Getting a New Flute!!

So many things have been happening the past two weeks that I totally forgot to post last Sunday! It seems that the ball of my freelancing career is FINALLY starting to roll. Now I just need it to pick up speed...and keep going forward...

By far the most exciting thing that I need to report is that I have officially decided to purchase the flute I have been trying out for the past three weeks! Investing in a new instrument is scary but in the short amount of time that I've had it every single person I've played it or a recording of it for have agreed that this is it. Since so many  flutes have been written about in this blog (it has been a long and tiring process) the flute in question is Muramatsu Platinum-clad PTP model with a Tsubasa style headjoint. The craziest part of all this for me is that originally I was looking just for a headjoint and then when flutes were added into the mix I was looking for something much lighter than my heavy wall DS but this flute is actually HEAVIER. It is technically a heavy wall silver DS that is then clad (meaning dipped so it is plated inside and out) in platinum (which is denser and heavier than silver). Now to figure out financing...luckily they will work with me but I hope we can come up with something that will make it affordable for me and my almost non-existent income.

My new baby!!

This past week I had one new flute student start at A+R but prior to that I had only one. She played for Solo and Ensemble yesterday and I am proud to say that she achieved the rating of 1! She has been working so hard. Now for her it is on to States which she has not yet ever gotten to compete at. I'm wishing her all the best as we move forward and for me it was so great to hear that I'm not the only one who has heard the vast improvement she has made since starting lessons in October. As teachers, more specifically private instructors, it can be hard to get real feedback that your techniques are working. Each individual student has their own potential that needs to be unlocked and this makes it hard to really see your total effectiveness at times. Seeing her text and knowing the pride that she feels from achieving this goal is so gratifying and I hope that in the coming years I get to help many other students to realize their own potential as musicians.

In the vein of teaching I have been hired as the Flute Technician at Jefferson High School in Monroe, MI. I was out there the past two weeks coaching chamber groups and a few soloists towards their solo and ensemble which was also yesterday. Hopefully they all did well! The band director Byran, who I met through my church choir, has expressed that he would like me to come out once a week to begin running a "Flute Ensemble" and he also is going to try to line up students for me. I really hope that this all works out as I really need more things like this so I can start to save up to pay back loans, pay off this new flute and hopefully move out on my own. Now that I have a better idea of pricing and how to really start to "sell" the idea of having a coach (or even a new ensemble...flute players sometimes really get into flute choir) I need to go back to emailing band directors to try and get my foot in the door. Wish me luck!!

I have been invited to submit recordings for the Seoul Philharmonic's Second Principal Flute audition. This is an honor and now comes the grueling task of trying to find and select recorded performances of myself (mostly in orchestra) that I feel represent how I sound now. I find that so much has changed with my sound and playing even in the last few months that I don't have too many recordings that give an accurate representation of myself currently. Recently I did record the Eneso "Cantabile et Presto" to send into Brevard so I at least have one current recording. Hopefully I can get a few things dug up from when I was at SFCM...I did so little performing with the Conservatory Orchestra and the outside performances that I did were either not recorded or are not something I may be able to get a hold of. Fingers crossed that I can find enough to maybe be granted a live audition or even a trial! I'm not sure that I really want to work and live over seas but a job is a job!

Coming up this week: a lesson with David Buck (Principal Flute of Detroit), a small audition for Joel Tse (Principal Flute of the Toledo Symphony) and my National Orchestral Institute audition.

Lansing Symphony: The Russians Have Invaded!

Whenever any musician is asked "Who is your favorite composer?" or "What's your favorite piece?" we instantly contort with fear that we are being asked to answer a question the answer to which changes sometimes hourly. Most of us would much prefer to be asked our top 5 or 10 of each (although that often changes as well). When I am asked this question (after freezing in horror at the prospect of what I'm being asked to decide), I often answer with something along the lines of "well...I love my Russians!" I spent this past week in East Lansing rehearsing and performing with the Lansing Symphony Orchestra and was reminded why this reply fits me so well.

Of my top five favorite composers, Tchakovsky is always in the first three names I think of. He's the master of melody and can take me on a journey to the furthest reaches of my emotions while always bringing me back to reality (weather I want to or not). We performed two of his ballet suites yesterday; Sleeping Beauty and Swan Lake. Having never been given the opportunity to perform Swan Lake I was so excited that I was finally finishing a personnel "set" and am now proud to announce that I have performed all three Tchaikovsky Ballet suites at least once! The orchestra's energy was flowing and each of these pieces book ended the concert perfectly. I think the audience would agree as well!

One composer in general is almost always well received by audiences but feared and revered by piccoloists around the world. Shostakovich's Cello Concert no 1 in E-Flat hit the audience like a wave of dark water before intermission. The soloist played beautifully (although a bit slow for my taste) and was given three ovations by the standing and cheering audience. I was so happy that my intonation was doing well and almost all my high notes spoke with ease (except those damn high C's!). Having another Shostakovich piccolo part under my belt feels great and hopefully next year they program another of his pieces!

After intermission we performed the almost never played ballet suite to the "Fairy's Kiss" by Stravinsky. The piece is lovely and I have compliment the Principal of my section (Richard Sherman) for his wonderful story telling throughout the entire work. Hopefully I get to perform it again in the future. The music was written as an homage to Tchaikovsky and much of this influence can be heard throughout the piece. Why it is not more often performed is beyond me! 

