A fermata... And Carnegie Hall

That is what it has been since I last wrote, one long long fermata. This is turning out to be just like my journal. So, what has happened since last I wrote? So much that this is probably going to be an annoyingly long post. So, I bet you can't guess why I put Carnegie Hall in my post title. Well, if you know me at all then I'm sure you already know. It's kind of a big deal. I got to play in Carnegie Hall! I found out Feb. 10 that I was a first place winner in an international competition called American Protege, and as a winner I was able to play a piece in Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie! It was the most incredible experience ever. I took my husband and my mom with me, we hopped a plane to New York, and on March 12, I played the first Mvt. of Beethoven Piano Sonata Op. 109 in the most famous concert hall on earth. What a ride.

Ok. Next. I finished the first year of the DMA! So the second semester was better than the first, although the end near Juries was pretty frightening. But I survived and all is well. So the summer has been treating me very nicely. I have been able to do some badly needed projects on my house, relax a little bit, and regain my love for practicing. I have to keep my practicing up especially well this summer, because on August 2nd, I am going to Italy for a music festival. I told you this was going to be a long post. So I have never been to Europe, and I am super excited about going to Italy. The teachers at this piano festival are going to be fantastic. AND, at the end of the festival, I get to play Saint-Saens Piano Concerto no. 2 with the orchestra in an amazing old building, and Matt gets to come watch me!! It will be so much fun! He is going to fly out the day before I play, and then we are going to take 2 days to just be tourists in Italy! We figured an opportunity like this may never present itself again, so why not.

I am constantly making new discoveries in my playing lately which I love. I am doing some of the most conscientious practicing I have ever done, and my ear is really growing. I am able to make better decisions about the selections I am playing and I can feel the progress. I am starting to be comfortable with myself as an artist, and that is a huge step for me. I am really excited for the upcoming school year and my first DMA recital. I think it's going to be pretty good. :) Well, besides saying that I love teaching piano and I think it is what I was born to do, I think I will cut this post short so that I have some things to say next time I write, which is hopefully not another 1/2 year from now. I don't think it will be. I love summer.