What am I up to? I am feeling very far behind lately. Good news is that the trio I play in is taking off a bit. We have a few potential gigs coming in the spring and most importantly, we’re still enjoying each other and the music. Otherwise, I’m working on the Vivaldi Bb Major concerto. Not my favorite work, but a necessary hoop. The 2nd movement is lovely, but the 3rd seems uncharacteristic of the rest of the piece. I’m due to play with an accompanist next Friday in masterclass and I’ve yet another busy weekend with the family. The first concert with the TCO went off beautifully and we even had enough audience for a standing ovation. Shocking!!

I feel as if there are never enough hours in the day. Something always seems to wind up neglected, which has me wondering if pursuing a Masters degree next year would be a wise choice. I know what I’ve been told, “Masters degrees in performance are an easy two years.” But that’s still time spent studying and practicing, while working, caring for a family, and freelancing. In my current state of organization and time management, I will not be able to do it. It will require an amount of time away from my children (see above adorable picture from 3 years ago) with which I am not sure I can cope. Lots to think about.

A few years ago, I subbed in an already established woodwind quintet for a few months. Extremely talented musicians tend to rub off on other musicians and unfortunately, the same holds true in reverse. That summer, I enjoyed my bassoon in a way I never had before. I played pieces of which I hadn’t realized I was capable. Difficult stuff, and we not only played it well but damnit, we made music out of those note-filled pages! The regular bassoonist returned and I have truly missed playing with them.