Over all I had an amazing week. It felt so good to be rehearsing and performing regularly again (even if it was just for the week) and it has revitalized my need to search harder for more gigs! Up next: Summer Festival auditions, possibly the Peoria Symphony audition and a few lessons here and there with hopeful colleagues. 

Concerts at St. Mary's - the International Low Brass Trio

Yesterday at 2:30 pm despite the promise of being pummeled with snow 45 brave concert goers came out to St. Mary's of the Annunciation in Rockwood, MI to attend the International Low Brass Trio's concert. The concert was to include a world premiere so I have to say I was a bit nervous that after months of planning and budgeting and finally getting the go ahead from the Pastor to use the sanctuary that the concert may have had to be cancelled but luckily the snow waited until a half hour after the concert ended to start coming down. The audience (many of whom had never attended a concert like this one) was gracious and many expressed how amazing the trio was and that they would indeed love for me to put together more concerts like this one. So I am happy to announce that I will indeed be starting a concert series named "Concerts at St. Mary's". Now more on the trio and how this concert came to happen!

In August I was contacted by one of my best friends Jess that her group (the International Low Brass Trio) would be fundraising to embark on their first International Tour to include Canada and the United States. She knew that I had been thinking about putting on a few concerts at my church and figured this may be a great way for me to kick off and see if there was a want or need for this type of thing. I agreed and we spent the next few months planning and preparing for their eventual visit to the "Mitten". The day they arrived was cold and snowy and honestly we almost didn't make it back to my house without sliding off the road but fate was with us and we made it in one piece and without loosing a valve! Jeff's mother picked them up and took them to Canada to start the first leg of their tour.

Jess and I post concert

I spent the time that they were in Canada trying to decide on a few things to have them do while they were here that would be distinctly "Detroit" and when they came back we had a few adventures! The night they arrived was relaxed and as I hadn't really gotten to see any of the trio since I moved to MI from SF we decided to go bowling and watch a movie. It was great to catch up with each of them in turn and of course we eventually got back to acting just like "old times" (the entire weekend was like this making it very hard for me to say goodbye to them yesterday).

Jeff, Gabe, Jess, Brandon respective bowling scores game 3

On Friday we spent the morning and part of the afternoon rehearsing and practicing respectively and then Gabe said a statement I had been dreading; "Let's eat somewhere we can only eat here." Now to me having grown up downriver, MI means Applebees and Taco Bell but of course I wanted to give them something not only to remember but something that they wouldn't be able to easily find in SF. For anyone who has ever been to San Francisco you know that this is no small feat as SF is famous for having all sorts of things you can't find elsewhere and some of the best food in the country. My sister, however, was able to come to my aid. She is a hostess at a restaurant around the block from my house named the "Hungarian Rhapsody". It is the only one of its kind being family owned and has amazing authentic Hungarian food and an amazingly cheap lunch menu (which was great for us as their budget was tight). They all enjoyed the meal we had there and admitted that they weren't sure if they'd find such a great place in the Detroit area to eat! We spent the evening in Midtown Detroit first at a store called "City Bird" which sells all hand-made in Detroit and Detroit themed products before heading to the Motor City Brewery to have some Detroit made beer. This was probably the Trio's favorite stop during their time here. We met up with a few old friends from the Conservatory who live in the area and ended the evening at a bar named "The Bronx" with a game of pool.

Saturday the trio awoke to the smell of bacon wafting through the house as I had decided to surprise them with a homemade breakfast much like I used to make when Jess and I lived together. We ate, warmed up, practiced/rehearsed and then headed to the Henry For Museum. I wasn't sure if this would go over well (not everyone enjoys this kind of thing) but each of them seemed to find something of interest there and of course what a better place to show them not only some of Detroit's rich history, but also the Country's history (not forgetting of course that Jess is from Australia and Jeff is from Canada). On our way back home to grab instruments for the dress rehearsal I made a pit stop at Biggby Coffee so they could have some MI made coffee (all of us having a particular need to caffeinate at lease 20 times a day) and then on it was to the church. The trio loved the sanctuary and had a great time playing there making me very excited for the concert to come!

Gabe with a giant cup at Biggby

The Trio rehearsing at St. Mary's

Sunday came and as already mentioned the concert went well. One never knows when they make something donation based if any profit will be made but as the audience so enjoyed themselves I think the trio did well. My good friend Jim Zang recorded and Justin Rito (the composer of the world premiere the trio did) even made it out all the way from Lansing! Now with the trio safely back in Canada after a longer drive than normal with the snow the house feels empty and I miss their presence. I can't wait to see them again! Next stop for them; New York, New York!!


More on the International Low Brass Trio:
Website: www.internationallowbrasstrio.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/InternationalLowBrassTrio
Twitter: twitter.com/ILBTrio

Happy New Year!

2013 marked a few milestones in my life. I graduated from the San Francisco Conservatory with my Master's Degree, I passed into the final rounds of four orchestral auditions and I won my first real job with the Lansing Symphony Orchestra.

I am so grateful to have been blessed with such amazing supporters between my friends, family and other random persons I have encountered and gotten to know over the years through performing and I hope to be able to give back and continue to impact lives through my instrument. 2014 is unknown and holds many exciting adventures, probably a few setbacks and a myriad of other things yet to be discovered. As I and we move forward into the new year I sincerely wish us all the best and cannot wait to see what is to come!

Happy New Year!!!!