As the leaves turn and the nights get cooler, every musician starts to realise their performance diary is rather full!
In the summer, aside from a few weddings, there is little happening. However as Autumn is upon us, daylight savings has been and gone, the clocks have been moved back, we start to make ourselves more and more familiar with the practice room.
Thankfully, it's not all about solitude. In the winter months we have many opportunities to collaborate with other players, be it chamber music, orchestra or playing for ballets and shows.
This school term is a glut of performances from Rockquest and Big Sing, through to Chamber Music Contest and later on, the secondary school music festival.
I have had a look through to the end of the month, and there is a performance every week!
This week the Royal New Zealand Ballet is in town for Coppelia. This is the first ballet I remember. I seem to recall most of my time looking in the orchestra pit, rather than the stage. I think my mother knew then, that music would take precedence over dancing (however I can still skip with pointed toes...graceful!).
Church Fair on Saturday 10 May at Opoho Church will be fun! A few of my pupils and I will do some busking, and hopefully pick up something yummy too!
Cellists of Otago have their concert in the Sargood Centre on Sunday 18 May. I'm helping with a tango (on viola...not up to scratch with my cello playing).
The following week is a little reprieve, except a sectional for the Southen Sinfonia's International 2 concert with Bella Hristova in the Town Hall playing Bach/Stokowski Toccata and Fugue, Anthony Ritchie's violin concerto written for Bella and finishing with Sibelius Symphony No 1. Should be a great concert.
So, with that in mind, I should take myself back to the practice room for an hour or two, before a string quartet engagement tonight.
Life of a musician - busy, but so much fun!
