on my phone.  (The only game that I have one my phone), and one that I find myself consistently playing on the subway, even if I bring worthwhile reading materials.  I have made it to the grand score of 2048 multiple times (sometimes even several times a day).  Maybe a game or two on the subway is fine, but there are so many good books to read instead!  C’mon, subway-riding me!

I don’t necessarily have a solution, other than replacing the urge to hop on Facebook, play Mini Metro, or 2048 with the URGE to write, the URGE to practice!  Down time is great, if I am in control of it.  Computer games might help to get the mind moving, or slowing down, but they do not help you finish Dissertations on time, and definitely get you nowhere fast when preparing for auditions and recitals!  I am sure I am not the only one facing this problem, and would love to get feedback from others about this.  How do you handle your issues with procrastination?

  I should acknowledge that I decided to write about this blog as a way to stop myself from playing another game, and plan to get back to practicing, just as soon as I finish my lunch, and gaze outside at the leaves falling from the trees...

Cramping after the first lap- A musician realizes the possibility of being athletic

The following thoughts have very little to do with playing the viola or being a violist, but is reflecting something I have been thinking about over the past week.

   I wasn't always a runner.  In fact, in my younger years, as a kid, I was never really perceived as much of an athlete.  At all!  In kindergarten, my parents signed me up for gymnastics- it wasn't really my thing.  Next was tee-ball, I have fond memories of picking up cigarette butts and wilted dandelions off the ground.  I have fond memories of when my Dad coached my team in baseball in first grade, but as a left-handed person in a right-handed world, it is hard to figure out the intricacies of hitting a bat or throwing a ball when everyone is doing things in reverse.  (It wasn't until a viola lesson at the Eastman School of Music at the age of 24 that I realized I was throwing a ball incorrectly for years!  Hint- it had to do with my feet!)

    Golf and soccer had similar struggles.  With golf, my swinging technique was a bit clumsy, and all of the coaches that I worked with were right handed.  I tried to join the soccer world a little late in the game, in fifth grade, I joined a fun team, and can still count a few of those teammates as friends years later, but it wasn't my thing.  In the grand scheme of things, I quickly realized that I was far more passionate about all things musical, and that won out.  

    Gym class was probably the roughest.  Being short, and from about 4th or 5th grade on, a little on the husky side, and my lack of athletic talent or drive was often obvious.  I was often one of the last people called onto any team, and really didn't quite get it.  I remember struggling with several aspects of the New York State physical fitness test, the only exams I ever consistently failed throughout my schooling career, because I couldn't run a mile, and I could do a pull up.  Year after year, I was cramping out after one or two laps around the track.  

     Mobility was important to me though.  Growing up on suburban Long Island, I was in biking distance to the beach.  I wasn't allowed to cross the major highway the bisected my community, but if I crossed at the beach where there was a lot less traffic, that soon expanded my biking turf!  

     During my senior year of High School, my family moved to a new neighborhood, far from many of my friends, but in an area more conducive to running, fewer cars, calmer traffic, more wooded areas.  I was also reaching my angst teenaged years, tweaking out about college applications, and audition stresses.  Running, slow though I probably was, became a new outlet for me.  I took this new form of exercise with me to college at Boston University, frequently doing a lap around BU's campus, or across the Charles River, into parts of Cambridge or Brookline.  This became a way for me to explore the beauty of the area.  It was a way for me to get exercise without having to compete with anyone, or adhere to standards imposed by others.

      Fast forward several years.  In 2010, when my sister passed away, I found myself overwhelmed with devastating grief, anxieties, and confusion over how to go forward with my life.  Practicing was painful and difficult, and low on my priority list.  Running became incredibly important as a way to release, escape from my world, and focus about one foot moving in front of the other- nothing else mattered, except for oncoming traffic, or a really cool patch of raspberries or apples tree.  

      My family and friends from our hometown helped to set up an annual 5K Run and Walk in honor of my sister, Kara, in a beautiful place called South Haven Park.  Soon I had a goal, 5 kilometers, 3.1 miles, to get through.  At first I thought this would be impossible, but after going through my first race at the age of 27, I realized that it was an attainable goal.  

