Hello internets, we're coming at you live from some cute composer's living room, as my first week of auditions comes to a close. As much as I tried to avoid it, I did end up getting sick after the Shostakovitch concert, and was feeling like absolute crap all of Monday. Tuesday, I still had a bit of a head cold, but wasn't feeling too bad. My playing, on the other hand, was suffering. Tremendously. I just couldn't get the air into my lungs, and it felt like when I exhaled, it was all gone in a fraction of a second. I had an audition that day, the panel was the professor who did the masterclass back in November, and a horn professor, who is head of brass at that school. It was pretty embarrassing, as I knew she knew I'm better than that, and he started quizzing me on the physical way I'm supposed to produce pitch, which made me start to doubt myself, and wonder if I was playing all wrong and could just mask it pretty well except for when I'm sick. Unrealistic, I know, but I get silly and paranoid when I'm not feeling great.
Fortunately, I mentioned that I had an audition DVD that I made up for some other schools, and they offered me the deal of using that instead, if I brought one in (which I promptly did the next day). So, hopefully that audition counted for nothing, and they'll think the DVD is awesome or something. Which, I thought it was kinda average, but I've already heard back from one school saying it was a strong audition, so I'd be thrilled if other schools followed suit.
Also, I had an epic post-audition pick-me-up in the form of milkshakes and fries with that one person that I generally can't get enough of, though that I also haven't seen since like August, so that made me happy. ^-^
The second audition, which was this afternoon, was very strong. Both of us trumpet grads were auditioning here, his was just before mine. And, though there was one or two people who sounded much stronger than us, there was also quite a few who sounded weaker than us, so it looks like we've got a pretty good shot at this school.
People are asking me these days, what is my number one choice? Well... to be blatantly honest... I have no idea. I have different reasons for all the schools I've applied for, and some of them have more reasons than others, but all of them would be fantastic in their own right. And... I'm kind of banking on the schools making drastically different funding offers, so I don't have to think so hard, but if it comes down to it, I have no idea what I'm going to take.
I do have one more audition, this one in the U S of A, that's next Saturday. It's not a long one, but I was slightly suicidal and put Magnificat in my excerpts... I might try and change that out for something less... face-rending. I can get through it... once... sometimes. Someone who shall remain nameless (and who has to stop being so awesome) brought up the point that the fact that I can get through it at all means I have the ability to topple the beast, but it's just not worth the risk. Maybe I'll put some Handel on there instead.
And that's my rant, next time will probably be after that audition sometime, then we can get back to random things! Because obviously that's what people want to hear (read) is stuff that has stuff to do with stuff that isn't stuff that is relevant stuff! That was a coherent sentence! Stuff!
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