tenorMy Housing Assignment
Is pretty cool. I didn't get the 20th St suite-style living I hoped for. Rather, I was placed into something else, which is pretty darn cool.

The 92nd St. YMCA and de Hirsch Residence. It's a "spacious corridor style" living center, with (obviously) bathrooms, lounges, common areas, and full kitchens on each floor. Meaning I'll still be cooking meals often.

The building also houses a "unique facility featuring a 25-yard pool (the only pool in NYC primarily disinfected by ozone), a 5,000 square foot cardiovascular training area, two air-conditioned sports gyms, a spacious exercise studio, an indoor track and racquetball courts." As well as the Kaufmann Concert Hall that seats 917, and the Buttenwieser Hall that seats 200+, Cafe 92, the Buttenwieser Library, the Weill Art Gallery, Fine Arts Studios, Ceramics Studios, and Jewelery Studios, and eight soundproofed music rehearsal/teaching rooms and an electronic music lab with eight fully equipped work stations.

All that and it's a simple walk across Central Park to get to Mannes.

Despite the fact that I'm giving up suite-style living, it's still a pretty amazing place to be staying next year.

7/4/2008 9:52:00 PM | permalink | Comments (0)


tenorOh I Do Hope I Get In... (here's why)
The Mannes Orchestra
2008-2009 Season

Tuesday, October 7, 2008 - Symphony Space
       David Hayes, conducting
Haydn - Symphony No. 103 in E-flat major, "Drum Roll"
Strauss - Till Eugenspiegels Lustige Streiche, op. 28
Beethoven - Symphony No. 5 in C minor, op. 67

Monday, November 3, 2008 - Carnegie Hall
       Riverside Choral Society
       David Hayes, conducting
Messiaen - l'Ascension: Quatre meditations symphoniques
Mendelssohn - Lobgesang, op. 52

Tuesday, November 25 - Symphony Space
       David Hayes, conducting
TBA - Graduating Student Conductors

Wednesday, December 17, 2008 - Mannes Concert Hall
       David Hayes, conducting
Torke - December
Saint-Saens - Cello Concerto No. 1 in A minor, op. 33; David Himmelheber, cello
Strauss, R. - Symphony for Winds in E-flat major, op. posth. "Froliche Werkstatt"

Friday and Saturday, January 9 & 10, 2009 - Bank Street Theater
       Joseph Colaneri, conducting
Various - stages scenes

Monday, February 23, 2009 - Avery Fisher Hall
       David Hayes, conducting
       Di Wang, piano
Rachmaninoff - Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, op. 18
Tchaikovsky - Symphony No. 4 in F minor, op. 36

Monday April 6, 2009 - Alice Tully Hall
       David Hayes, conducting
       Scott Litroff, saxophone
Dukas - L'apprenti sorcier
Ibert - Concertino de Camera for Alto Saxophone and Orchestra
Dvorak - Symphony No. 7 in D minor, op. 70

Thursday May 7, 2009 - Mannes Concert Hall
       David Hayes, conducting
Various - Contemporary Music Festival: Works for Orchestra

Saturday and Sunday, May 9 & 10, 2009 - Danny Kaye Playhouse
       Joseph Colaneri, conducting
TBA - fully staged opera

6/30/2008 2:58:08 PM | permalink | Comments (0)


tenor'Tis a gift to be simple...
Have you ever stopped to look at something ordinary and realized how amazing it is? I wake up every morning as the sun peeks over the tree-line and just lie there for a while, not truly appreciating it's glory.

Then Saturday morning I had one of those moments. It was light out, but not bright, because that early morning, dewy fog was still hanging low; and the scene that greeted my eyes was the most beautiful sight.

Picture this: Picasso, or some other great artist, wakes up one morning and sees the same sun rising, just like every other day. Yet that morning the light is glittering off a dew-covered leaf and creates a spectacular image.

