April update

I'm sorry it has been so long since I last wrote!! Since coming back from Spring Break, I've been super busy.  First, I've been working a lot to try to get my finances in order for the summer, when I won't be earning any money at all, and secondly, I have been making an audition recording for a prestigious position in an orchestra, so all my free time has been focused on working on that.  I do have a few tidbits to share, though!

 My faithful trusty suitcase, that I have had for four years, with which I traveled all over the world (all over the US, Canada, China, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Colombia twice, Spain, Ecuador, Brazil eight times, Peru, Germany, and Switzerland), finally irreparably broke right at the end of my travels back from Brazil.  I'm thanking my lucky stars that it broke at the end of the trip rather than at the beginning, but I am so sad that it finally succumbed to old age.










My roommates in Brazil taught me how to make pineapple juice from the skin of the pineapple, so I decided to give it a try at home.  It was a lot of work, but it was awesomely fresh and delicious!!











My good friend here at Yale introduced me to a food stand where I can buy Colombian style arepas! It was delicious and reminded me of the arepas I ate on the street with friends in Manizales, the first time I visited Colombia.  Aww, memories!

I've also decided what I'm doing this summer and next year! This summer I'll be attending the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, here in Connecticut.  I'm very excited.  I already submitted my repertoire request form, and I asked to play a lot of unusual pieces, so I'm hoping at least one or two of my requests are granted!

Next year, I'll be starting work towards my DMA at the University of Georgia! I'm very excited to start a new life in a new state where I won't know anyone at all, but that means I need to buy a car between now and August.  I have no idea how to go about doing this! Help!!!

As I mentioned above, I've been working really hard on a recording.  The orchestra is super specific about how they want things set up - they designate a specific microphone to use, and it has to be eight feet off the ground, six feet away from the player, and pointed directly at the instrument.  I was able to borrow an appropriate microphone from Yale, but they didn't have any proper mic stands available, so here is my improvised recording set-up!

 One of my fitas finally broke off!  Fitas de Bomfim are one of the most famous symbols of Salvador, the city I frequently visit in Brazil.  You make a wish when you put it on, and when it breaks, the wish will have come true.  I don't usually believe in superstitious things like that, but it's true - the wish when I made when I tied on this fita has come true in the meantime.  This one I wore for about a year and a half before it broke.  I'm still wearing another one that I put on one year before this pink one, and it doesn't even look close to coming off.  It's a bit awkward - I actually don't want that wish to come true anymore, but I also don't want to cut it off or something, in case superstitions are true, and it would bring bad luck on me! I know it's silly, but better safe than sorry, right??

Finally, for a bit of blog maintainance stuff, I need to amend some of my 25 things that I wanted to do before I turn 25.  First of all, through elimination and reintroduction into my diet, I have learned that I am lactose intolerant.  The day I made this discovery, I was crushed.  But it's now a fact of my life.  So instead of doing a month of a gluten-free diet, which would be nearly impossible right now when I'm working on changing my diet already, I will do a month of lactose free eating.  That means no milk, cheese, or other dairy products, though since eggs seem to be ok with my digestive system, they're allowed.  Cheese is the hardest thing.  I absolutely adore cheese and used to eat it nearly with every meal.  I've only done a few days at a time without cheese so far so I need to really dedicate myself to this for a whole month! But not till I finish this blue cheese I've got in my fridge....

The other goal that I need to amend is having my summer camp.  Unfortunately, I had to cancel it due to insufficient student enrollment.  But! I still want to do 25 things that I've never done before! So I am adding do yoga to the list.  I think I am probably the only 20-something woman in America who has literally never tried yoga, so this is the time to do it! This is especially ironic since my dad has been doing yoga at least five days per week since I was in middle school or before!

Anyways, that's about all the updates I have today.  I have been falling behind once again in my essays for my Portuguese class, as well as in my schedule of the 25 things to do before my birthday in November, so hopefully I'll have some updates on that for you guys soon!

Until next time!

Lauren

Semester Summary and Upcoming Plans!

