For any who don’t know, next week is BachFest! Next Friday through Sunday is a packed schedule, featuring lectures on the St. John’s Passion (this years major Bach work), performed by the Bach Festival Orchestra, which features students, professors and outside professionals. There are also a number of master classes, including one features baroque cello, along with performances by teachers and well reputed Bach musicians. It’s the crown jewel of the Conservatory here at Baldwin Wallace, so it’s definitely something worth checking out.

On a much less interesting note, Ohio has once again returned to the cold spring weather we all come to expect. A week of warm, spring weather has finally fallen away to the return of bitter cold, and yes, snow as well. And though we all knew this would happen, doesn’t mean it’s any less depressing now that it has. Ah well.

Keep warm,

Lauren

Normally I don’t post so close together, but this is something that I just realized, and it’s kind off annoying. Somehow, teachers find it possible to always give exams all in the same week as every other professor. Example given: Next week, on Monday and Wednesday, I managed to land three exams in my most difficult classes, History and Literature of Music, Harmony and Organic Chemistry. I almost ended up with all three on Monday, but my class managed to convince our Ochem professor to move the test to Wednesday. However, it leaves me with three difficult exams to grind out before I get to the short break provided by easter weekend.

On the other hand, I got to participate in one of my peers senior recitals. In certain music majors, you’re required to put on recitals at the end of your junior and senior year (as opposed to a paper). Shaina House, a BW senior music composition major had her recital today, and I played for her orchestral composition. I enjoy playing for various student composers, because it guarentees that the music is something I’ve never heard before, and thus is completely new to me. The recital went very well, so I’m glad that it was so sucessful.

Getting back to school after spring break, I feel like all of a sudden, my workload tripled. Maybe it’s the approaching end of the year that is stressing me out, but I feel more and more pressure from all the things that need to be done, every day. And I doubt that will exactly go away as the semester progresses. But I’m trying to organize my days as much as possible, to avoid the feeling of having to do everything at once.

But that’s pretty much been my last few weeks, trying to fight to stay above water. The biggest culprits are Organic chemistry, and rehearsal for Bachfest. They both eat up a lot of my time, Ochem because of all the study needed to be able to understand and apply everything, and Bach rehearsals are more or less just very mentally and physically draining. I just have to keep grinding away, and get through this last month or so.

Peace

Well, I made it to spring break. Surprising considering just how chaotic these last few weeks have felt. Things went from the beginning of the semester, when I felt that everything was relaxed and easy, to the last couple weeks, where I felt that I was scrambling just to have enough time to do everything that needed to be done. Ochem picked up speed, and now it’s every night, studying and reviewing just to make sure that I don’t fall behind. Music also is getting at me, Hist and Lit being the major culprit, with all the reading and the listening to musical exerpts, to be able to identify different styles. Late nights and early days have also done their part to grind away at my sanity

But with spring break here now, I’m hoping to use this time to rebalance myself, and plan out this last stretch of the year. I’ve got a few papers to start grinding out, and only two or three more lab reports to finish. During break I’ll work on getting in a lot of violin practice, something I’ve felt was being squeezed out of my regular routine. Bach fest is coming up, so before that takes over my life, I want to make sure I can get my piece for juries solid. This week is my chance to get that second wind before the push til the end of the year, so I’ll take it for that.

Happy Spring Break

Lauren

So these last few weeks have been pretty rough, and I only feel like I’m catching up with all my work just now. I’m working on several new pieces of violin rep, including Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole, Khachaturian’s violin concerto in D minor, and several fun, shorter pieces, such as Kroll’s Banjo and Fiddle and Sarasate’s Malaguena. They’re all really enjoyable works, but since I need to grind out a lot of rep to flesh out my junior recital for next year, sometimes it feels like more like work than usual.

Additionally, tomorrow are several concerts of interest. One is the contemporary music concert, and the other is the composition symposium. They’re pretty much what you’d expect from the title. The contemporary concert features all contemporary (20th and later century) music, while the composition symposium show cases all the works of the composition majors, with their peers performing their music.

This Friday are two concerts, one of which I’m performing in. There’s the Concert Wind Ensemble and Symphony Orchestra performing, with Symphony Orchestra being conducted by a guest conductor, an alumni of BW. Both should be great concerts, so if you have the time, check it out.

