I honestly don’t understand the whole Carnival of Music thing, but Scott’s Carnival of Music post is pretty darn hilarious.
I know that the blogger who is hosting links to a bunch of different music blogs, but I’m not sure if the blogger chooses the links, or if the other folks request to be linked, [...]
It is cruel, you know, that music should be so beautiful. It has the beauty of loneliness and of pain; of strength and freedom; the beauty of disappointment and never-satisfied love; the cruel beauty of nature, and everlasting beauty of monotony.
-Benjamin Britten
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Sarah, at A Glass of Chianti writes about a new student she has who is asking for a clarinet reed. Check it out. Black reeds?? Yikes! This is what some teachers have to deal with. Sigh.
But reeds. Reeds, reeds, reeds. Will the horror never end?
This past year I have been ordering oboe reeds from various [...]
For the longest time I’ve had this one blue spot on my wedding ring finger, looking at the finger palm side up. It looked like a vein had a bubble in it. I figured, in fact, that it might just be a weak spot in the vein. I showed it to a few people and [...]
Reading Greg Sandow today: I love the first story in this blog entry. What a great idea!
The second two stories (do I call them stories? Somehow that seems wrong.) aren’t so uplifting, but are stories that do need to be mentioned. 1) Foundations aren’t all that hip on giving money to the classical music [...]
I’m bound and determined to get to the convention some year. Really I am. I have met so many oboists via email and instant messaging, and I would love to put faces and voices to names. Seeing all the companies represented looks mighty fine too, although I might end up spending far too much money. [...]
Because Drew wrote about him I landed at a site of Robert Levine’s. I played with him in the Midsummer Mozart Festival Orchestra quite some time ago. (I can’t even say for sure how long ago it was, but if he was there prior to our first son’s birth it means it was over 23 [...]
So Jessica Duchen, whom I always enjoy reading, has Nutcracker on her list of desert island music works.
Hmmm. My carpool pal and I were talking about our hope for a different job this December so we can skip Nutcracker.
Don’t get me wrong; I know it brings great joy to the audience, and I love [...]
Our son, Jameson, will be going to the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh soon. I now see that he could see a Really Terrible Orchestra while he’s there. What a crack up! Here’s the bio of an oboe player there:
George Russell
An oboe player with unbridled enthusiasm and limited talent seeking recognition after 40 years of playing [...]
That’s right. Zero shows left. It’s all over. And now it feels as if the time just flew by. Funny how that happens.
Tomorrow I’ll go through withdrawal of course. Or call it a music hangover. Call it whatever you want … but I’ll be going through it! The Day After The Music™ is always difficult [...]
I am getting more and more comfortable with the new (old) oboe. It’s really a wonderful instrument, and I’m so thankful to have found it! I have been going back and forth between both oboes during the show, since my original oboe is so predictable and I know what to expect from it, but it’s [...]
Music is the air I breathe and the planet I inhabit. The only way I can pay my debt to music is by bringing it to others, with all my love.
-Cathy Berberian
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Will the fun never end? Here’s a ballet review for you.
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There is an article about ballet that greatly praises the art form:
There is no other art form that is so highly evolved, sophisticated, sublime, where absolute discipline of technique is allied with grace, beauty, sensuality and pure emotion.
Okay, okay, okay. So some folks like ballet. No. Some folks love ballet. So maybe I’m just too [...]
One man only in this orchestra does not allow himself any such diversion. Wholly intent upon his task, all energy, indefatigable, his eye glued to his notes and his arm in perpetual motion, he would feel dishonored if he were to miss an eighth note or incur censure for his tone quality. By the end [...]
I have been mentioned on (or is that in?) the Hurd Audio blog. He writes:
I do wonder what would happen if the respective economics of orchestras and baseball switched places. In such a world Patricia Mitchell would be an all-star oboe player making ten million dollars a year with her very own bobble-head doll and [...]
Here’s the other thing … there’s so much posturing. The parading around and all that jazz. I don’t get that either.
Folks talk about how symphonic performances should change; we should get rid of all that formality. Ballet is full of this but of course can’t get rid of it because it’s part of the [...]
ACD sent me an email because … well … read it here and you’ll see (hope this is okay with ACD, as I didn’t ask. Do tell me if it’s not, please!) …
I can’t figure out how to access your comments section on your blog to leave a comment to a post (I’ve tried [...]
I don’t get certain bits of ballet. The stuff on toe. When the woman is up there and her arms are doing all this stuff and her feet are moving moving moving on those tippy toes. And there’s usually harp playing then. I just don’t get it.
I know that’s lame, but there you have [...]
So the cut on my finger is healing fairly quickly. I’m relieved. But I haven’t told “the rest of the story” …
I had a bandaid* on the finger after I cut it, but I knew I’d have to do something different before playing Les Mis. Having a bandaid on the half-hole finger really doesn’t [...]
I am down to single digits: 9 more shows remaining. 7 more days of driving up to San Francisco. July 24 is our final show. So see it now if you live in this area, catch this production on tour (probably only a year or so left), or plan on seeing a cut down version [...]
for a teacher to cut her finger using her reed knife, while teaching an oboe reed making lesson. Well, except that she can then say, “Don’t do this at home!” to the student.
It’s a dumb thing, too, when said teacher has to play 12 more shows of Les Mis.
:-(
Oh well. What can one do? This [...]
Since this is a local audition I thought I’d give it a special mention: Santa Cruz Symphony will be holding Principal Oboe auditions in August. Check it out here.
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The principal oboe player is arguably the third most important musician in an orchestra, right behind the music director and concertmaster (principal first violinist). It’s the oboist who tunes the orchestra at the beginning of every concert (with that familiar, plaintive “A” tone). And it’s that player who leads the other wind players with her [...]
I’m in the process of updating the current US audition page. I’ve managed to locate some of the repertoire, but not all orchestras list the repertoire online, so if any reeders have any information I’ll gladly take it!
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