RCICW Reminder

A quick reminder that today, Sat Mar 22nd is the priority application deadline for the 2008 Rose City International Conductor’s Workshop. You can apply online via the RCICW website. The RCICW is now the first conducting institute to go post free- applicants may submit...

Samuel Miles Woods

Hi everyone- I usually eschew the autobiography here, but wanted to just put the happy word out that Samuel Miles Woods (our first) was born on Monday, the 17th of March at 5:30 PM. His Irish  grandfather was very proud of him coming on St Patrick’s Day.   ...

Gordon Downie Interview comments

I’ve decided to remove the discussion and comments from the individual segments of my interview with Gordon Downie, and to anthologize them all here in a single post. Regrettably, a few comments did not measure up to our house standards of civil discourse and have...

Live-blogging SMP Concert III

It seems a bit of a bum deal to be the first piece on a program. If I was an overture, I would have serious jealousy issues. Often, the overture ends up being the best played piece on the program, and if it is a piece like Leonore 3, it might well be the best piece on...

Live-blogging SMP Concert II

We’re on our break. Not many surprises so far, and most of the surprises are for the good.  B5 is an especially hard piece to rehearse on the day of a concert, because it is very hard to “mark” it at all, especially for the strings- you often really have to go all out...

SMP- Live Blogging a concert I

Well- I’m here, live-blogging the final concert of the Guildford Spring Music Festival. It wasn’t by any means a foregone conclusion that I would be here- Suzanne is 11 days past her due date, and looked ready to burst at any moment this morning (more worrying she...