Traveling Musician :: Meadowlarks and Phoenix

Hello everyone!

Since the last Charleston post, it's been crazy over here with music related activities!  I love that I get to do what I love, with people that I love, while traveling and seeing different parts of the world! 

After Charleston, I flew straight to Cleveland to reunite with my Meadowlarks.  This was our first season venturing into the world of chamber competitions, and we had 2 days to get ready for the biggest one in the United States, the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition!  

Those two days were absolutely crazy. We had 2-3 coachings per day, and played 12+ hours a day with one another to try to get ready for the performances...  After the 2 intense rehearsal days, we drove to South Bend, IN for the competition!

The absolute best part about Fischoff was the people we got to meet along the way.  Not only did we get to play for the judges, but we also got to meet all of them afterwards for some feedback (and these judges are like... gods of the chamber music world).  We also had the opportunity to share our love for each other, and for the music, with the incredibly receptive audience for the Fischoff soiree at the Sabato's house. The audience was so warm, and the hosts--the Sabato's--were seriously amazing! We are so glad to have met and have been 'adopted' by the humans, horses, dogs, and cat alike. We love our South Bend family!!  =)

Another incredible thing happened at Fischoff that really touched our hearts, and that was the fact that Maureen and Roger came all the way from Chicago to cheer us on!  We met them here in Boston because their nephew is Sam, the violist in my string trio, and I was so incredibly touched they came all the way out to Indiana to see us.  They were like our adoptive parents for the weekend, and I can't tell you how comforting that was for us -- so many warm fuzzies all around!  I can't wait to see them again in Boston when they come visit!  =)

After the competition, we drove back to Cleveland and celebrated with some awesome food at L'Albatros!  

wow.  

People have always told me that Cleveland is a foodie city, and if more places like this exist, then I can totally get on board with what they mean!  The burger, duck, and the pork belly salad were all. incredible.

After the whirlwind of a trip in the midwest, I flew back to Boston for a few days for the Phoenix Flight!  I've mentioned before how I've been a part of this team getting the orchestra off of the ground for the past year, and it was so incredible to see this last concert of our first season come to fruition.  

Of course, I love the concept, and I feel that I'm playing with some of the best musicians of our generation in this orchestra.  The Boston Globe gave us a pretty rad review as well, and I'm excited to see where the next seasons will take us!

But again, my favorite part of the group is the people in the orchestra.  I know, I know, I'm starting to sound like a broken record over here with my love for the peeps in my life, but what can I say, I'm surrounded by pretty awesome humans!  I've known a few of the members in the orchestra for many years (like Matt, the conductor, and Christina, the bassoonist. We go waaayy back to our high school years).  However, I've gotten to know even the folks I've met either at this concert or at the last one a little better, and I am just so happy to have the chance to play with all of them in Phoenix!  Such amazing musicians with such big hearts  =)   

My favorite photo from the night with my stand partners, Zenas and Abby!   

A few hours after the Phoenix Flight concert, I flew out to Houston for strictly personal reasons, and I left my violin behind for 2 days.  I know, I know, it felt really weird to not touch my violin for the full 2 days I was in Houston, but the break was needed I think  haha.

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you're having a wonderful beginning of the week so far!  I'll be back with a few Houston adventure posts soon! =)

--Janny

Life Recently :: Surviving March

Hello everyone,

I survived March!!!!  I know, I know, March isn't quite over yet, but the part I wasn't sure I would survive (namely, right after David and I got engaged till now) is done, and the only casualty seems to have been my immune system. 3 weeks of intensive sleep depravation seems to have been too much even for my trusty OnGuard oil to fight off the illnesses, but I can only count my blessings that the sore throat and the fever only hit on the last day of my marathon rehearsal/performance schedule!

Some people have asked if I have been busy planning our wedding, and the answer is the biggest, fattest, 'no'.  haha  David and I got engaged, David left to go back to Houston, and since then I've spent every waking hour running around the greater Boston area for rehearsals and performances.  so... yeah... weddings just kinda plan themselves, right?  if we keep telling ourselves that, maybe it will actually happen that way (fingers crossed!)

