Farewell March

Here we are soaking up the last day of March, our first month of living in California. I'm so excited to share a little project I've been working on... That's right. I made business cards. Now these are not the cards for my etsy shop. Those are still in the works. These are for my mini piano teaching business... Is it crazy that I'm trying to simultaneously launch two small businesses? 

Of course no business card is complete without a customized carrying case...  

I'm still deciding on what button I want to use. Either the green one or the flower one. Which would you choose? 

So excited to build a little studio here. I'm dreaming of end-of-the-year piano recitals... 

Oh music, how I love thee.

My Recital Last Weekend

The recital was a success. I'm still overflowing from all the kind words people greeted me with afterwards. I only wish I had more photos to share with you all. Here are two I took off a video clip from a friend in the audience. 

The photo below was taken after the reception when I realized we were about to go home and I hadn't taken any pictures yet. Thank you Clayton for staying late and helping us clean up!  

Thank you Sarah for these gorgeous flowers and the sparkly gold eye shadow!

 

And thank you Clarke & Aleah, and Candace for these!

Now it is back to the books for me. I'm squeezing in some last-minute homework for tomorrow's deadlines. I hope you've all had a lovely weekend.

It's Nearly Here...

Tomorrow night can't come quickly enough.

Source

My graduate piano recital performance is scheduled for 7 p.m. and I'm (cross-your-fingers, hold-your-breath)... ready. Of course feeling "ready" doesn't take the nerves away but at least helps me to interpret them as excitement and channel them into positive energy for musical expression. Or so I like to tell myself. Here's a peak at my program:

Program 

Prelude from English Suite No. 2 in a minor, BWV 807 ......................... J. S. Bach

Toccata & Fugue in c minor, BWV 911 ..................................................... J. S. Bach

Variations Serieuses in d minor, Op. 54 .................................... Felix Mendelssohn 

  

Intermission 

Sonata No. 23 in f minor, Op. 57 (Appassionata) .............. Ludwig van Beethoven 

 I. Allegro assai

 II. Andante con moto 

 III. Allegro ma non troppo 

I cannot wait to hear the final resounding f minor chords of the Appassionata Sonata around 8:30 p.m., to absorb the long-awaited relief of what I pray will be a successful performance. 

Source

I wish I had pictures of my dress but alas these lovely photos will stand in quite nicely until after the recital. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Love & God bless,

Practice With Me?

My recital is just a month away. I've been playing the piano and studying privately since I was six but still struggle with making myself sit down and practice. Some days it's wonderfully enjoyable and other days it is the last thing I feel like doing. Today was one of the latter. 

So I decided I would make a recording, invite ya'll in and make myself feel not quite so alone as I prepare. This is the first half of the first piece of my program. 

Anyone else struggle with certain tasks they know they must complete?

Final Piece of the Program

The closing piece on my program will be Beethoven's Appassionata Sonata in F Minor, Op. 57. There are three movements to this monster of a piece. The last two movements are played attacca or without any break between. I was first drawn to this sonata by my sister who learned it for one of her recitals. I would sit and listen to her practice when I was in high school. And I'd always ask her to play the last movement which at that time was my favorite. I've since grown to love all three equally. When I listen I cannot help but feel captivated and moved. Here you can hear it played by Valentina Lisitsa. Enjoy...

Movement I


Movement II


Movement III

Recital Program Continued

You may recognize this piece because yes, I posted it before. My previous post however showcased a performance by Glenn Gould and only included the large Fugue portion of this work. Here you'll find Bach's Toccata and Fugue in C Minor, BWV 911 in its entirety performed by Martha Argerich. The recording is divided into two youtube videos because of the length. The Toccata of course comes first and is immediately followed by the Fugue. I'm loving Argerich's playing lately and in fact it was this exact recording that initially made me fall in love with this piece motivating me to buy the music and learn it myself. It will be the second piece on my recital program in November. Enjoy... and again I welcome comments about your reaction to the music.

Recital a Day at a Time

School began today. Summer was wonderful and I will miss it greatly but I'm looking forward to the routine of classes, teaching, and piano practice. I'll be preparing once again for my recital on November 4th. I thought it'd be fun to share bits and pieces of my progress in hopes of staying motivated. Below is a recording of the first piece on my program. This is the Prelude of Bach's English Suite No. 2 in A minor. I love the entire suite, especially the Sarabande and the Gigue, but this Prelude initially grabbed my attention as a wonderful opener. Martha Argerich plays it beautifully...

This week I'll be posting each piece on my program a day at a time. As you might imagine, it can be a challenge to work on the same music for more than a year. I struggle to remember my initial response to the pieces I chose. It's true there are moments when I love the music so much more now than I ever did in the beginning, but I long to remember what grabbed me upon first hearing these selections. Because of this, I'd love to hear your reactions to the music. Do you like it? And if so what do you like about it?