It has been a while since I wrote for myself and not for my Colombia project, and a lot of things have happened during this time!
The CornoColombia project went pretty well for the most part, but I don't know if I will be able to find funding to continue the project in the future.  I'm keeping my eyes out for lots of project opportunities, and I've already found some other kinds of community program funding that I may be able to use for a project, though most of them are limited to within the United States.  I'll keep updating as I find out more!
I also heard back from all the graduate schools I applied for.  Ultimately, I decided to attend the Yale School of Music in the fall, where I'll get my Master's in Horn Performance.  I'm really excited about going there.  I'll be studying with Bill Purvis and I really enjoyed my trial lesson with him.  So I'll also be updating about how things work out there!  Really, though, I'm not going there to get my Master's degree.  Really, I want to get a job, and if I get one before I finish my studies, it's going to be a tough decision which to pursue immediately!  I haven't found about any autumn auditions yet, except for two at the New York Philharmonic, and I haven't decided yet if I'm going to do that or not.
Anyways, that's all stuff for the future!  Right now I'm more focused on the end of my time here at NEC.  After the end of classes, I was still super busy with a variety of gigs, last minute solfege tutoring before exams, working in the admissions office, and practicing.  Now that even those things are done, I'm frantically packing up all the stuff I've accumulated over the past four years into cardboard boxes before my parents arrive for commencement events this weekend.  It's amazing how much stuff I have, even though I don't have that many clothes.  I think most of my stuff falls into the realm of books, what with the three boxes I already filled with textbooks and music.  Packing is extra complicated, though, because not only am I packing up everything I own; I also have to separate out things that I won't be taking back to school in the fall, and which things I will be taking with me to Brazil this summer.
Speaking of Brazil, let me share with you my schedule for this summer!  I get back home on May 23 after driving all the way from Boston to DC... and then I have a week of various appointments and time to hang out with friends from high school and unpack a bit, before I leave for Salvador on June 1.  I will be living there and working for NEOJIBA until late July, when we leave for our tour of Europe!  Working for the orchestra basically means coaching the horn section and giving lessons as needed, but I will also be performing with them this year, so it will be just like being a permanent member of the orchestra would be.  The European tour, as far as I've heard through the grapevine, will be in Berlin and Geneva, but nothing is official yet.  I'm really looking forward to it regardless!  This whole summer I'll be doing my best to blog regularly, but since it hasn't been 100% established yet where I'm living, there is no guarantee that I will have internet access at all.  Even if I don't really, I can still post a little bit using the internet at the rehearsal space, but I won't be able to even check my email regularly.
Anyways, I just wanted to post a quick update on how things are going.  As I said, I'll try to update regularly from Brazil this summer.

Preparing for the Trip

As the trip draws closer, I'm completing the final preparations for my ten day trip to Colombia!  In the past few weeks, I have been busy making contacts in the Colombian musical scene, collecting teaching materials, and buying French horn maintainence materials (such as oil and valve string) to donate to the programs I will be working with. I will be using materials from a variety of horn method and etude books, including a great bilingual book for beginning students that I found with the help of Ken Pope.  I've also been working to solidify what exactly my schedule will be during my time there.  Here is my schedule of activities:
March 19-20: Work with 11 students (from three different groups) at Sabana Centro on basic technique and ensemble
March 22-23: Work with 13 students (from three different groups) at the Universidad Nacional on more advanced technique, orchestral repertoire, and basic chamber music
March 24-25: Work with 12 beginning students (from two different groups) on basic techinque, and possibly simple orchestral repertoire
Also, the group that sparked my interest in doing this project, the Filarmonica Joven de Colombia, will be having a concert on the night of March 19 so I will also be attending that concert while I am in Bogota.
Through people I've met with at NEC, I've added some more people to my list of contacts in Colombia.  Hopefully I'll be able to meet with them during my time there!  I'll post from the residency about who I meet.
Also in the past few weeks, this project was featured on the New England Conservatory website.  Check out this link, where you can watch an interview about my project and also learn about the projects my colleagues are creating, and also this page, which is the permanent link for information about CornoColombia on the NEC website.  You can also watch my video below, if you scroll down to the bottom of this post.
Check back soon for updates from the trip!



 El viaje se está acercando, y estoy completando los preparativos finales para mis diez días en Colombia! En las últimas semanas, he estado ocupada haciendo contactos en la escena musical colombiana, encontrando materiales de enseñanza, y comprando materiales de mantenimiento del corno (como aceite y la cuerda de los pistones) para donar a las programas con que trabajaré. Voy a utilizar variedad de métodos y libros de estudios, incluyendo un buen libro bilingüe para estudiantes de nivel principiante que encontre con la ayuda de Ken Pope. También he estado trabajando en lo que será mi horario.  Aquí está mi horario de actividades:
19-20 marzo: Trabajaré (I'll work, sounds better) con 11 alumnos (de tres grupos diferentes) en Sabana Centro sobre técnica y ensamble básicos
22-23 marzo: Trabajaré con 13 alumnos (de tres grupos diferentes) en la Universidad Nacional sobre técnica más avanzada, repertorio orquestal y música de cámara
24-25 marzo: Trabajaré con 12 estudiantes principiantes (a partir de dos grupos diferentes) tecnica basica, y posiblemente repertorio orquestal básico
Además, el grupo que despertó mi interés por hacer este proyecto, la Filarmónica Joven de Colombia, va a tener un concierto la noche del 19 de marzo, así que estaré presente en el concierto en mi estadía en Bogotá. A través de personas que he conocido en el New England Conservatory, he agregado más personas a mi lista de contactos en Colombia. Esperemos que podemos encontrarnos durante la residencia! Voy a publicar acerca de la residencia.
En las últimas semanas, este proyecto fue publicado en el sitio web de New England Conservatory. Echa un vistazo a este link,donde se puede ver una entrevista sobre mi proyecto y también aprender sobre los proyectos que mis colegas están creando, y también esta página, que es el link permanente de información sobre CornoColombia en la página web de NEC. También puede ver mi vídeo aqui (lo siento, solo en ingles)!
Vuelve pronto para mas actualizaciones sobre el viaje!

