Peabody Times

It is so amazing and lovely to be back here. Getting from Dulles to Baltimore was a bit of a trial, but all things considered (three different forms of public transportation and four hours) it went very smoothly. I arrived at Penn station in Baltimore at about 9pm and Angela met me at the station which was wonderful of her. We then proceeded to talk for hours and hours and got right back in to our old pattern of "practicing" which involves one of us holding a bass and both of us talking each other's ears off.

It is fulfilling to come back to a place where you have been gone for a while but you still have lots of friends there. Audrey and I squealed and jumped up and down, the admissions office ladies gasped in a very satisfying way. It is interesting to see who remembers that they haven't seen me in a while but can't quite place me...

Everyone is so nice here! Peabody people are great. Even the new ones that I have been meeting are just sweethearts.

I made a list about a month ago of all of the things that I wanted to make sure that I did while I was in baltimore and I got over half of them done (or at least set up) yesterday. I was thinking that I wouldn't be able to get a hold of the Arceci's but then ran in to Mrs. Arceci on the street. I ran into ROBIN today (the most excited wonderful violist ever who doesn't even go to Peabody any longer. She's up at the top with the big grin), and Jason who won a Fulbright to Germany is in town for his final DMA lecture recital. I have been running in to so many people who have no reason to be here right now but are also so exactly the people that I am hoping to see.

Yesterday was a gorgeous clear blue skyed and summer tempratured day and I went for a bunch of walks with people, had breakfast with Angela, lunch with Zane, and dinner with Jacob. I had a meeting with Director Sharkey this morning, met his wife and chatted about all the cello students she has sent to GSMD, ran into Mark Cudek, have plans to play with consort on Wednesday, set up my day of Daniel tomorrow and on Sunday I even get to see the Charlton parents.

So basically I'm running boisterously around the school grinning at everyone and having a wonderful, wonderful time.

Actual Audition!

Whew.

I am now on that sort of empty low after something that you've been anticipating for forever is finally over. What to do next?

Blog about it, of course. My accompanist was nice enough. There was some mix up in signing out the rooms and so a wind quintet came in to rehearse while we were in the room. He got rather angry and so, in an effort to calm him down a bit, I told him that things like that happened all the time at Peabody too. He was surprised. He expected that everything in America was well run. That sparked yet another conversation of America vs. Great Britain and how the two are similar/different. I keep being surprised at how many people have not been to America. I really probably shouldn't be. Though now is really a good time to go! The dollar is terrible! Go! Spend money in America! But buy locally, okay? Those independent bookstores need your money.

But the audition. We went in an played the Eccles. It went okay, better than the rehearsals had been. I was both standing and playing on an unfamiliar (much larger) instrument. It went okay. I played barefoot- I love that this is a laid-back enough program that I could play barefoot. Then I went and sat down, handed them my portfolio, and began to talk. A lot. Very animatedly. Leaning forward and making too much eye contact.

I told them that I was very interested in the collaborative aspects, more so than the workshop aspects necessarily. I told them about the poetry collaboration and about how that was 5 years ago and I still talk about it. I told them about how I had loved preparing for my recital, but how, when I thought about what I wanted to do with my life, I knew that it wasn't going to be sitting in a practice room by myself for hours on end and that it wasn't going to be with a traditional orchestra. I told them about how much I loved dance, and about dalcroze and movement. I told them that I was nervous that I was so much more interested in the collaborative aspects than the workshop aspects, but also that we don't have that in America yet, so I really didn't know what I was talking about. I told them about being a camp counselor. I told them about Peter McCarthy and showed them my article that I wrote for Bass World. I told them what I thought were the important/key points for a good/effective collaboration. I told them some other stuff too, that is what I remember.

And here is the thing: You know Jeffery Sharkey, the new director and his wife Alison Wells, the cellist that convinced the other cellists to come to the program? And you know the Young Se Toe (or however you spell that) Conservatory in Singapore that Peabody founded? There are all of these connections. The Leadership programme has someone in Singapore (Bernard or Bertram or something else equally British sounding and starting with a B) and apparently Sharkey has been talking to Guildhall a bunch and then there are all of Alison's proteges here now. So here is what I need to do: I need to talk to Sharkey and Alison. For real. Because I could help, I could be a great liaison between the Leadership Programme and Peabody. I would be really great at that. And that would be so cool.

So I might not get in this year, but they responded well to what I was saying and at the very least we have all met now and begun talking. They only have 8 spots, and they have three days of interviews. They have my e-mail address and are going to let me know if there are any events while I am still in London, but unfortunately it is Easter/Spring break and not much is going on.

And that's all I've got right now. Except that I am heartily sick of sandwiches. (Thought I am thankful that they have been feeding us these past three days.)