The Season Starts

Sunday and Monday's performances with Music of the Baroque marked the start of my 09-10 season, which is filled to the brim with exciting repertoire that I have been wanting to work on for a long time. Hercules is a piece filled with dramatic music that is Handel at his best, and I have been dreaming of getting to perform Hyllus for many years. A rarely performed piece, my last week in Chicago was an incredibly fun opportunity to live out a dream. Of course, one can never have enough of what it is that one wants, and I find myself thirsting even more for another chance to step into his shoes again. As I am looking forward to almost every project that I am working on this season as much as I was Hercules, I wonder if I am going to feel this way after every performance this season.

The past month has been a much-needed moment of extended repose, reflection, and preparation. Marlboro's influence and infectious energy has bled into my life in the real world, and I've been able to miraculously keep up the intensity and focus of work that I had in Marlboro in my schedule as I have readjusted to life at home. The things that I discovered, the technical progress I began, and the discipline that I honed there have continued to flourish and grow outside of Vermont. It's been a great way to set a tone for this next "school year" of work, and I felt the effects of my newfound dedication in Chicago. I felt relatively relaxed and yet intensely focused, and as a result I was able really enjoy myself in performance. It's inspiring me to keep on with the new routine, and I am rediscovering just how much I love the process of making music and honing my skills. I almost love it more than the actual performing at times, and I am finding that it gives me energy that feeds itself with each new, progressive step I take.