         Running quickly became part of my routine, it didn't really matter where I was at any given point in time, I would run!  San Diego, Los Angeles, Washington DC, Knoxville, TN, Pittsfield, MA, London, Berlin, Leipzig, the Czech Republic- running would be modus operandus while traveling.  I soon found that 5 kilometers felt short, why not go for 5 miles?  Why not go for 6?  Or 8?  I found myself entering a 10K run (6.2 miles), and this summer at the ripe young age of 31, taking part in the San Francisco Half Marathon.  (The preparation for that over the past month was grueling, and for the record, it makes audition excerpt preparation feel like a cakewalk by comparison!)

         My inner ten year old never would have thought such great distances, or running past the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC, in Hyde Park in London, or on the Golden Gate Bridge were even possibilities.  Who knows, perhaps a year or two from now I might be capable of running a full marathon!  

         As we continue to progress through our lives, it is important to keep striving to be the best selves that we can be.  As long as we are doing our personal best, that is what really matters.  This goes for us as musicians, as educators, and as members of our society.  The finish line is always elusive, and we have to be able to adapt, especially as our goals become more attainable.  Just as I am not ready to stop with finishing a half marathon, I am not ready to say that I have become the best violist that I can be, there is still so much more to learn and improve upon!  We also have to be able to regroup if tragedy strikes, if we become injured, or reach failure or defeat.  Such things may set us back for a few weeks, months, or even years, but it is important to try to overcome such obstacles, and keep moving forward.

          My race time at the San Francisco Half Marathon- two hours, twenty seven minutes and change, will not make it into the book of records, and it was far from extraordinary.  But it was an incredible test of endurance, pushing me farther and faster than I ever moved before, and witnessing an incredible landscape that will be forever etched in my brain.  It also is helping me to raise my bar in terms of the practicing I need to do, and the writing that needs to take place in the coming days, weeks, and months.  

Now that Month of Maying is Nearly Complete!

     May has been a great month, and still not quite over.  Tonight and tomorrow night I will be performing with Rhymes With Opera, performing in Anna Meadors' "Manifesto On the Ledge."  We will also be performing Frederick Rzewski's "Attica," and a new work by Matthew Triplett will also be performed.  The performance will take place tonight, Saturday, May 30, 8 PM, and tomorrow, Sunday, May 31, 1 PM, at HB Theater, 124 Bank Street, New York.  For ticket information, please go to http://www.rhymeswithopera.org/14-15-season/manifesto-on-the-ledge/. 

(In Rehearsal for Rhymes With Opera, with violinist Lisa Casal-Galietta, and pianist Kristin Samadi. Photo taken by Jillian Bloom.)

Sunday, June 7, 2 PM, I will be performing with the Distinguished Concerts International Orchestra of New York at Carnegie Hall. We will be performing the Requiems of Gabriel Faure, Maurice Durufle, and a new work by composer Dinos Constantinides called Homage- A Folk Concerto for Flute and Orchestra. For information regarding tickets, please go to http://www.dciny.org.

Tuesday, June 16, 8 PM, I will be performing with the North / South Chamber Orchestra, at Christ & St. Stephens Church, 120 W. 69th St, in Manhattan, and will include several contemporary works by composers Edmund Cionek, Dinos Constantinides, Max Lifschitz, and William Ortiz. For information, please visit http://www.northsouthmusic.org/calendar.asp.

Saturday, June 27, 8 PM, will take me out to East Hampton to perform Haydn's The Creation with the Bridgehampton Choral Society at the Church of the Holy Rosary.

I am thrilled to announce that starting this summer, I will be performing with the Hudson Valley Philharmonic as their Assistant Principal Violist. My first performance will take place on Saturday, July 31, 8 PM, in New Paltz, NY, performing Brahms' Symphony No. 4, the Adagietto from Mahler's Symphony No. 5, and a Piano Concerto that will be announced later. The members of the Hudson Valley Philharmonic will also be performing with Peter Cetera at Bethel Woods Performing Arts Center, on Sunday, August 2, 7 PM.

The rest of the summer will include a bit of down time- some writing, some practicing, some running, some quality time with family and friends, and a few small trips to Cape Cod & Boston, Eastern Long Island, San Francisco, and Montreal.  If you are in and around New York, or any of the other places mentioned above, drop me a line! 

Stay tuned for more blog posts in the coming weeks!