So, a not so good end to an otherwise good week. Today my cat, Sassy, 6 years old, died. The sad thing about it was I never got to see her again alive since when I had originally left home after winter break. They don’t know what caused it, it was all very sudden and unexpected. It was the first pet I had that died, but my little sister took it really hard. I wasn’t able to get home until recently, and it was sad not to be around when my little sister was upset.

Other than that, just getting ready for Bach Fest auditions, mine being on Monday. Unfortunately it just adds one more thing to my already frantic Monday schedule, and it makes it hard for me to get an audition in. I managed to squeeze it in in my twenty five minutes between Hist and Lit and Ochem. It’s not ideal, since it doesn’t give me any time to warm up before hand, but since violins only have auditions on mondays, there’s not much else I can do.

Peace

So my first month back at school has been pretty hectic, though I’m getting into the swing of things now. My fellow Conservatory members are getting ready to present the opera “Our Town” next week. Since this year I was lucky enough to get out of doing the opera (It’s a LOT of commitment). This week and next week students are auditioning also for Bach Fest, one of the Conservatory’s biggest events of the year. The orchestra is cut down by more than half, to represent a more accurate sized ensemble.

Other than that, my Chemistry has been going pretty well. O-Chem 2 picks up right where 1 left off, and it’s still a ton of information to memorize, but other than that, it’s not too bad. As long as you keep on task with all the reading and work, it’s not too bad.

Last night, however, was fantastic. I went to see violinist DBR, Daniel Bernard Roumain, who came to BW last night. If you watched American Idol, when Lady Gaga performed “Poker Face” he was the violinist playing with her. He played some incredible improv for us, as well as talking about what music and being a violinist meant for him. It was a really inspiring show, and was amazing to watch.

Pretty nice week this week. I decided to give blood this week, on Wednesday. Red Cross comes about every six weeks to run a blood drive, and there is usually a great turnout. I went during one of the busier times of the day, so I had a bit of a wait. Plus, at one point I visited Africa a bit, so that also causes a bit of trouble (have no fear though, my blood is perfectly safe). But after a bit of wait, I was able to get through the actual donation in only about ten or fifteen minutes. The best part, I got a chipotle gift card for a free burrito! Pretty nice deal.

Other than that, in orchestra we’re working on some nice pieces. One is Elgar’s Enigma variations. It’s a set of orchestra pieces each based off one of Elgar’s close friends, each piece capturing the qualities of the person they were written about. Other pieces are Barber’s Knoxville Summer of 1915, featuring a student soloist, and a Stravinsky chamber orchestra pieces. The concert will be on February 26, (or 27th, it’s a Friday for sure) and will be quite fantastic, so you should check it out.

Well, managed to make it through the first week back to school. I have to say, I’m liking my new schedule. Pretty much, I only have classes on MWF. Thursday, I do have Orchestra and Violin Studio, but I’m not really counting those as classes. But my Mondays are pretty killer, I’m pretty much going at it from eight fifteen to five. Then I have an hour and and a half before orchestra from seven thirty to ten. I’m so glad we have MLK day off this Monday

Other than that, everything’s going pretty well. Getting back into the swing of things, being at school, and having a regular practice schedule. I’ve checked on my degree requirements for both my violin performance and Chemistry degrees, and I’m still on track, though I may take a few summer classes, so that I don’t have to go 18 credits for the rest of my semesters.

So even though I’m break, I’ve been fairly busy. Last Saturday, I played for the wedding ceremony of my friend’s sister. It was in St. John’s Nepomucene up in Cleveland, and it was the first time I had been to that church. It was really quite beautiful. My next job is up in Chagrin falls, playing a couple of services on Christmas Eve. Other than that, I’ve been relaxing at home, enjoying my mom’s awesome cooking, and hanging out with some friends from high school.

I’m also looking at jobs on campus for the spring, hopefully I can get to do something like stage managing at the conservatory or work in one of the science labs. The extra money would definitely help out, since I’m saving up to hopefully invest in a new violin bow (and instrument, eventually).

Hope you’re having a great holiday.