This image prompts him to set up his easel and take out his paints and a canvas. Every morning he would strive to recreate this moment; yet despite his formidable talent and skill, the awe-inspiring beauty of this moment could not be captured by his paintings. this merely drove him to keep trying and painting, yet all the beautiful art he created would never measure up to the image he saw that morning.

I imagine it's much the same for composers such a Mahler, who create fantastic works of musical genius in order to convey something the composer is thinking or feeling at the time of the piece's conception. For some it may be the power of a thought, for others: the emotional pull of a muse. They might just wake up one morning with the desire to capture and depict their own internal thoughts on paper, and through this paper spread their heart's and mind's music to the world.

Poets and writers do this too. Robert Browning could have simply said "I love this woman and she means the world to me." Instead, he wrote a twelve line poem about meeting his lover at night, filled with rich, meaningful words that convey so much more than a simple "I love her" can.

Mahler once said, "If a composer could say what he had to say in words he would not bother trying to say it in music." Victor Hugo completes my thought with, "Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent."

Art is merely a medium through which souls attempt to contact each other in order to share a message. Whether this message is: let's go to war, let's thank our veterans, let's honor the dead, war is grizzly, friendship is important, or I'm in love, art finds a way to convey it in a much better way than any of the above phrases ever could.

Which brings be back to my Saturday morning sunshine. It was such a simple, normal, everyday thing, yet it touched me in ways that could fill volumes and that I will never be able to understand or explain.

The image of a simple silhouette, framed by a fog dimmed morning light, that started my day was awe-striking, stunning, and heart-stopping.

It sounds to silly, so trite, so trivial. Yet it's the little things like that moment that will stand out in my memory for much longer than any other memory or experience. Because these little things carry more weight than most large events could, because of the simplicity of the occurrence, and the magnitude of its interpretations.

6/11/2008 5:40:03 PM | permalink | Comments (0)


tenorIt's Over
It really is. Yeah, some of us have a couple finals to take; but the end of senior year has arrived. Our high school careers are completed. The day we never thought would arrive has come.

Funny, it seems like just a week ago I had that talk with Bialkin about changing my college list. Five days ago I was in Rochester, or Oberlin, or New Brunswick, or Ithaca. Four days ago I was in the city, having the time of my life at Mannes, on stage playing with Raphael, or playing for a collection of New York's greatest bassoonists at Juilliard, or in the dungeon-like halls of the Manhattan School of Music.

Three days ago I was waiting for my letters, wondering if my audition had warranted acceptance to my top two choices, Mannes and Juilliard. Two days ago we were sitting in gym talking about college like it was years from now. Yesterday we were at senior picnic, playing frisbee and having a grand old time.

Today, we're done.

No longer will we have homeroom at eight in the morning. No longer will we have a schedule organized exactly the same every day, five days a week. No longer will there be a bell schedule to keep us on our feet, trained to follow the commands of a b natural klaxon.

Today we're signing yearbooks, trying to capture the essence of a year in a few simple phrases. It's impossible. Once you finish, you remember thirty more memories you want to cherish and look back upon. And then thirty more. And thirty more.

And when it comes down to it, tomorrow we'll be walking at graduation.

The day after, we'll be at the beach, or a lake, or at a concert, or spending time with some friends.

Two days from now, we'll all be at college. Because as much as we don't want time to fly, it will. That's the plain and simple truth.

But for now, let us enjoy the summer while we can. Let us enjoy the times, bask in the glory of freedom with a time-frame. Let us have fun.

Because tomorrow we'll be gone.

6/11/2008 5:16:39 PM | permalink | Comments (4)


tenorMore College News
Heyi y'all. I just spent a good part of today at the Accepted Students Day at Mannes. Holy cow, it made me happy that my choice was made easy by a rejection from Juilliard.

First we toured the dorms. They're apartment style, and really nice. Then we took the subway back up to Mannes and walked around the school for a while. It's a nice little house-like building, very intimate and inviting. the two recital halls are also rather cute. I also sat in on a Fundamentals of Music, a.k.a. Theory 101. BORING, but at least something will be easy.

