Why Music Matters

We had our first performance of Brundibár at 10:00 this morning. I was rehearsal pianist for the two casts of singers in their tweens and young teens over the past three months, and was very excited to play the piano part with the CityMusic Cleveland musicians. We are playing four matinees for school kids and five evening performances for the general public.

This morning's performance was reserved for the students at John Hay High School. And I mean the entire school. Several hundred teenagers filled the auditorium, talking, laughing, texting, playing with their iPods, etc. I could tell they were happy to get out of class for an hour. But I couldn't help wondering if their teachers had given them any of the background context for the opera. Would they get it? Would it engage them and draw them in? Would they even like it?

The cast and most of the orchestra pre-set ourselves at the back of the auditorium before the concert began. The idea was that we would process up to the stage after the first piece, seamlessly and without the distraction of the doors in the back letting in light from outside. The concert started with Max Bruch's Kol Nidre for cello and piano, played beautifully. Unfortunately for those of us in the back, there was a constant stream of kids entering and exiting the back of the auditorium as the security guard cluelessly let them in during the piece, light flooding in, letting the doors slam as they closed. Kids being kids, there was a lot of whispering, giggling, and shushing from the peanut gallery. There were slides projected onto a large screen during the performance, but apparently that wasn't enough to focus them. They clapped when they thought the piece was over, about a minute too soon. I know that most of them have rarely or never attended a classical concert, so they don't know the protocol as well as they might.

The sound of a train whistle filled the room. Huge, menacing-looking images of a black steam engine filled the screen. Spotlights illuminated the aisles. I got to lead a line. We were to walk--slowly--while a very few musicians played the 90-second overture. It's hard to walk slowly but fast enough so that everyone behind you can get to their place on stage before the overture is over.

Maybe it's because I was on stage, behind all of the other musicians, but I didn't hear any noise from the audience except when they laughed or clapped at the action on stage. At the very, very end, something special happened. Ela Weissburger, who played the Cat in all 55 of the original performances in Thereisenstadt, came up to the stage and talked to the kids for about 15 minutes about how this music helped her survive the horrors of living in a concentration camp. It gave everyone involved an escape from the cold, the hunger, the terror of being sent away to a place no one ever came back from. It gave them hope, a feeling of connectedness, and a hold on their sanity.

She is in her early 80s. Her voice isn't the loudest and she didn't have a microphone. But that room was absolutely silent. They got it.

Treasurer

My church has been soliciting the congregation to fill the position of Treasurer for several months now. This is the first time in my memory that no one on the Board of Trustees stepped up for it. Every week, there has been an (increasingly desperate) announcement that we need a volunteer for this position, that no experience is necessary, that Steve (our outgoing treasurer) will walk you through the first month or so.

I knew about this position back in June, when Steve's 2-year term was supposed to end. All summer I have been thinking about it. My first reaction was that it would be too much for me to take on, with two hard classes plus additional music work this fall.

But last week, I was talking to Paul about whether I should take on the volunteer tax clinic for a second year, which would entail taking the training class again (6 Saturdays in the fall, 4.5 hours per class) and doing people's taxes for 10 Saturdays (5 hours a day) in the spring. Would it really add that much to a resumé to say that I did it for two seasons instead of one? Or would it be better to get some experience with some bookkeeping-related work, since that's what I hope to do with this degree?

Internships are hard to come by in Cleveland, in this economy. Finding a part-time one that I can work into my strange schedule during the school year seemed well nigh impossible. As we were talking about it, I realized: here is a chance to get some experience that can work around my schedule! Here's a description of the Treasurer's responsibilities from the Beacon (monthly newsletter):

The Board is seeking a Member to fill the position of Treasurer. This is a 2-year position to begin as soon as possible.

The Treasurer tasks include:

• Receiving and processing donations, pledges, offering and other income
• Working with the Bookkeeper to compile monthly reports
• Attend Board meeting to present monthly reports
• Maintain Account of Finances
• Submit Fiscal Year End Report
• Pledge Receipts Reporting to Individual Members

This work is done with the assistance of the Society’s Bookkeeper and Office Administrator. Steve Doell the previous Treasurer will work with the new Treasurer to provide guidance and assistance during the first month to help the volunteer to become familiar with the tasks and duties of the position.

It's almost like the universe was saving this opportunity for me to take on, as no one else has expressed any interest in it for the past 3 months.

