December: Back to Flagstaff!

In Spring 2016 I drove from Tempe to Flagstaff 5-6 times to play for NAU’s clarinet, saxophone, and French horn juries. It was super hectic, due to working 6 days a week at the ballet school and having a church job on the 7th day, but we made it work. I think all told I ended up asking off 3 separate days at the ballet school, spread across 2-3 weeks -- so not bad overall. Luckily, I pretty much NEVER ask off at ballet -- they know that I prioritize them and the church knows I prioritize them too, so when I do ask off, they tend to listen. (Unfortunately, that means I usually only ask for days off to go do other work instead of actually taking a day off, but that’s another matter entirely!)

So, when I had the chance to return to Flagstaff, but actually stay there for 2-3 weeks instead of driving back and forth for 5-6 weekends in a row, I jumped at the chance. I flew into Phoenix and drove up to Flagstaff, and it was such a great schedule! Rehearsals ran from 9 am to 9 pm on weekdays, with rehearsals ending at 5 on the day of performances, then there were four studio recitals and something like 21 juries. Not too many, really. (Update: Since then, it has become one of my favorite things to return to Flagstaff and work with the students and faculty there.)

During the time there, I had one weekend day off, where I traveled to the Petrified Forest National Park and also visited the Painted Desert, since they’re pretty much in the same place. It was a cold, windy, but lovely, day.

Cheers to good music and great colleagues!

Inside the Petrified Forest National Park 

Trees as rocks

Pretty colors!

November Portland Happenings

Hannah and I (aka Duo Odéon) had a super productive week in Portland, November 5-14, 2016. It was my first visit to Portland, OR and it did not disappoint!  Since I knew there would be at least one or two days with a lighter schedule, Daniel joined me, and we stayed at a lovely AirBnb near Reed college. Our host, Kate, was amazing - little did we know how dear of a friend she would become. The Duo schedule went like this:
Sunday November 6: lecture-recital at George Fox University

Monday November 7: composition class lecture at Willamette University

Tuesday November 8: performance at Pacific University

Thursday November 10: radio interview with Robert McBride at All-Classical Portland

Friday November 11: performance at Classic Pianos Portland (Including the world premiere of the Gebauer Waltzes from Specter of the Rose!)

Since Wednesday was an “off” day, Daniel and I headed to the coast to do a little bit of hiking. It was too foggy to see the ocean from our vantage point, but the view was still AMAZING!  (See panorama.) We had time to briefly enjoy the sunset before having to book it back down the trail so we wouldn’t be hiking in the dark. On the way down, my hiking boot sole separated from the rest of the shoe, so it was a bit hilarious. Cascade Head Preserve was the area we visited - and I highly recommend it.

All the musical happenings were, of course, great. We had lots of great questions from faculty colleagues and students who were interested in Antheil’s music but also curious about what it was like to play such relentlessly rhythmic music. The most exciting event we had during the week was actually the public premiere of the Waltzes -- Werner Gebauer’s arrangement of Valses from Antheil’s film score “Specter of the Rose.” They are such a lovely set of waltzes and we can’t wait to add them to our regular concert repertoire!

Last off day we spent driving around, discovering a new favorite museum in the WAAAM (Western Antique Aeroplane and Automobile Museum) -- Whoa! The volunteers who were running the museum really knew their stuff, and they even took extra time to tell fun stories of when their friend flew this particular plane at the last meet, and how much more difficult this particular kind of linkage was to use than the other kind. 99% of the airplanes there still fly, and they DO fly them!  So interesting.

Lots of exciting musical adventures coming up - stay tuned!

Gearing up for Portland, OR

I just returned home from a successful trip to the CMS national conference -- it took a few days, since I decided to drive. Hannah and I (Duo Odéon) got so much done last week -- setting up our website, working on grant applications, and rehearsing for the upcoming Portland guest artist tour.  So, I'm enjoying a few days at home in between traveling. I'll leave on Saturday morning bright and early, to fly to Portland. It will be a busy week: six days of guest artist masterclasses and rehearsals with a recital on Friday night to end the week. I'm looking forward to a new adventure in the beautiful Pacific northwest!  More detailed schedule found here: 

http://duo-odeon.com/calendar/