Dionne Salon--June 16th

Perhaps one of the hardest things about moving from Utah to Boston for me has been reestablishing a musical network--a network of friends, fellow musicians and teachers, and students. From scratch. Having grown up in Utah and going to college there I was fairly in the know, meaning I knew what concerts were happening, if they (in my opinion) were worth buying tickets to, and who was fun to play with. I gigged a lot around town and was able to really keep my hands in shape because of it.

In Boston it has been a different story. Without the cushion of knowing people and/or going to school here, it has been tricky to find opportunities to play that are fulfilling and motivating for myself. My studio is going really well which is a huge blessing and I love working with my students and taking advantage of this opportunity to build my studio from scratch, reworking my policies, and refining and implementing my views on teaching. But I have often felt a void where the Orchestra at Temple Square and the Sylvan String Quartet used to be in my week. They were great opportunities for me to play simply because I love to play.

The parents of one of my families invited me to participate in a recital they were holding at their home last fall and then again at another recital in June. Excited to have a reason to practice I quickly committed myself to play a violin duet with Coleen Bennett in our ward called Navarra by Sarasate, a Mozart Sonata with a fabulous pianist in our ward Cara Quinn, as well as playing the Bach Double with my student Alex.

While it was a little stressful in the weeks leading up to the performance, it was so great to need to practice and have a reason to do so other than "you only have to practice on the days that you eat." And how wonderful it was to play with good musicians! The night of the performance was lovely. My family and Eric came and we gathered in the Dionne's home for a lovely evening of music, refreshments, and mingling.

Eric recorded some of the performance if you want to take a listen. The second track is my favorite.

Mozart Sonata in Bb, 1st Mov't
http://youtu.be/ViJIDSN8V34

Mozart Sonata in Bb, 2nd Mov't
http://youtu.be/FlJKc857hCs

If you want to check out Alex and I playing the Bach Double go here.