Grown-Up Clothes

For all these years, I've gotten away with these three looks for every job I've ever had:

• Weekend/Casual
• Church/Wedding
• Concert/Evening Wear

Never in my life have I ever had occasion to wear a suit. I had a special audition yesterday where none of the above looks would cut it, so Wednesday I went to the Ann Taylor store and bought this outfit, minus the scarf. I even got the slacks hemmed 1-1/2 inches so they would be the perfect length. I certainly wasn't overdressed, and now I can think of all kinds of occasions I could wear this.

Looong Day at the Piano

It looks like I'm now on the regular rotation at Stages. They want me every weekend! But two nights there back to back last weekend had the result of an achy back and glazed eyes staring at the computer writing my essay until 1 am both nights. Once in a while, okay, but this is no way to live! So this time, when offered both nights for the next month, I said I'd be delighted to do one night each weekend. So much more sane! I finished this week's essay last night so I don't have to work on it tonight at all.

Good thing, too. Here is my day today:

9:00-11:30 am--my usual two ballet classes at CSD , only an hour earlier than usual

1:45-5:00--back to CSD to play for the audition for the summer program at the School of American Ballet. If last year is any indication, 70 students will show up from all over the region, and it will be fast-paced and required me to be at my most quick-thinking.

I am then scheduled at Stages from 5:00-8:00. Yes, this means I will be late (which I hate). And I won't have time to eat anything save something portable I can inhale behind the wheel of my stick shift while hurtling down Carnegie Avenue (likewise).

Just think, I decided to go back to school because the jobs were thinning out and now look! Well, it does beat not having enough to do.

Funny Post About a Piano-Shaped Object

We pianists have the mixed blessing of not having to lug our instrument all over kingdom come to do a job. I say "mixed" because sometimes you have to deal with some exceptionally crappy instruments and just make the best of it. Slightly out of tune (or even moderately out of tune), I can deal with. Some things I've had to work around:

• Sticking keys that don't release once you've played them. If you're lucky, the key might bounce back if you hit it sharply.
• No damper pedal. Can you say "legato fingering?"
• A key that, when depressed, sticks together with several of its neighbors who all come along for the ride. This happened to me during a performance in high school (it was in a mall and no one was listening, but still!) Fortunately it was all in the high register, so I just didn't use that octave for the rest of the performance.
• And of course, the most common: one particular nasty out-of-tune note, the aural equivalent of moldy leftovers crawling with orange and green maggots and fungus. If I don't have a tuning wrench with me, as is usually the case, I just either 1) don't play anything that includes that note or 2) transpose everything to a key that doesn't include that note. This requires lightning-quick mental acrobatics and music theory geekiness, which keeps me on my toes, and isn't always successful.

One of my Windsong friends pointed me to this funny blog post by the pianist for the Bread and Roses Feminist Singers. She referred to this Piano From Hell as "the piano incarnation of Florence Foster Jenkins." Enjoy--it's hilarious!

( Go to Bread and Roses MySpace page and click on the blog entry called "In the Loosest Sense of the Word." Sorry about this indirect link. It wouldn't load when I tried to post it the normal way.)

High Notes

I played for Windsong's winter concert this past Saturday, and we got a fabulous review on coolcleveland.com! Check it out--it's near the bottom of this page. One of our singers thanked the reviewer, and passed me along this excerpt from a follow-up email, which made my day:

Well, Karin is a treasure for anyone! She really understands collaborative piano, which all too few pianists really do!

It made my day. Besides, I just had to brag a little. ;-)

I also landed a temporary gig at Stages Restaurant at the Cleveland Playhouse, which just happens to be a 5-minute walk from our house. I play from 5-8 pm for the next 2 Friday and Saturday nights. My first night was last Friday. I had to put together a 3-hour playlist of mostly non-classical music, which took some hours, but now it's done and written down. I would have been lost without it, I can tell you! I actually have more than 3 hours' worth of music, probably 2/3 standards and show tunes. The piano there is beautiful and in tune, two things I never take for granted. I had a really good time, got lots of compliments from the diners, and forgot to take breaks! (I've got to remember to pace myself, though--my back and brain were pretty fatigued at the end of the evening and the whole next day!)

Who knows--maybe it will become a semi-regular gig. That would be great!

Doors Closing and Windows Opening

Last week I got my contract paperwork for one of my regular jobs. My stomach flipped unpleasantly when I saw that I was only offered classes 3 days a week instead of 6. I can't say it was a total surprise, since I know there have been financial issues.

This isn't the first time this has happened. In 2000, the Cleveland Ballet folded, everyone lost their jobs, and we found out about it by coming to work one day only to find the doors padlocked and the electricity cut off. That was definitely the worst.

