It's a Small World

November 24, 2010 at 5:17 AM

The more I perform, the easier it is to lose myself to the music... This past Sunday I performed Mozart's Oboe Quartet in a pre-concert piece for the Houston Civic Symphony.

The pre-concert quartet went well. I flubbered a section that had a few measures of 16th notes in the Rhondo movement when my bow arm decided to have one of its "moments" (shearing pain from the back down to the fingers). I resorted to playing the bigger beats until the feeling came back in my arm. I wasn't the only one who "flubbered" a measure or two throughout the opiece, which made me feel better about my own "flubbering". Mistakes included, the audience enjoyed the piece. Several of a section violist's students nick-named me "The Beast", which apparently is a good thing.

Surprisingly, I met another v-com violinist, Susan Jeter, just prior to the quartet performance. She walked up while we were warming up and asked if I was the same Mendy who's blogs she's read on this site. It turns out that we both live in the same area of the greater Houston area. We didn't get a chance to talk much, but made that all important first connection.

The world becomes smaller every day...

From Tom Holzman
Posted on November 24, 2010 at 3:46 PM

Overpopulation is definitely a myth. There are only 10,000 people in the world, as you found out.

From Susan Jeter
Posted on November 24, 2010 at 4:59 PM

Hi Mendy - thanks for the shout-out!

I learned a new word today - flubbered - very descriptive...

From Robert Keith
Posted on November 24, 2010 at 6:13 PM

Mendy,

I enjoyed reading your story.

From Susan Young
Posted on November 24, 2010 at 8:51 PM

It is a small world. A v.com member emailed me privately about an issue I was having with my violin. He lives only an hour from me and offered to take a look anytime I can make it out there.

Another v.com member suggested I join a facebook page for beginning adult violinists. That lead to a friend request and come to find out, we both show dogs in the South East, US.

From Anne-Marie Proulx
Posted on November 24, 2010 at 9:50 PM

Tom... we are overpopulated for the ecology and natural ressources of the planet! No specie has destroyed more earth and killed as much members of other species than us. But maybe not overpopulated for meeting other violinists friends! : )

Anne-Marie

From Mendy Smith
Posted on November 25, 2010 at 2:00 AM

Susan J - It was great meeting up with you! Sorry I didn't make it to the post-concert shin-dig, but I was absolutely exhausted. We're going to have to meet up again sometime to chat and maybe do some music-making :)

Susan Y - the older I get, the smaller the world becomes, especially in the music world. The new quartet I'm playing in started off as 4 complete strangers, but after a few rehearsals we discovered ties that brought us down to a single degree of separation, not the typical six.

From Robert Keith
Posted on November 25, 2010 at 4:08 PM

Susan Y,

I sent this question I am about to ask you to your email box, but how does a person go about joining a facebook page for beginning adult violinists?

From Robert Keith
Posted on November 25, 2010 at 4:34 PM

Susan Y,

Thank you. I have the information.

From Stephen Brivati
Posted on November 26, 2010 at 5:00 AM

Greetings,

>Susan Y - the older I get, the smaller the world becomes,

Well, when you get much older the world will measure precisely 6 feet by four. A sobering thought.

Cheers,

Buri