Destination Vacation--Across the Street

This year, the Cleveland International Piano Competition is being held at the Bolton Theater in the Cleveland Playhouse for the first and probably only time because of remodeling at its usual site at CIM.


It's my lucky year because:

1. I'm almost totally off work and in town during the entire competition
2. I can afford a splurge, and
3. The Playhouse is a 5 minute walk from our house!

Since this magical planetary alignment may never again be replicated, I've splurged on a subscription to all the rounds for a total immersion experience, about 50 hours of live music in the space of 12 days! I've been listening for about 6 hours a day during these first rounds, and though it is a lot to digest and sometimes wears my brain out, I have heard a lot of exciting piano playing.

Some of these people are half my age and all can play circles around me. In earlier years this might have dragged up feelings of inadequacy (i.e., There But For Procrastination, Lack of Sufficient Drive, and Laziness Could have Gone I). But I love and am good at what I do in my little niche of the music world. Since I don't particularly enjoy the tedious kind of practicing it takes, I don't think the competition circuit/concert pianist path was meant to be my destiny.

But these pianists! Everyone here has already won numerous other competitions, and it's easy to see why. For the most part, they all have huge dynamic and color ranges and something compelling to communicate. There's a lot of music I haven't heard before, or at least don't know well. Sometimes a little part of my brain, always on the lookout, will think, "Hmm. I like that melody. I bet I could fit that into something for ballet class..."