Then in the fall of 2003, I lost a third of my hours at one of my jobs because classes were condensed due to low enrollment (bad economy, fallout from No Child Left Behind, etc.). Now I'm down another 8 hours. At this rate, the next time this happens, there will be no more hours left to cut.

I lost some sleep the first couple of nights, thinking first of all, how am I going to make up that lost income? All of the surviving dance companies in town are so financially lean they can't afford an accompanist. Freelancing (shows, weddings, parties, etc) are a nice supplement but aren't a steady source of income. Yes, I know, I have Paul, but I really need to be doing something more than 22 hours a week. I'm not old enough for this Lady of Leisure lifestyle and won't be for at least another 25+ years. Besides, his job won't be there forever either--once his boss retires, he'll need to find something else, which will probably involve a substantial pay cut. It would be pretty ugly if I have a long-term pay cut at the same time.

I'm starting to think that the career of dance accompanist will become obsolete pretty soon as budget cuts force schools and companies to save money by using CDs for music. And pretty much what's out there as steady jobs for musicians involves teaching. "Why not do that?" I'm sure you're asking. Well, because I hate it. I mean, really hate it. I'd rather go back to school and train to learn how to do something else, that's how much I hate it.

I started thinking about this on Thursday when I was browsing the want ads on cleveland.com. All of the available music-related jobs involved teaching in the schools. I also checked out entry-level general office jobs which could be part-time and make a dent in the lost income, but they really don't have a future. I really don't want to get stuck in that path--I know I could do better than that if I'm willing to take a little risk.

So I thought about other things I like to do that, with some education or training, could become a marketable skill, preferably one that would never become obsolete. I do enjoy anal-retentive detail work, computers, numbers and money, and have an aptitude for all of those things. Just for fun, I went to the Tri-C (our community college) website to see what programs they offer. I looked at the accounting program and actually started getting inspired.

You're probably thinking, that sounds so boring. Some parts probably are. But I'm good with numbers. I've been keeping track of every cent of my own money, income and spending, for almost 14 years straight, because I like to. I like all those graphs and reports in the Money software. If I get an Associates degree in accounting, I could get a job as a bookkeeper while keeping my other music jobs. If I decide I want to later, I could transfer those credits to Cleveland State, get a Bachelors and become a CPA.

I could totally do this. We have savings left even after the Europe trip, including most of my inheritance from Grandma. What better use of it than investing in my future? The whole 2-year program adds up to about $5000 in tuition, so I wouldn't even need loans. And heck, it would be easier to do this now than it would if I were, say 57 years old.

I feel smiled upon by fortune that I've managed to have a 20-year career in my dream job. Most people in the arts never got the lucky breaks I've had, and have had to have "day jobs" to pay the bills. I'm not giving up or anything--my other music jobs are still there. For now. But I'm ready to diversify my marketable skills for the first time in my life, and I find this incredibly energizing.

Total Immersion

Finally coming up for air. Last Wednesday, I went out to Actors' Summit to play for the directors, which entailed learning the two hardest passages from the show in about 20 minutes to give them a rough idea of how fast I could learn. I liked their energy and we have an easy rapport. I did get the job. I got a copy of the original Broadway cast CD, the piano score, and a contract for one rehearsal this Wednesday night and 11 performances, starting Saturday. Some of the CD recording is different from the score, and whenever it's different we're doing it like the CD.

Starting last Wednesday afternoon, I have been eating, sleeping and breathing this score, practicing up to 4 hours a day, taking breaks every hour to go for a bike ride or do a little yoga, listening to the CD constantly, and writing out the parts that are different in my lazy, music-score-free code that nobody else can read. Most of it I can now play well enough to play along with the CD so I can get used to the vocal parts, cues and tempo changes. It's working. Snippets of the show are now the soundtrack of my subconcious, which means it's sinking in. I still have things to clean up, but now I can play the whole thing (well over an hour of music).

Good thing, too. My first--and only--rehearsal is the day after tomorrow, and I really want to make a good impression and do a good job. I've been really physically tired from this, especially the first 3 days, but also energized. It couldn't have come at a better time in my schedule, as last week was my week off from CSD before the summer session started today, and I would have had nothing to do. I am just not used to that kind of intense practicing, though. I can't do more than 4 hours or the fatigue gets to be too much. My brain can only absorb so much information at a time anyhow. I think without the workouts I would have much less focus and stamina, yet another reason to keep it up.

