Ich Habe Genug! (Literally!)
Saturday February 28 2009
I’ve had enough! Finished my DMA… audition at Arizona State University about 40 minutes ago, and while I didn’t do great, I didn’t do terribly. It’s so dry down here compared to Oregon, that if I didn’t constantly suck on my reed, it’d dry out and close up very quickly. I played 2nd and 3rd movement of the Poulenc, 1st and 2nd movement of the Mozart Quartet, and Nigeria from Tomasi.
The whole experience was quite frantic. I couldn’t find a pianist until Thursday morning, which was stressful enough. I called about 10 pianists before I finally found one available. After the Allan Vogel Masterclass, I drove up to Portland and got there at 4:45 to catch a 5:25 flight, which got me into Phoenix at 9pm. I had a rental car by 10:00pm and went directly to the music school where I rehearsed with my pianist until midnight. Woke up at 7am, ate breakfast, went to the school and checked reeds, started each movement with my pianist, and played the audition at 10:00am. Whoo!
Today I’ll drop on by with Mr. Weber, and maybe dinner with him or Hannah Selznick or both. Tomorrow at 8:30am I fly out and should arrive at Portland around 10:30, where I’ll drive down to Eugene and play my 4pm concert!
Hm— Spring break is looking really good right about now—
Busy Week
Monday February 23 2009
I’m not sure if anyone is reading on this new site, but if you are, leave me a message and let me know!
This past week has been crazy, and this next week is even crazier. Today (Monday) I went in early and got 1 hour of practicing done at 9am. Then I went to Bible study until 10:00 am. Then I finished up my 12 page paper at noon and turned it in and gave a 1 hour presentation on Schwantner’s usage of Music, Text, and Gesture in “New Morning for the World” for my 3 hour seminar course on Music and Gesture. Then I had 1 hour to respond to emails before I went to rehearsal until 5:30! My mind is barely functioning, but it has to. Because—
I have a million reed orders. Not a million, only about 40 reeds I need to make.
I am playing on a masterclass with Alan Vogel on Friday, in which I am playing the entire Mozart Quartet for him. The masterclass goes from 11-1pm
And then at 1pm I’m driving up to Portland and dropping off my car where a friend will drive me to the airport so that I can jump on a flight at 5:00pm to Arizona.
And then I get in at 8:30, where I’ll pick up my luggage, pick up the rental car and drive to my hotel in Chandler.
And then I go to bed and hopefully wake up at 8:00am to check in with Arizona State to find out my audition time for the Doctoral of Musical Arts program which I am applying to.
Then I actually get to rest a bit and spend some time with Mr. Weber.
But then I get to wake up early the next morning to catch an 8:30am flight.
Which gets me into Portland around 10:30am. At which time hopefully my friend will pick me up and take me to my car.
So that I can drive back down to Eugene (2 hrs) so that I can play the 4pm President’s Concert at the Hult Center.
Yeah. Talk about insane.
MQOD
Saturday February 21 2009
_Quick runs for the cor anglais sound even worse than they do for the oboe. Its tone is less penetrating, more veiled and deeper than that of the oboe, and is therefore not suitable for expressing the gaiety of rustic tunes. _
-Hector Berlioz, Treatise on Orchestration
HA! If only composers had taken his advice!
A great survey.
Saturday February 21 2009
So as you can probably tell, I’ve had a “survey” tab attached to my website. The main purpose of this is to provide a list of questions for new reed ordering people so that I can see approximately what they’re looking for in their orders.
My good friend gave me a laugh the other day. This is pretty much the survey I always wished I would get.
Entry Date: 2009-02-20 03:29 PM
Attachments: 0
Form Name: survey
Name: Joe Schmoe
Email:
sound type: Actually, I think I like reeds to be bright, screetchy and just downright nasty. Think Holiger swallowing a box of razor blades, and your’ there. I like to think of this as the “middle of the atlantic” school.(i.e. fish bones caught in the oboe) 
Previous Teachers: Joe the janitor at Orchestra hall, has had a great influence on my playing. He has shown me the wisdom of playing on reeds rescued from the garbage, and using shavings to plug leaks.
blow resistance: more free-blowing
opening size: somewhere in between
more or less reed: less reed
shape width: medium shapes (Brannen X-Narrow, RDG… 1)
length of reed tip: Don’t care. just make it work!
pressure: I use the “slobber technique” where I stick the reed all the way in my mouth and blow till I pass out. Makes a lovely sound.
flat chin: not sure
music type: Heavy metal oboe, and a bit of Sir Mix Alot
upcoming special music: I will be playing the Greatest hits of Andrew lloyd Webber as a concerto with the Orchestra of the Great Unwashed. I need something that really warbles.
model of oboe: bundy×the finest oboe on the planet
Oboe Feeling: the same
oboe blown out?: It’s plastic dude. I’m not sure that they blow out. Anyway, it make a fine baseball bat.
oboe sealing?: no
oboe oddities: It is missing most of the keys, but hey, it’s a bundy. This actually makes it play better
weather: Swampy and continually raining.
humidity: 100%
altitude: Is this a Zen Koan?
reedmaking experience: I prefer the high quality reeds from the Jones company!!!!!! Can you do that?
other comments: Hey Cooper, Just having some fun at your expense. Give us a call sometime, and let me know when your recital is scheduled for.
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