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June 4, 2005 at 7:27 AM

Not a strictly musical entry, but we had a really fun celebration tonight at Nevin's after the final NUSO concert, at which we played Colin Matthews' Horn Concerto with Gail Williams and Shostakovich 4. I spent a lot of time talking to Alicia, Andrew, and Leslie, and I'm very glad Alicia and I will still be in the same city next year--just a different one.

I also must note--I spontaneously got Maestro Yampolsky The Onion's Dispatches from the Tenth Circle as a going-away gift. It is totally his sense of humor, and I was even somewhat surprised he had not heard of The Onion before. He seemed delighted, however, so I hope he sits down with it and enjoys reading through it at some point. Also on Monday I'm going to Trader Joe's with Andrew to pick out a nice wine for my teacher. I've already gotten a card with a quote from Theodore Geisel (aka Dr. Seuss): "You can get help from teachers, but you are going to have to learn a lot by yourself, sitting alone in a room." To me, the tone of the quote sounds somewhat lonely, but ultimately liberating. It is something my teacher has told me in more words, and I am grateful that he and I both agree that while he has taught me a great deal and I am forever indebted to him for those high values and standards of discpline and integrity, in the end I must learn to teach and trust myself.

Tomorrow, in addition to the fun of a sight-reading party the size of two octets (with my mad music major skills I believe that's a whole 16 people) downtown at the Fine Arts Building, I hope to actually practice solo stuff! I also have one last final, a music history exam, to write ideally before Tuesday, and a couple more friends' recitals to watch. Then back to Canada!