Next tour announced!

I'm really excited for my summer plans! First, I'll be going to Salvador Bahia, Brazil to work for NEOJIBÁ, which is Brazil's El Sistema-style program. I'll be there from June 22 until I leave for Bogotá on June 30. My week will be mostly spent teaching and playing with their orchestra, as well as enjoying their gorgeous beaches.
When I arrive in Bogotá, I'll begin the tour of Colombia, Ecuador, Perú, and Brazil with the Youth Orchestra of the Americas. I'm really excited because I did a tour with them last summer (to the US and Canada), which, while not extremely exciting for me because of the location, was nevertheless very fun. We will be visiting four countries this summer over a period of just over six weeks.
First, the tour starts with a residency in Villavicencio, Colombia. There, we'll be working with the Filharmónica Joven de Colombia in its inaugural concerts. Here is our schedule.
July 9 - Restrepo, Colombia - Villa Valeria
July 10 - Villavicencio, Colombia - Plaza de los Libertadores
July 12 - Ibagué, Colombia - Concha Acústica
July 13 - Armenia, Colombia - Centro de Convenciones
July 14 - Manizales, Colombia - Teatro Fundadores
July 17 - Medellín, Colombia - Teatro Metropolitano
July 19 - Cartagena, Colombia - Plaza de la Aduana - This concert marks Colombia's bicentennial
July 21 - Barranquilla, Colombia - Sala Amira de la Rosa
July 23 - Calí, Colombia - Sala Beethoven
July 25 - Bogotá, Colombia - Teatro Colsubsidios
July 26 - Quito, Ecuador - Casa de la Música
July 30 - Quito, Ecuador - Casa de la Música
July 31 - Quito, Ecuador - Casa de la Música - Recording session with Philip Glass
August 3 - Lima, Perú - Conservatorio Nacional de Música - Presented by Radio Filarmonía
August 3 - Lima, Perú - Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería
August 4 - Lima, Perú - Auditorio Santa Úrsula de San Isidro
August 7 - Paulínia, Brazil - Teatro Municipal
August 8 - Paulínia, Brazil - Community Concert
August 10 - São Paulo, Brazil - Teatro Bradesco
August 11 - Poços de Caldas, Brazil - Teatro Municipal
August 12 - Ribeirao Preto, Brazil - Teatro Pedro II
August 13 - Araraquara, Brazil - Teatro Municipal
August 15 - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - Teatro Municipal
It should be a fun tour, not just because of the places we're going, the people in the orchestra, or the great music we're playing (including Mahler 4, Shostakovich 9, Brahms 1, and a bunch of world premieres by Philip Glass), but also because many of my friends from the World Orchestra live in these cities, so I'll get to see all of them without having to wait for the next World Orchestra tour!

China Tour December 2009-January 2010

I'm writing this blog to keep my friends and family members updated on my life while I'm on tour! The next exciting thing happening in my life is a tour of China with the World Orchestra of Jeunesses Musicales. Here's my itinerary:
-->December 4, 8 pm: Board a bus for New York.
Stay overnight with a friend from high school.
-->December 5, 5 am: Take the subway to JFK airport.
11:30 am: Flight departs for NRT (Tokyo) airport.
-->December 6, 3:40 pm: Arrive in Tokyo.
5:25 pm: Flight departs for PEK (Beijing).
8:30 pm: Arrive in Beijing.
9:30 pm: Board shuttle bus to hotel in Shijiazhuang
midnight: Arrive in Shijiazhuang
-->December 7, morning: Seating audition
-->December 7-14: Shijiazhuang residency
-->December 15-16: Beijing, including a concert in Beijing's beautiful new concert hall
-->December 17-19: Shenyang
-->December 20-23: Dalian
-->December 24-25: Luoyang
-->December 26-28: Hangzhou
-->December 29: Huzhou
-->December 30-January 1: Guangzhou
-->January 2: Shenzhen
-->January 3-6: Shunde
-->January 7: Travel back to Beijing
-->January 8: Free day in Beijing with other members of the tour
-->January 9: Tour members return home. I sight-see in Beijing, and possibly visit with a friend from high school who is studying abroad and/or a former student of my teacher who is currently living and working in Beijing as a professional horn player
-->January 12, 1:25 pm: Flight leaves for Tokyo
5:55 pm: Arrive in Tokyo
7:25 pm: Flight leaves for New York
6:20 pm: Arrive in New York
7:50 pm: Flight leaves for Boston
9:10 pm: Arrive in Boston
10 pm: Arrive back in my apartment
Sounds like a fun trip, right?