I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to play in so many performances with my friends in different chamber group configurations, for many prominent composers and teachers, and in awesome orchestras like the Phoenix and the Boston Ballet Orchestra!  so. so thankful.  

This was my first time playing with the Boston Ballet, and this was the first time I've loved playing in the pit!  Usually, many musicians dread playing in the pit (myself included), but the music was awesome, the Boston Ballet community (both musicians and dancers) was so warm and inviting, and the energy from both the performers and the audiences during the performances was really great!  I can't wait to play with them again soon, especially since the Boston Opera House is absolutely gorgeous!

During the 'off' days from the ballet, I got to be a part of the launch even for Phoenix!  Shortly after I moved to Boston, one of my friends from high school, Matt Szymanski, contacted me with an idea for a new orchestra he was starting, called Phoenix!  Since then, I have had the privilege to work with seriously incredible friends for the launch of Phoenix.  Last Tuesday, our dreams became a reality, and we had our first Phoenix concert ever in Oberon!  

I still get chills thinking about it because that night was... It's hard to describe in words just how amazing the night was. We had put in so many months of work beforehand, and to see it come together so spectacularly...  I'm getting emotional over here just thinking about it haha  but my friend and stand partner, Zenas (the goofball below with light antennae coming out of his head), wrote about the event beautifully on his blog, so check it out here!

Other than these two big orchestra performances, I also had the BU orchestra performances, chamber performances, and my solo recital!  For the recital, April came up to perform the Debussy Sonata, Nels Drue Daily (work written for us!), and the Beethoven Kreutzer Sonata with me, and we had such a rich week together full of incredible music making, companionship, and of course, amazing food!

i love this girl.

like this one.  the most incredible sandwich from Cutty's.  Go on Saturday, and ask for Pork Rabe.  ahmazing!

Abers' visit coincided with PI day, so of course, we had to celebrate.  It was, after all, 3/14/15. We also toasted at 9:26:53pm  ;)   (and yes, I realize just how behind I am on blogging haha)

Anyway, for this event, we got together with my string trio buddies, and made pizzas!

Look at this beauty!

and this one  ;) 

the perfect pie for pi day!

so thankful for these awesome friends in my life =)

More recently, right before a new music concert, we visited the Sunset Cantina to try their infamous dessert nachos!  Look at this...

It's an overwhelming sight, isn't it? so much fried, sweet, and fruity goodness  haha   Personally, it was too sweet for me, but it was definitely an experience, and worth a try if you've never had it before! Oh, but make sure to take a few friends with you...

We still couldn't finish it between the four of us!

So, March.  You have been one heck of a month.  In my sleep-deprived state, no adequate words come to mind to fully describe you, but all I know is that I am thankful for everything.

Now, I'm off to bed.  for the next week or so.

If you need me... I'll be back in one concert hall or another within a few days! haha

Have a wonderful week, and thanks for stopping by for this dinosaur of a blog post!

--Janny

Phoenix!

Hello everyone!

It's my first post of 2015!!

and I can't think of a better one than to let you know about an incredibly exciting new project I am a part of this year; the Phoenix!

It's a brain child of a friend I met many moons ago at Interlochen Arts Academy, and I was very pleasantly surprised to hear from him this year when I moved to Boston.  He told me his vision about this new orchestra, and I knew that as soon as I heard him through, it would be exactly what the Boston classical music scene needed!

At Phoenix, we don't think that classical music is a dying art form.  We think that the music is great, and that many people love it, and would love it, if the concerts were 'packaged' differently.  We want to dispel the aura of intimidation from live classical symphony concerts. We want everyone who comes to our concerts to leave the venue having had the greatest time and wanting to come back to listen to more amazing music!

If you're interested, I hope that you will check out our website here, and also the Kickstarter here!

Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful 2015!

--Janny