My junior recital is done!

I CAN BREATHE AGAIN!

Me and my family after my concert on Sunday evening.
Photo Credits: Terri Dennis

After three years of instruction from the oh so talented Dr. Janna Lower, I finally performed my junior recital at the University of Florida. As you all already know, I had some wicked nerves leading up to this performance. I put in countless hours of practicing and rehearsing with my pianist Alan Clark leading up to this concert, and it all came together yesterday evening on Easter Sunday.

Alongside Alan, we performed Vitali's Chaconne, Bach's Andante from his Sonata No. 2 in A minor, Kreisler's arrangement of Gluck's Melodie, and the first two movements of Franck's Violin Sonata No. 2 in A minor. It was a monster of a program but I am just so happy with how it all went. I was dreading how my nerves would affect my performance, but the second I walked out on stage, all of my nerves just melted away. I swear, it was a near miracle.

I was able to perform for some of my friends from the music school, some faculty members and some of my family members who both flew and drove into town for the concert. I was so humbled by all of the love I received, and I can't thank everyone enough for all of their support. Special thanks goes out to my teacher Dr. Lower, because she pushed me to be a better musician every day leading up to this performance.

Me performing in my junior recital concert on Sunday, April
16 in room 101 of UF's music building.
Photo credits: Miguel Maya

One thing I can say for sure is that although I am so happy it is all over, I am also so glad I was able to experience something like this; something so intimate and personal. I was able to share something I love with the people that mean the most to me and that means the world to me. That's what makes music and the arts so enjoyable. For a brief second or even minute in any performance, you are able to see the true heart of the performing musician. I hope that I have an opportunity to perform another concert like this in my future.

University of Florida Symphony Orchestra and Choir perform spring concert

At last! The University of Florida Symphony Orchestra's spring season has come to an end and looking back, I can't believe how many unforgettable memories I have made in this orchestra. I have met so many wonderful people, and I am just so glad that I could be a part of this amazing ensemble for another semester.

Celebrating the end of the orchestra season at the Phillips
Center for the Performing Arts with the University of
Florida violin studio.

Tonight, we performed a concert called Hymns & Heroes from the Movies in conjunction with the UF Concert Choir and the Gainesville Master Chorale. We played music by Verdi, Mancini, Prokofiev, and of course, the king of movie music, John Williams. It was a concert so full of energy and excitement; I nearly laughed out loud when I saw how many people's faces lit up in the audience when we started to play John William's renowned Duel of the Fates from Episode 1 of Star Wars, The Phantom Menace.

All in all, it has been one crazy semester but this was definitely a great way to end the spring season! What was particularly nice about this concert was that the audience was able to experience something a little different. They didn't just hear plain classically music; they were able to hear some pieces with fire and even some with mourning and reverence. Cheers to that!

N-nn-nnnn-nerves and how to handle them

I am officially in countdown mode!! I have just three more days to go until my junior violin recital, and literally all I'm thinking about is how nervous I know I'm going to be. Not good.

So, since I am a perfectionist at heart, I did some research. I wanted to know exactly how to manage
my nerves, or at least learn a few remedies to help get rid of some of them. I came across an interesting article by Dr. Noa Kageyama titled "How to Make Performance an Asset Instead of a Liability," and I believe it has a lot of great pointers about how to mentally control nerves. So, let's break it down, for your sake, and mine.

Here's a stock photo of a stressed and nervous person for
your enjoyment.

Centering. Apparently, that's the key to it all. Kageyama says that centering is a pre-performance routine that was introduced by Olympic sport psychologist Dr. Don Greene to, essentially, channel your nerves in a productive way. So how exactly do we do this? According to the article, there are seven steps to centering:

1. Pick your focal point
2. Form your clear intention
3. Breathe mindfully
4. Scan and release excess tension
5. Find your center
6. Repeat your process cue
7. Direct your energy

So as my countdown clock ticks on, I'm going to test out these techniques for mindfulness and stress reduction. I'll let you know how they turn out!

P.S. Here is my shameless self-advertising:

My junior violin recital!

Sunday, April 16, 2017.

5:30 p.m. in the music building at the University of Florida!

Room 101.

Mythbusting: let's talk money

Okay, so I have been posting consistently about events and artists I've come across, but I think its due time for some real talk. Mythbusting and talking about money...two of my favorite things! Absolutely joking right now, but you get my point.

I know that almost every person on this earth can appreciate art and music in some manner, but what about the people who want to be involved in it somehow? What about the people who want to make a career out of it? Is this possible financially?

