A Year in the Life

December 30, 2007 at 2:54 AM

My goodness, I can't believe how fast this year has gone by. Seriously, if the next 7 semesters go by as fast as this first one has, then I'm scared. Overall, 2007 has been a good year, though. Seeing as everyone seems to write a summary of the past 12 months during this time of year, I'm going to follow suit and look back at what I've been up to since January . . . Alrighty . . .

The most exciting event in January was winning the Topeka Symphony Youth Talent Competition. I played the first movement of Symphonie Espagnole. It was my third time in the competition, and as a senior, it was really rewarding to actually take first place.

In February, I auditioned for the University of Kansas, with the Lalo again, and the Bach G minor Fugue. I was fairly nervous, but overall, it went great, and earned me a good scholarship. Also this month, I had my first recital for a studio of 10 violinists and violists. It went well, and I was so proud of my little munchkins. :)

By March, senioritis was starting to set in. I was taking physics, Latin, Medieval history, literature, health, and Catholic doctrine. Not too heavy a load, but still . . . conjugating pluperfect subjunctive Latin verbs wasn't exactly fun. ;) I was also preparing Lalo, Bach, and Mozart for some upcoming concerts.

April was a busy but rewarding month. First, I gave my senior recital: the Bach G minor Adagio & Fugue, a Mozart sonata, K. 304, and the first 3 movements of Lalo. And some fiddle tunes for an encore. :) It actually turned out to be one of the most fun, relaxed performances I've ever given. Then, just three short weeks later, I performed the first movement of Symphonie Espagnole with the Topeka Symphony. It was a little nerve-wracking at times, since I'd never played with a professional orchestra before (just my youth symphony) The conductor and orchestra members were extremely supportive however, and I was very happy with the whole experience. Also that month, I saw the Emerson quartet perform. They. Were. Amazing. Their performance of Schubert's "Death and the Maiden" was especially gorgeous and thrilling.

May finally comes and I'm aaalmost done with high school. Somehow I made it through the last couple weeks of class, and graduated from Mother of Divine Grace School with a 3.96 GPA. I also played the Mozart sonata again for the senior recital of pianist friend, Hannah Ostermann.

June was probably my favorite month of the entire year. Why? Two words: Sound Encounters. :-D I got to go to my favorite summer camp for the fourth time, and it was even more wonderful that the first thee years. I've posted many notes about it on this blog, so I'll won't repeat myself. But I will say that I learned a lot, had loads of fun, and made priceless memories.

Coming home inspired from camp, I dove into some fresh music during July, trying to apply what I'd learned to the 5th movement of Lalo, and the last two movements of the Bach sonata. I also had orientation for the University of Kansas, and discovered a hidden taste for classic rock. ;)

The summer flew by way too fast. Of course. Classes at KU began August 16, and I started finding my place on campus. Orchestra auditions were also this month, and I spent the semester playing principle second violin.

Classes were in full swing by September, and orchestra started to get busier, as we prepared Overture to Candide, the Firebird Suite, and Dvorak 8. I also wrapped up my Bach sonata, and began working on the Brahms G major Sonata, one of my very favorite pieces. Also I got to see a concert I'd been looking forward to for months: Scottish fiddler Alasdair Fraser, and cellist Natalie Haas. It was amaaaazing, and a ton of fun. I have both their albums and listen to them constantly.

October brought fall break, a nice little respite before a rather crazy couple months. When classes resumed, I literally had three master classes in as many weeks. On the 18th, I performed the Brahms G major sonata for the Ahn Trio, and the following week, played the 5th movement of Lalo for Carolyn Huebl. Huebl especially, was a fascinating teacher, and gave a beautiful recital when she visited. My little students also gave another recital this month, and were adorable, as usual. :)

November was definitely the most stressful month of 2007 . . . on Nov. 3, I played Lalo again for a master class, only this time it was Gil Shaham. I'm not sure what I was so nervous about, since he was incredibly friendly and had great suggestions. And his recital afterwards . . . oh my goodness. He played the Bach A minor sonata flawlessly. I've never seen such impressive solo Bach. It was very legato. Actually, I'd never play it that way myself, his interpretation was still completely convincing. The other big event this month was The Music Man. Six times. In two weeks. Plus four dress rehearsals. Yeah . . . Between rehearsals and performances, we ended up doing the show 7 times in a row at one point. Not fun. But it went really smoothly, and we all experienced the special bonding that goes on in the pit. :)

Wait, finals already?? December was understandably busy. Our orchestra played the annual Holiday Vespers concert and then before you knew it, it was time for finals and juries. Between all the final papers, projects and quizzes, I didn't get much sleep those last couple weeks. Finals went pretty well, and for my jury I did the Lalo again (surprise!) and a couple movements of Brahms. I ended up with all A's, and overall, am happy with how the semester went.

Whew, now that I look back at it, I can't believe all that happened . . . in just one year. Now I'm looking ahead to 2008, and trying to figure out some new goals and plans, both musically and in my whole life. But that, I believe, is for a future blog . . . ;)

From Sydney Menees
Posted on December 31, 2007 at 7:16 AM

Wow Ruth, what an awesome year! I really enjoyed reading all about it.

And everyone, Ruth was AMAZING in her master class with Shaham!

From Rev. Edwin Perez
Posted on December 31, 2007 at 12:17 PM

Dear Ruth,

You had a great year especially for all the transitions you went through graduating from high school and then entering the university. If you thought your first semester went fast be prepared for the next seven; they will fly by. That's how it was for me when I did my undergraduate degree (BM in violin performance) at West Virginia University as well as the five years of seminary prior to ordination. Keep up the good work and enjoy your practice and studies. And give everything your best effort. Have a blessed New Year.

Rev. Fr. Ed Perez

This entry has been archived and is no longer accepting comments.

A Year in the Life

Subscribe

Laurie's Books