During the trip back up to Mannes the Admissions officer, who happened to be an oboist (explains a lot), told us that for next year the Mannes Orchestra has three special concerts planned. One each at: Avery Fischer Hall, Alice Tully Hall (if it gets finished) and Carnegie Hall. How sick would that be!!!

Anyway, today was basically just about confirming what I thought about the school, and I liked it a lot. There are 4 bassoonists right now, plus they only accepted 2 for next year so that leaves 6 of us for next year, unless someone graduates. Lots and lots of fun. College should be rather fun, even if I'm leaving behind all these people. But there's always breaks and weekends.

4/22/2008 4:31:49 PM | permalink | Comments (0)


tenorLove and Electrons
Love. That's right, I said it. Some people get it, others miss the mark by a little, and yet others are just way off, at least in my mind. I know this has nothing to do with any of you, as most of these posts do, but I felt like going off on another random diatribe.

So anyway, before I begin I'd like to comment on the fact that I will use the term 'lovers,' and I hope you understand that it is meant as two people who are in love, with no sexual meanings attached. And here we go!

My personal beliefs are that two lovers are like a shared pair of electrons. Each electron revolves about its own center, while still crossing paths with the other electron and its center on occasion. Their paths are never completely identical, and therefore they retain their uniqueness while serving a purpose and functioning as part of a set. Much like electrons, I believe lovers act according to this example.

Before people are lovers they are people, individuals. Therefore, when they then become lovers they should not sacrifice everything about themselves that makes them unique just to be with their counterpart. Each has his or her own group of friends, habits, and lifestyle and they should not be abandoned. Just because two people love each other does not mean they need to spend every waking moment of every day of every week in each other's presence. In fact, that's probably a bad idea. Adults have figured this out, but why should it remain limited to just them?

Teenage society attaches labels and stigmas to everything, and couples are not exempt from this. When two people are 'going out' they expect that one asked the other out (as in the question "will you go out with me" or any variation on that). After this moment teens expect them to hang off each other's every word, to ooze passion from every pore, and sacrifice everything to spend every moment together. They kiss, they fondle, they hug, and many go beyond that (NOT eSSENTIAL IN A TEENAGE RELATIONSHIP!!!!). But this must not always be the case. It is entirely possible to feel affection for someone without the need to partake in these activities every second of every day. Nor is it necessary to pose this question. It it entirely acceptable in life to let a relationship grow and develop gradually, without the overnight leap provided by this act of questioning.

People have friends, don't feel offended if the person you feel for wants to spend time with his or her own friends and not you. Sometimes you need to get away, and sometimes you just want to spend time with others, so don't get offended if you're not invited. And don't get jealous, because in a lot of cases they've known their friends longer than you so don't expect them to change what goes on between them just because you came along and reared your head. People know that with their friends there is no judgment, there are no consequences or repercussions, and no jealousies. That's why they're friends. Let them be. And if you do get jealous, don't be surprised when you get confronted for doing the same thing to them, because you're both people with friends, neither is above the other. The world does not function in a you're-allowed-to-get-jealous-but-they're-not manner, so move on.

Along those lines, don't try to make every occasion special, every moment a memory. If you try to make everything into something it's not, it won't work and you'll feel stupid. It's not worth it, so live for the small moments. Life's better when you're not trying so hard to make things work out the way you want. If you just relax, life will throw you a bone every once in a while. Besides, it's the small moments, the ridiculous things you say that are incredibly cute at the time, the comfort provided in a time of need, the random moments, those are the things you'll treasure for a long time. Spending hours together is nice and enjoyable and fun, but it's the hug at the end of the night, the kiss on the cheek or the smiling wave that fly past the defenses of your heart and lodge themselves in that place that makes you smile.