The answer is yes! I came across this wonderful blog post by Drew Alexander Forde, a Juilliard graduate, who has been thriving in the social media music scene because of his innovative ways to break down the stigmas of classical music. He plays covers of popular songs occasionally and frequently collaborates with other artists, making music more accessible to people of all different backgrounds.

Nonetheless, Drew made a few great points in his post that are worth thinking about:
- The harder you work, the more likely you are to succeed.
- Not everyone can be a Grammy winning artist, but THAT'S OKAY.
- Look for fans and sponsors; a little bit of money can go a long way.
- Musicians make a lot of money through passive income.
- Seek out gigs, teaching opportunities, and ad revenue from YouTube.

And I have to say, even though I don't have 14,989 YouTube subscribers (*cough cough* Drew does... I might have 2 if I'm lucky), he makes some great points! For me, as a full-time student working part time at a TV station, I don't base my income entirely on music, but random things pop up throughout my semesters that do help bring in a little extra money each month.

So my advice is go for it! If you're worried that your art or music won't be able to support the lifestyle you want, start slowly. Try picking up more gigs while keeping a side job and see if anything sticks. Maybe you'll get a venue that loves you and keeps asking you to come back to perform. The only thing is you'll never know until you try!

First Presbyterian Church of Gainesville celebrates Palm Sunday with an afternoon concert

Regardless of race or religion, music always seems to succeed at uniting people. One of my favorite quotes about music says, "Through music we are no longer separate and alone. Through music we are one and we are whole." Today, the First Presbyterian Church of Gainesville took this approach with music in an afternoon concert in honor of the religious holiday Palm Sunday.

The First Presbyterian choir in rehearsal for their Palm
Sunday performance. 

I was asked to perform in the orchestra for this concert and with my hectic end-of-the-semester schedule, I was hesitant to say yes at first but in the end, I am glad I did. Under the direction of the talented music minister at First Presbyterian Church, Mark Coffey, we performed Samuel Barber's heartbreaking Adagio for Strings and Maurice Durufle's Requiem, a polyphonic setting of nine parts of the traditional mass. The choir was a mix singers from the church and other nearby ministries, and the orchestra was a jumble of musicians from around Gainesville, some of whom also perform with the Gainesville Orchestra.

Now, the concert was an absolute success. Everyone was so responsive and attentive to the music, which nearly sang itself. I know that is an awful thing to say because I know the singers and other musicians in the orchestra were working very hard to convey their parts properly, but it was almost like the broad acoustics in the church carried the music to every corner in the facility. No person in the audience had to strain to hear any voice, however soft they may have been.

For me, it was a fun experience that I was happy to partake in. The talent in arts and culture scene is Gainesville is sometimes overlooked, but today, I felt that the singers and musicians at First Presbyterian Church proved to the community yet again the importance of music.

Gainesville leaps into spring at Santa Fe College's Spring Arts Festival

Another beautiful weekend, another beautiful arts festival. Over the weekend, Santa Fe College held its 48th Annual Spring Arts Festival in the Northeast Gainesville Historic District; aka downtown Gainesville! Booths for the visiting artists were arranged up and down 1st Street, and a feeling of happiness was in the air. Or perhaps that was just the pounding heat and humidity...
Either way, the art on display and for sale was absolutely breathtaking! I stumbled across sculptors, fabric artists, painters, musicians and media artists alike. However, one artist's work in particular jumped out at me. Georgie LeHoop is an artist and painter from St. Clair, Pennsylvania, who takes a very innovative approach to creating new art. Georgie plays on the idea of synesthesia, a neurological phenomenon that essentially leads to an overlapping of sensory experiences. He effectively manages to blend music, an auditory experience, with painting, a visual experience.
Georgie's art is fascinating because to the naked eye, his work appears to be simple paintings of music notes and staves on various canvases, be it on paper or on actual musical cymbals. However, the true art in his work lies in its production. Georgie creates his art by drumming on canvases. He records the rhythms he plays while he is painting so his fans can also listen to his art. Georgie gave me a small handout with more information about his artwork that fittingly asked at the bottom, "Would you like to hear a painting?"
I tried my very best to do Georgie's artwork justice and below you can see my attempt at a 360 degree photo of his tent at the arts festival. This was my third and final attempt at the picture, and it is not perfect, but it does give you a little better of a perspective into the work Georgie had on display this weekend. It was hard to keep people from passing by while I was taking the photo or from coming inside the tent (and I don't blame them! His art is magnificent!), but here it is! Until next year, Santa Fe.