Happy Orchestra Land

I realize I don't write all that much, and I'm sorry... finding both time and something interesting to write about is often a challenge, because contrary to popular belief, I do actually have many a boring, normal day.

I figured I would write about my orchestras right now. I'm playing in two: The Haydn-Orchester in Hamburg, and the Oldenburgisches Schlossorchester in Oldenburg. This week I have three concerts (Thursday, Saturday, Sunday) for the Haydn-Orchester. We're playing Schumann's 3rd Symphony, Chopin's 1st Piano Concerto, and Beethoven's Leonore III Overture. Next weekend I have the concert in Oldenburg. We're playing Dvorak's Cello Concerto, and Mendelssohn's 3rd Symphony. Lots of fun music, very little time to sleep.

The best thing about the Oldenburg Orchestra is that it's close.... I can make it home from rehearsal before 2am, which is when I get home from Hamburg (I also sometimes spend the night in Hamburg with an oboist who kindly invited me to crash at her place).

Some thoughts on German orchestras. Many of the instruments are slightly different (the clarinets, for example), and thus sound a bit different. The horns mostly play a brand of horn with a very distinct sound, which makes my job a little more interesting: I have to learn to blend with it so I don't stick out (since I don't have an alexander). German orchestras to me usually sound darker and rounder than their American counterparts.

Orchestra is really fun: I get to meet a lot of new people, and play some cool music. I'll be sad when it's over, although I will NOT miss the commute. I'll also suddenly have practice time, and won't miss classes because of concerts. This might make my teachers happier.

Quick update, for those of you who don't know how the european conservatory search is going: I applied at three schools: the conservatory (HdK) in Zürich, the conservatory (UdK) in Berlin, and the conservatory (Musikhochschule) in Trossingen (and yes I did just translate three different German words or phrases into conservatory....). I haven't heard from the two in Germany yet (should be hearing in the next few weeks, I hope), but I have been invited to play an audition in Zürich on May 7th. I'm really excited to play for the people there, and I really hope they decide they want me, because, well.... Zürich is awesome, and based on the information I currently have, it may very well be the best fit for me artistically. I'm also excited to miss some more school, and go back to Switzerland. =)