Don't force it. Don't try too hard. Don't get jealous. Don't be surprised, or feel abandoned. Because when the day ends, the fact that you're still there is what's important. The knowledge that no matter what the day brings, you'll have someone to whom you can rant and rave, with whom you can talk about anything, with whom you can sit there in silence and be happy, and whom you can hold for comfort and support, is what really makes a relationship/friendship worth it. Remember, it's the simple things in life that count.

4/28/2008 6:18:17 PM | permalink | Comments (1)


tenorMy School of Choice (cont'd)
Tuesday I sent in the check. Wednesday I confirmed my major teacher, aka bassoon professor. Soon I'll be applying for housing, etc.

Starting August 23rd, I will be attending Mannes College The New School for Music, located on W 85th Street in New York City. August 23rd is Freshman Welcome Day, or something like that, and then a week of orientation activities before classes start on September 2nd. Unlike many of my fellow RHS music majors, I will be enrolled in the Bachelor of Music Performance track, not the education track (which doesn't exist at Mannes, a major conservatory).

Although I would have liked to go to Juilliard, Mannes looks to be a better place to do my undergraduate studies. I'll be taking lessons from the same professor as I would have at Juilliard, Kim Laskowski, who is the Principal Bassoon at the New York Philharmonic. Rather than competing with many graduate students, and other undergrads, for a spot in orchestra and other ensembles, Mannes currently only has four bassoon students. This means that I will have more opportunities to play in ensembles, which means I'll be playing more than I would at a place like Juilliard.

Also, Mannes just hired a new Woodwind Department Head who is intent on creating more chamber music opportunities for the woodwind students at Mannes. Which again provides more opportunities to play, learn, and grow. On top of all of that, I'll be in a conservatory setting which will drive me hard to practice more, provide more inspiration and impetus to grow and learn, and ultimately shape me into a better bassoonist and musician. And that, of course, is the goal of my schooling so that I can enter the job market, after some grad studies, and be competitive and survive.

But for now, life goes on here at home.
4/10/2008 8:58:59 PM | permalink | Comments (0)


tenorCollege: Yay or Nay?
Up until the last couple days the prospect of college has been a far-off concept. Sure we had to choose schools, in some cases majors, and fill out the applications. Sure we had to go through the harrowing audition process, and then through the stressful time of waiting to hear the results. Now that's all done and most of us have a list of schools to choose from. Some of us have decided where we're going, while others are still trying to decipher their way through the mess of confusion.

Then early this week it hit me: in a couple months I'll be living in the city, miles away from any of my friends, living in practice rooms and rehearsal halls. As exciting as that sounds, it is also a depressing thought. Up until this week college has been a distant, but for some reason all week long it's started hitting us (or at least me). The thought of being far away from anyone who I'm currently friends with is a scary proposition. Yeah sure, we'll make new friends, and come back on some weekends and breaks.

But still, the daily occurrence of sitting outside the band room and socializing [somewhat] with our tightly knit group (and some oblivious outsiders), eating lunch in the band room with the same group, etc., won't be there. Instead we'll have breakfast in our dorm rooms, apartments, suites, or cafeterias. We'll head to classes, or the practice rooms. Lunch will be either on our own or with some new friends. Back to classes, practicing, rehearsals, then the same deal for dinner. Then some more rehearsals or practicing before going back to the dorms to sleep and maybe socialize with the room/suite/apartment -mates.

All separated from the tightly knit knot that we've become attached to and dependent upon. No matter what anyone says about making new friends, we'll still think back and miss this. Sure it's time to start getting used to real life. But in some aspects, teenage life as a high schooler seems better. Now it's time to start developing a new set of social/survival skills. Time to leave the nest and go find our own niches in the world.

Scary.

Sure its only April, and tomorrow's Prom. Sure we have the rest of the year. But that's going to fly by, and before we know it the younger portion of our knot will be going to Band Camp (as will some of us, but in a new role), and we'll be heading off to a whole new world.

4/10/2008 2:51:45 PM | permalink | Comments (1)