This WONDERfilled Life...

A year ago I was sitting in my home anxiously expecting our second child.  Huge and uncomfortable I was recommended to stop playing my horn for fear of going into early labor...again.  I had to cancel two auditions, bail in the middle of an orchestra cycle and cancel another outright.  I managed to eek through Easter services but other than that I was in limbo and torn about my circumstances. Musicians (especially those of the freelance variety) pride themselves on having a full book.  Don't believe me? Just check out any freelancers Facebook page.  They are fraught with "humble brag" posts and vague status updates. It was so hard for me to sit and wait, knowing that once the baby came I still would be left fighting an uphill battle.  When a woman in the music industry gets pregnant I think one of the first thoughts that goes thru her head is "what will happen to my work?".  So many people start filling in the blanks for you.  You'd hea...

This week...this was a week.  So many highs and lows. On one hand I am super excited for my horn and organ concert later today.  I have wanted to do this collaboration for years, since I was first introduced to the Hermann Baumann Horn and Organ CD by my teacher Rick Menaul while in undergrad.  I had Bubba 10.5 months ago and I am just so proud of myself for setting this goal (if I do say so)! On the other hand it was a heart wrenching week as a friend lost his 36 year old sister to cancer in 27 days.  TWENTY SEVEN days.  Think about it. She leaves behind a husband, 7 yo and an 8 mo boys as well as her parents and siblings.  Life just seems so unfair.  19 years ago my sister was ripped from our lived in a freak car accident.  All the emotions from my family's loss came barreling back to me.  Needless to say it was a hard week to keep my focus and I was happy to have a project to meditate on and help to quiet my mind.  Ironi...

Remember last Sunday when I talked about out of a failure can, in fact, come success? Well I wasn't just talking "crafting".  One of the reasons I started the #52wonderfilledweeks challenge was to force myself into action.  We're all guilty of talking big talk, I have X, Y and Z plans...blah blah blah but how often do we actually take action? Not as often as we should I think.  I love thinking up ideas, and when it isn't music related for some reason I am really good at putting those ideas into action.  In fact the farther the idea is from me personally (i.e., I won't personally gain - or lose- from it) I am THE girl to put things into action.  For example I joined the local Park Advisory Council (PAC) last fall...let's keep in mind I have two small children and a full time job as a free lance hornist...and yet at the first, FIRST, meeting I ever attended I suggested and then volunteered to organize a giant holiday craft fair.  What was I thinking? Well ...

Did you hear? I am giving a recital! I think it's been over 10 years since I gave a recital. This program is really exciting to me because I am collaborating with Chicago Organist, Joe Burgio, to give an all horn and organ recital. I have wanted to do this recital since I first heard Baumann's Horn and organ CD back in my undergrad days. The CD is now out of print but can be yours for the low price of about $200! Joe and I have been researching pieces and have found so many we hope this will be the first of many horn and organ offerings! Preparing this week got me thinking about technology and how much things have changed since I gave my last recital. Technology has changed the face of not just everyday life but how musicians prepare and perform all over the world. I wrote the below blog post as part of a larger blog offering by the Über Horn Quartet in early 2016. I thought I'd share it with you now since I am utilizing all of these apps and devices as I prepare ...