January 29, 2005 at 9:48 AM

I have an embarrassingly small number of classical recordings in my belongings--mostly because I'm too cheap to spend the money on it. However, I still have the first string quartet tape I ever got... Wait, it's the only string quartet recording I have. I received it as a stocking stuffer for Christmas in 1990 from my mother, who bought it on a whim. I stuck it in, and the first chords rang out, gaudy, rough, and dissonant from the violin. What is this stuff? It's weird. I was embarrassed as I ejected the tape and looked again at the cover. Turtle Island String Quartet. Whatever it was they were selling, I wasn't buying. My mom, thinking she'd bought a classical tape, apologised for the mistake, and I put it in a drawer, forgetting about it until a year later when I happened upon it once more. Plugging it into my walkman, out of desperation mostly, since I didn't have anything else to listen to, I gave it a chance. After I'd listened to the entire side, I flipped it and listened to the other side. Then I began again. I stayed in my room the rest of the evening at my art desk, drawing in pen and ink and soaking up all the color that flooded my ears. I loved this group, a jazz quartet with astounding versatility and improvisational skills, with a completely unique sound. I wore that tape out, and later bought the CD.

Since the Turtle Island String Quartet is the only quartet I know anything about, you can imagine my excitement when I found out last fall that they would be playing in Anchorage in March. I wouldn't be missing this concert for the world! But wait, it gets better: The Turtle Island String quartet will be playing in Soldotna, too! Holy cow, in my own town! Who'd have though that could happen? But wait, they're also offering a workshop/master class to boot. This is getting to be almost as amazing as an info-mercial. I mean, how much would you expect to pay for something like this? But wait! BUT WAIT! ...there's more. I received an email this morning requesting me to play for the master class. Me play for them? Is this still planet earth, and am I actually alive and awake? Did I read this right? In all my life, I never even thought something like this could happen to me. And now it scares the boogers out of me.

I know I can't possibly refuse, but in a sense, I would rather hide far away and be safe than to offer my tune as a sacrifice to these musical geniuses. I have a history of anxiety attacks on the stage, and it's something I've worked very hard at overcoming in the past year. Even so, playing for close friends and family can still be difficult at times, and I can't even feel my fingers and my bow arm gets a sudden bout of rigor mortis.

For me, this is the opportunity of my musical career, or so it seems. I'm bound to learn loads from the experience, regardless of the outcome of my performance under scrutiny. I just hope I live through it.

From Johnathan Honcerita-Le-Van-Ho
Posted on January 29, 2005 at 10:12 PM

you'll do fine!!!! wow...what are the chances of all that happening out of the blue? haha. you are lucky!

From Emily Grossman
Posted on January 30, 2005 at 9:31 AM

Jonathan, I must add that you have one of the coolest names I have ever seen.

I consider my entire life to be a series of "lucky" events. It continues to boggle me...

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