Beach Day

We've finally got the internet back up and running. The highlight of the last couple of days was definitely Sunday. We all were planning on sleeping in since it was our only day off of the week. I woke up at 9:30, looked out the window and it was so sunny. I jumped out of bed, ran to the front door and walked out into the most beautiful of days. It was already very warm and it was only early! I was so excited I ran upstairs and woke everybody up. I ran over to the guys house (Fabio and John) across the road and yelled at them through their open windows until they finally both peeked their heads out through the curtains and saw the beautiful weather.
We had a big breakfast all together and then left for Salt Hill which was about a 20 minute walk from town. By the time we got there it was very hot and three of us (Sarah, Nora and myself) laid on the beach while the others went to this big cliff. We had seen similar cliffs on the Aran Islands so we stayed and basked in the sun. Nora and I went swimming in the very cold Atlantic ocean. Not too much different then home.




Went to an awesome concert tonight. David Stewart played this amazingly virtuoso piece that impressed everyone. During the intermission of the concert David informed us that we, the violinists, are playing in a concert tomorrow night. So I better get back to practicing! I'll be playing the first movement of the Ravel violin Sonata.

I'll have pictures up on facebook soon!

Still Alive

The internet has been down in our flat for the last couple days. I'll update soon when we get back online!

So much music!

Yesterday we went to a concert in the evening at the "grand hall" on the University campus. It is a beautiful old church like building with a huge courtyard and small recital halls that are perfect for chamber music concerts. Before the concert we had a lot of fun taking pictures in the courtyard and on the steps outside the building.





The concert opened with a solo performance of a Bach cello suite, then a contemporary piece performed by piano, clarinet, viola and an alto singer. The second half was a Schuman piano quintet (piano, two violins, viola and cello) and was performed by the String quartet, Contempo, who have been leading our orchestra at camp.

So during the concert there was a lady sitting beside me who was obviously very interested in seeing this concert but also very obviously falling asleep. I really wish I could have gotten a picture of her while her head was hanging about an inch away from my shoulder. Then the music would end and the sudden applause would jolt her out of her awkward slumber in she'd sit up very suddenly and vigorously rub her face, cross and uncross her legs and then slowly fall back to sleep with the next piece. So I don't have a picture of her sleeping but Simon took this one...




We have orchestra rehearsal every day at 1:30 and our conductor, Paul, always has this huge clock on the floor beside him so that he knows exactly when to start and when break is and everything. So today Paul looked down to check the time while we were playing a bit of the Dvorak Symphony and couldn't see his clock. So while we were playing he squatted down and started rummaging through all the papers and sheet music on the floor around him trying to find his clock. Eventually he stopped the music and asked if anyone had seen his clock. Meanwhile the principal cellist had a very devious look on his face and as Paul looked closer he saw that the cellist had taken his clock, put it on his own stand and hid it under his music. We all had a good laugh and then Paul discovered that the time was turned forward so that we could all get out of rehearsal early, which unfortunately didn't work. Then when he went to fix the time he found that the batteries were missing. Bogdon, the concert master, then pulled the batteries out of his shirt pocket. Great moment.

More to come!

