Tonight, for the first time in quite a while, I am not practicing. It feels like a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders. No more working on runs that have never been perfect enough, no more deciding between practicing for an extra half an hour or getting more sleep, no more figuring out where to breathe in a seemingly endless passage – not until tomorrow night, when I begin perfecting my college audition repertoire.

I am planning on going to college to become a music teacher, so these next couple of months will be filled with countless auditions and meetings with potential new flute teachers. I cannot wait until music will become the focus of my educational career and ultimately my profession. Sunday might have been the last time I perform a concerto with an orchestra (I hope not!), but it was certainly a step down my road to becoming a great musician.

“Are you sad it’s over?” was the number one question posed to me after the concert on Sunday. At that time I replied, “Yeah, it was an awesome experience.” Thinking back on it, I should have responded differently. A musician’s work is never really over. And, for me, Sunday was just the beginning.

–Kelly Herrmann

The last paragraph of Kelly’s post last week is EXACTLY what I keep thinking about as the concert date draws closer and closer. I can only hope to trek across the stage and arrive at the piano unscathed…I know that once I sit down on the bench, I will be okay. Like Kelly, I can cover a mistake in my playing, but tripping and falling down in front of an audience would be mortifying.

I’ll try not to think about it.

Wasn’t it only yesterday when the VYO sight-read the Ravel for the first time? Actually, this was over a month ago! In Sunday’s rehearsal, we ran through the piece without stopping for the first time. It was very exciting for me. It felt like a mini-concert – there were even a few people sitting in chairs in the back of the hall! The orchestra’s part is challenging, both individually, and then put together. I will say this again: I am so fortunate that VYO plays this piece so well!

It is unbelievable that our first concert is only 3 days away. From a personal perspective, the next five days mark the culmination of a project that I have worked on (with a break here and there) for over a year. This concert is the entire reason I learned the Ravel. It is incredible that this entire experience will be over in less than a week.

–Samantha Angstman

Sunday’s rehearsal was very focused.

As I sat in the performance hall eating my lunch, I listened to the first two movements of the Borodin and Chabrier’s Joyeuse marche. The only distraction came in the form of a wasp buzzing around the clarinets, but Mr. Peters quickly captured it and let it outside. After this wasp incident, the orchestra quickly regained their focus and continued playing.

I have been working on the Ravel Piano Concerto for a while now. It is really coming together, which is a relief because the orchestra part is pretty difficult. I am grateful to have an orchestra learn the music so quickly and play it so well!

There is a huge difference in my playing from the front of the stage than from the back of the group, where I usually play. The sound I hear from the orchestra when I am situated in front of them is so much richer. Also, the ability to glance up at Mr. Peters to catch the tempo is really convenient.

The VYO really understands the “jazzy” elements of the Ravel, especially the syncopated rhythms in the fast sections. That syncopation and the bluesy character of the slower sections, are the reasons I love playing this piece – as a jazz musician, I think it is awesome that Ravel incorporated the jazz style of playing into some of his compositions. Hearing the VYO play this piece so well three whole weeks away from the concert…I cannot wait to hear how “together” it will sound next week!

-Sammy Angstman      -Photo: Stina Plant

During the weeks preceding the fall concert, VYO soloists Kelly Herrmann (flute) and Samantha Angstman (piano) will begin to post their thoughts and comments about the excitement involved in being an orchestral soloist. They are both currently preparing for the VYO opening concert of the season. “Vive la France” will be presented on September 28 at the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts in Burlington and on September 26 at Harwood Union High School in Duxbury.

Additional VYO members will post blog entries in May and July, as the students focus their blog around their preparation for each of this season’s concerts. They’ll comment about their rehearsals, the repertoire they are learning, their lives as emerging musicians and general goings on – from a backstage perspective – at the Elley-Long Music Center.

Feel free to check the blog often! For more details on the VYOA or for details on our concerts, please visit our website at www.vyo.org.

Photo: Jordan Silverman