Monday, June 15, 2009

I'm losing all my stuff, but I'm finding it again too

Today I managed to lose (and then retrieve) at some point during the day: my favorite water bottle (it is green and printed to look like grass), my only US to UK plug adaptor, my gamba, and my wallet.

This wasn't in one go- like I left a pile of stuff somewhere forgot where it was and eventually found it all again in the same place. No, this was me hemorrhaging my stuff. I left my water bottle on the DVD rack in the Barbican library, my gamba in the recording studio, my wallet was left on the check out counter at the library but I ended up having to sign for it down in the main Barbican foyer because the library staff was on it and being protective of the wallet which I really appreciated, and my plug adaptor was-to be fair- just under my foot but it was the last thing I lost and I was at that point I was ready to count it.

But Casey, why were you carrying around your gamba anyway? Because there was consort today!! A couple of weeks ago I saw Vlad, a cellist I've worked with a couple of times, carrying around a gamba and demanded that he let me play it. He was gracious enough to let me fool around on it for a while and we started talking about how wonderful viols are. I mentioned that I owned a tenor, he mentioned that there was now a consort at school, and I expressed my ardent desire to be a part of it.

So he hooked me up, and guess who it is run by? Alison, the cellist I originally saw at that now infamous Academy of Ancient Music concert my senior year at Interlochen. How totally cool is that? She says she vaguely remembers me from seven years ago, which I think is pretty darn neat.

We had a wonderful time playing six part consort music and I just love playing consort music. I really do. It was also a wonderful treat to get some playing time in that has absolutely nothing to do with my final project. So next week I get to do it again *and* I get a lesson! So cool.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

How lovely to end the day with the playing of your Gamba. At least that is how I picture the day went. Keep having fun to balance the stress of the IPE. aLove G&G

Andy said...

Um... be careful crossing the street for the next few weeks. NO JOKE! People get distracted and make mistakes even after a long time in the UK. I heard about a guy who stepped in front of a car after TWO YEARS of doing it right. And you are apparently "distracted" nowadays.

The consort news is indeed "pretty darn neat". Cool, even. Hip, daddy-o.

Love, Andy

Michael Smith said...

I'm guessing the Alison you're talking about is the very fab Alison McGillivray?

I thought you might like to know that she no longer plays with the Academy of Ancient Music, but she does a lot of really good work with The Bach Players:

http://www.thebachplayers.org.uk/about.html

Really interesting blog, by the way :-)

Casitareina said...

Michael- it *was* the very fab Alison McGillivray- but I was unsure how to spell her last name so I figured I'd just go with the first... I'll definitely check out the Bach Players.

The concert I reference was the first time I heard early music, or at least the first time I saw gut strings in an ensemble and I thought it was just about the best thing ever- so I bounced back stage after the concert, gushed to them, and eventually wrote an essay that got published in Double Bass World magazine that was essentially a fan letter to the AoAM. It was a pivotal moment in my life as a musician.

Thanks so much for reading the blog! I'm glad you're enjoying it!

Everyone else- I'm being careful! I'll be especially careful on the streets what with my recent ankle mishap as well...