Day 1 of Music Camp

There is a yellow bus that takes us to and from the residence university campus where we spend our days at the camp and back home to the Glasan Residence. Now that the camp has started all the students have arrived and many of them (those who aren't locals) are living at the residence as well. So this morning when we got on the bus at 9:00 it was so full with people and instruments that there were many people standing in the aisle. They decided that it would be helpful to have the bus run twice to the University in the morning, one at 9:00 like usual and one at 8:15. I can see why then would do that but I will be very surprised if the bus is any less crowded tomorrow morning at the 9:00 run...I'm not taking the 8:15! No way!
The first day of camp was a little unorganized while we (the teachers assistants) were struggling to find a place to be helpful and productive. Now at least we have an idea of what a day will entail and we're organizing our days so we all have something to do and also have time off to practice our own solo stuff for our lessons with David and coachings with Elise, our Pianist.
We played another orchestra concert tonight that went well. We did a Strauss horn concerto, there was a couple of brass ensemble pieces, a Vivaldi piccolo concerto and Mozart's 29th Symphony. The most interesting part was when we played through the first page and a half of the piccolo concerto when the soloist stopped everything and announced that she didn't have the right music on the stand! So she ran off the stage to find it. While she was gone the principle cellist stood up and told a funny story that he said was about this particular concerto though I think he may have been pulling our legs. It was something about a flutist playing this particular concerto for a nudist colony and they required her and her accompanists (string quartet) to be nude as well. So they decide it's worth the money and strip down to play some Vivaldi and then the curtain comes up and everyone in the audience is dressed in long black dresses and tuxes. Everyone was laughing and the ice seemed to be broken well enough when the piccolo player came back out with the right music and it all went well after that. She even got an encore and played a cute little celtic tune with a lot of trills and fanciness involved.

Aran Islands

We (David, Elise, Sarah, Nora and I) got up very early this morning and three hours of taxi, bus and ferry rides later we were on Inish Moor Island, the largest of the three Aran Islands off the west coast of Ireland.
As soon as we arrived we went straight to the bike renting shop. David and Sarah paid extra for electric bikes which the rest of us were jealous of but we were also happy for the exercise since all we've been doing is sitting a playing music for days. We rode straight (after a couple of stops to fix my bike chain) to just below the fortress which was at one of the highest points of the Island and then walked the rest of the way up a rough stone path. One there, we saw the most beautiful views of the very steep cliffs which are apparently very similar to the cliffs of Moor. We laid down right up close to the ledge to get pictures straight down the drop. It was pretty exciting!
We sat up in the fort on the grass, surrounded by the cobblestone walls, basking in the sun and being blown around a lot while eating our lunches.
When we got back down we met a boy who lived on the island and was taking his dog, Ruben, for a walk up to the fortress. On the way down we also met them at the beach where the sand was incredibly white and fine. It was a beautiful day, though quite windy at times, but there were some women swimming at the beach. We chatted with them for a few minutes and as we walked away they began to strip off their bathing suits right there on the beach and we got a nice view of more then we would have liked!
We stopped at a pub about five minutes away from the pier where we needed to meet the ferry and got some refreshments. I've tried the famous Guinness beer but I can't say that I'm much of a fan. Though I don't like any beer I've ever tasted so that say much of anything about the Guinness.

Sunny Day!

It's actually a beautiful day today. It started off cold but now the clouds have parted and the sun is shining! Better go enjoy it while it lasts.
Plans are to go to the Aran Islands tomorrow, rent bikes while were there and check out the very old fortresses and the crazy steep cliffs.
Had a lesson with David today, he gave me a big so called "kick in the butt" to get back into shape. Shouldn't take long since all the things I need to work on are things we've figured out before.

Rain Rain Go Away...

So we went for a walk to find a grocery store tonight since, for once it wasn't raining, and because for breakfast we only get bread and cereal. We went to one place but it was closed by the time we got there so we ended up walking for about 35 minutes to get to a Centra grocery store where we bought eggs and cheese and juice and a bunch of other stuff.
It was so funny seeing brands that I know but with a different look. (see pic of Rice Krispies)
We missed the bus this morning, I don't ever know the time because my phone is not working and so I'm thinking I'm going to pick up a cheap watch tomorrow.
We have an orchestra concert tomorrow of all Beethoven rep, it should be fun. Rehearsal tomorrow morning at 10:30 am, then lunch, coaching at 1:30, lesson with David at 2:15, then shopping for a watch.
All we've been doing is practicing so I only have pictures of that so far! That and the grocery trip...
I also got attacked by some kind of bug while I was sleeping and woke up with many red bites on my neck! It's not very pretty...I won't post pictures of that.

Getting warmed up


Adam and Nora at rehearsal


Myself and my very professional teacher, David


Funny Rice Krispies