Plugging Along

This morning marked my fourth ascent up the Ute Trail! We're not racing up the mountain or anything, but our time was the quickest yet today: 35 minutes. It's a really good workout, mostly for my lungs apparently, because I'm not sore afterward. Running, on the other hand, has been really rough. I just cannot catch my breath, even for a 30 minute run. I guess I will have to work my way up to it. I'll try again tomorrow morning.

So far, I'd say I am on track with my goals for the summer. I'm practicing a lot every day, playing lots of different types of music with various groups, and getting better at the trombone! Plus I am biking, hiking, or running almost every day! The cool thing about being at Aspen is I don't have to make myself do any of those things. The program is designed so I have multiple musical outlets, and I am surrounded by great players and great teachers all the time. Plus when you look out the door and see Aspen Mountain, how could you resist climbing it? :)

Last night a combination of luck and persistence got me a free ticket to see Gil Shaham and Lynn Harrell play Brahms! It was a "special event" in Harris Hall, which means that since the hall is pretty small, they don't open it up to students. If I wanted to go, I would have to buy a ticket for $65 or wait in line before the concert and hope that the box office would give me a leftover ticket. My friends who worked box office hooked me up and gave me a ticket just before the show started. It was fantastic! Gil played the violin sonata no. 2 and Lynn played the cello sonata no. 2, then they played a piano trio together. All Brahms, all written in 1886. Here is a bit about Gil from www.pittsburghsymphony.org:

Violinist Gil Shaham is internationally recognized by audiences and critics alike as one of today’s most virtuosic and engaging classical artists. He is sought after throughout the world for concerto appearances with celebrated orchestras and conductors, as well as for recital and ensemble appearances on the great concert stages and at the most prestigious festivals.

Mr. Shaham’s 2006-07 season highlights include appearances with the New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, National Symphony, Houston Symphony, Seattle Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, and U.S. tours with both the Chicago Symphony and Orpheus. In addition to recital tours in Europe and Japan he will appear abroad with the orchestras of Berlin, Copenhagen and Moscow, and with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra as part of their 70th Anniversary concerts.

Mr. Shaham was born in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, in 1971. He moved with his parents to Israel where at the age of 7 he began violin studies with Samuel Bernstein of the Rubin Academy of Music and granted annual scholarships by the America-Israel Cultural Foundation. In 1981, while studying with Haim Taub in Jerusalem, he made debuts with the Jerusalem Symphony and the Israel Philharmonic. That same year he began his studies with Dorothy DeLay and Jens Ellerman at Aspen. In 1982, after taking first prize in Israel’s Claremont Competition, he became a scholarship student at Juilliard, where he has worked with Ms. DeLay and Hyo Kang. He has also studied at Columbia University.

I actually omitted about 3 paragraphs from his bio since it's so long...there's much more online about him, especially on Youtube. There's a lot online about Lynn Harrell too. It was cool/weird to be part of the exclusive crowd that had subscription tickets to the concert. Everybody is so wealthy! It's an older, retired crowd with lots of money in their pockets. I'm not used to it! I'm accustomed to lots and lots of poor college students occupying every concert hall and restaurant that I'm in. If it weren't for the people of Aspen, this festival wouldn't be possible, so I'm really glad that they support the music as much as they do!

I've been working parking crew every few days, and I am looking forward to my first paycheck tomorrow! Once I cash the check, I'll be able to go out without feeling the guilt of using my credit card. Can't wait!

Lessons with Per are going really well. I'm learning a lot.