Residency on the Farm

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Last week I participated in an artist residency on a farm in rural Wisconsin. The residency is organized by a friend of mine who is working to make it an annual retreat for writers, artists, musicians, poets, etc, to get together for a week and not only focus on their respective projects, but also talk, learn, and hopefully be inspired by one another.

It was such a great week! I went in just hoping to get a lot of practicing done without my regular everyday distractions, but I was surprised by how much more I got out of it. I was the only musician there, but talking with the others about our projects, goals, and challenges brought a lot of good discussion and questions to consider. My tendency is too get hyper-focused on technical aspects of playing viola. Playing in tune is, of course, important, but this was a nice reminder to keep a clear picture of the bigger form of the piece, and what I want to get across. I'm sure I've heard this before, but I think the writers I was with had a different way to talk and think about it. 

It was also refreshing to have a week away from phones/computers/screens. The farm is outside of Argyle, WI, and there was no phone or internet service. I could check my messages if I was willing to ride my bicycle up a giant hill about a mile from the farm. It felt good to have to work for it, instead of just pulling my phone out of my pocket 20 times a day. 

That part of Wisconsin is quiet and peaceful. My work space was a corner of the barn, and when I wasn't paying all I could hear were birds and insects (which are surprisingly loud!). Our meals were prepared by a local CSA farmer and were incredible! Highlights were goat curry, lamb moussaka, lots of delicious salads from her garden, and tasty local cheeses. It was a great way to finish up the summer!

My main project for the week was to work on a viola recital program I have planned for the fall, check back here for more details. Also, let me know if you're interested in participating in this residency next summer and I'll put you in touch with the organizers.

my practice space

Residents, some guarding against the mosquitos

Oscar and Monica

barn dance for Kat

student recital, part 1

violas!

Last weekend was the end of the year concert and all-day celebration of The People's Music School community music programs. I'm super proud of the violists I worked with this year, they are such a fun bunch of kids and I hope it's a group that will return and stay together in the fall. The students only got their hands on instruments in mid-February and are off to such a great start. 
This was a new community program for the The People's Music School and it was fun to be a part of it at the beginning. We saw the kids for six hours a week after school, which gave us enough time to cover a lot of material, play a lot of games, and do a lot of listening and performing over the past couple months. We had so much support from the teachers and administration at the CPS school, as well as from the parents; I think it's going to be a really positive program for everyone involved.
I'm already looking forward to next year, with a whole year of viola class these guys will be unstoppable!

viola etude project

I recently heard from my friend and colleague Sharon Chung who is about to start an interesting summer viola project. A while back she came across a huge stash of viola etudes by a composer that I (and probably most people) have never heard of: Johannes Palaschko. Over the summer Sharon is planning to learn and record a new Palaschko etude every day.

Palaschko was a German composer and violinist/violist, he lived 1877-1932; he studied with the famous violinist Joseph Joachim, and he wrote over 200 viola etudes and 500 violin etudes! This is the first I've ever heard of Palaschko or his etudes and I'm looking forward to Sharon's project. You can follow along on at The Palaschko Project. And if you're interested in playing some Palaschko etudes yourself you can find quite a lot of them on IMSLP. 

She will kick things off tomorrow, June 1!