The Light at the End of the Tunnel
I mentioned in my last blog post that the past few years have been rough. Well, the light at the end of the tunnel in many ways just hit.
Read MoreA Review of the Past 2 Years
I guess Garth Brooks was right in his song, Unanswered Prayers:
Read MoreMaking Music and College Basketball
Miles Plumlee played above himself and did all he could to will the team to win. He made me proud to be a Duke alum.
Read MoreOf Men and Mountains (2 day countdown)
He did stump me when he asked a great question about what I would add to my program if I were to add a contemporary piece of music.
Read MoreOf Men and Mountains! (3 day countdown)
First, I want to wish my dad the happiest of birthdays. He’s somehow been able to put up with me for 34 years of my life! Congratulations to the Florida State Seminoles for killing my Blue Devils’ 25-game win streak. FSU played a tough game.
Read MoreAsian Excursion (Part 4 - Ain't no host like a Bangkok host)
I think more than anything it's a testament to the work that Somtow put into writing this opera. It's definitely one that I would do again at the drop of a hat. It showed Somtow's mastery of the art form.
Read MoreAsian Excursion (Part 3 - Asia21)
I can say that I left the conference completely moved, inspired, and feeling a lot more insignificant about the contributions I've made in my life.
Read MoreAsian Excursion (Part 2 - Jakarta, Day 1)
Ok, this was probably not the most brilliantly thought out plan. Given my knowledge of Jakarta geography and Indonesian... well, put it this way - if I had $1 for every time I thought "wow, this is a bad idea," I could probably have financed OV's next season.
Read MoreThe Asian Excursion (Part 1)
One of the drawbacks to living so far away (US vs India) is that you see your family so rarely. It's been around 5 years since I've been, and as my dad keeps pointing out - nobody is getting any younger. (Myself included!)
Read MoreWhere I’ve Been, and How I’ve Been Staying Out of Trouble (Part 1/3)
So, you might ask – coming off such a tough season, why would Opera Vista decide the roll the dice and aim to perform an opera that cost literally twice the entire operating budget for 2009-10?
Read MoreThe Times They Are A-Changin'
This season has proved to me that if you come up with new and interesting programming that gets people excited, the donations start to build. (We accept checks and all major credit cards).
Read MoreGo Big or Go Home?
I truly believe that this is one reason the Artistic Director must get to know the community and must figure out how they are going to be unique and interesting in ways that appeal to the community.
Read MoreThe Beautiful Game!
In the end, art endeavors to create beauty and order.
Read MoreThe Offseason (Part 2)
What you’ll see in the 2010-11 season is what we’ve been dreaming to do with OV for the past four years (think elephants).
Read MoreThe Off-Season
And, OV's next season is looking to be an amazing one. (Think live elephant).
Read MoreMusic Director Audition - Days 7, 8, and 9 (And Home Again)
The amazing thing is that there is still room to build. That was just a start, so the future of the YSO is very bright!
Read MoreMusic Director Audition - Days 5 and 6
(I mean, it ended with me discussing fixed cost allocation with the board treasurer, Charley Hanses, so you know it was fun!)
Read MoreYakima Symphony Music Director Audition - Day 4
I need to figure out is what the relationship is between the Yakima Symphony Orchestra and the youth symphony. There is a lot of potential in the youth orchestra for really developing a younger generation of musicians.
Read MoreYakima Symphony Music Director Audition Trip - Day 3
Sorry for the really late post, but the past day and a half have been nuts! Lauren got to Yakima on Sunday at 2:00PM, and then that night, I had my first official event of the audition - the search committee dinner. I have to say that I really enjoyed the dinner and the discussion. I must have - I didn't even remember that Duke was playing, and I didn't check the score until I got back to the hotel. Sunday morning, I took advantage of the rental car and drove out to Naches. (Evidently pronounced /Nacheez/ - I had been mispronouncing it Texas-style and called it Natchez).
This was a truly beautiful drive, and while my video posting of the day isn't necessarily conducting related, it's some truly beautiful scenery!
Video 8 - Old Naches Highway Scenery
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-bbcvxlvTi4]
Video 9 - More Old Naches Highway Scenery
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGPKZx8TgYw]
On the drive out there, I saw two people riding bikes up and down the mountains - WOW! I'm impressed. I thought people reserved that kind of workout for the Tour de France.
A bit more about the search committee dinner:
I was truly impressed by the quality of the questions I was asked by the search committee. I have heard every manner of question from search committees in the past. (Some were borderline illegal!) It was evident from the passion with which they pursued the answers and the thought they had put behind the questions that there is a true desire to see this orchestra continue to move forward and build. That left me excited about the job. Lauren was surprised at the intensity of it and felt that it was a pretty exhausting endeavor - and it was exhausting because you never know what the next question was going to be. But in the grand scheme of interviews, it wasn't as if I was being interrogated under the lights!
Yakima Symphony Music Director Audition Trip - Day 2
No, I haven't secretly taken up a job with the Yakima, WA tourist bureau, but when a town is surrounded by hops and vineyards, it seems a pretty cool place to visit.
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