Today, I went back to work at CSD. It was muggy and hit 95 degrees (our hottest day so far this year), but I still managed two round trips there by bike (I had a 3-hour break between classes) for a total of 16 miles riding. My first ride there, a month ago, took me 26 minutes to get there, and today's second trip took me only 21! (It takes about 12-15 minutes to drive, depending on the traffic.) It still feels strenuous (lots of hills) but it is noticably easier. I like seeing that sort of progress in such a short time.

Got Myself a New Gig!

My profile listing at www.artistschair.com is finally getting some nibbles after languishing for two years. Last Friday I was selected at random to be the "featured artist of the day", and someone from the Chagrin Valley Little Theatre called the same day to ask if I could play for a production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. I had to decline, unfortunately, because half of the run is during our Europe trip (boo!), but at least I was able to give him the name of another pianist and get on the call list for next summer.

Today, I got an offer from Actors' Summit to sub for 10 performances of The Musical of Musicals from June 23-July 15. If I'm lucky I'll get 10 or so days to learn the music and one rehearsal before being thrown onstage with the actors for a funny, fast-paced hour and 45 minutes in front of a paying audience. Wowie!

What a Difference 2 Weeks Makes

Lots of exciting things are happening lately. Our church has just called a new full-time minister (the vote, unanimous with 1 abstention, just happened this afternoon)! Our ministerial candidate, Colin Bossen, has spent a week with us, preaching 2 Sundays and sharing potlucks, sitting in on committee meetings, etc. so we could get to know each other. Our search committee has spent two years of hard work to get to the point of selecting him, and I can't imagine anybody else being a better fit for our congregation. So happy it worked out.

It certainly didn't hurt that it was a beautiful, sunny, 78-degree day. I was able to wear some summery clothes and I painted my toenails for the first time since last September. For most of the year, my feet get so cold I wear two pairs of socks everywhere except to shower and sleep, so why bother doing my toenails--even I don't get to see them anyway! It's a mood lifter and a ritual to welcome the warm part of the year.

My biggest news: Tomorrow I drive to Pittsburgh for the week to accompany at the Regional Dance America National Festival. 2,000 or so youth ballet company members from small towns across America, 12 pianists, 5 adjudicators and 24 instructors will be converging for days jam-packed with master classes and performances. I will be playing for 21 classes over 5 days (Tues-Sat). There will be a 3-hour performance every night (I won't be playing, just have the option of attending) in the historic theater district. We're staying in the hotel connected to the Convention Center, which happens to include an 8,000-square-foot gym and a pool. Lodging, meals, mileage/plane fare, and tickets to all performances are included in addition to our pay. I'm actually going to come out ahead financially!

I looked at the hotel web site, and evidently, my room will have a fridge. So today I went to Target and bought some snax for my stay, including a 2-liter bottle of Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper, my current favorite soft drink. We're getting a flat reimbursement for breakfasts and incidental snacks, so why not try gaming the system a little and save some money up front?

I won't have internet access the entire time I'm there, unless I'm willing to pony up 30 cents a minute in the 24-hour business center. I may do that once or twice, but mainly just to check email and clean out my spam box. I'll have my cell phone with me, and it will be on 24/7 the whole time, as that is the only way anyone, including Festival staff, will be able to get in touch with me. I'll fill you in on the deets when I get back.

Report From the Front

I am having the best time here in San Diego. I've been up since 5:15 (after being awake for 21 hours in a row from yesterday's 6:30 am flight here) and just now the tiredness is starting to hit me. Not only am I playing for Windsong, but I played for Columbus Women's Chorus and I'll be playing (and singing) for the mass chorus concert on Sunday. I have done nothing but exercise, eat, sing, play, and listen to concerts all day.

Here's something cool: Windsong has set up a blog for our experiences during this conference, where all of us can contribute. Some have even transmitted audio posts from their cell phones. Check it out! I'm off to post over there.

Love,
Karin

P.S. I'm beat--but in a good way.

Jewels: Sculpting Tomorrow's Artists

Saturday was show day, and the premiere of Galion. I got to wear a new (skinny!) black outfit and play for three pieces, two of which were my original compositions. I felt very privileged that I get to do this. The theater was freezing, as usual, so my hands never fully got warm, and when the curtain went up an even chillier breeze blew onto the stage. I felt a bit of an adrenaline rush but it was just enough to focus me, not enough to make things start falling apart. I thought it went really well and the kids looked beautiful as always.

We weren't allowed to take pics on the theater, even during rehearsal, or the union guys would have a fit, so I took some during the dress rehearsal at the studio on Thursday afternoon. Here are the Level 2 and 3 students in their final pose:

Here are Paul and I in the accompanists' dressing room after the show. What a great evening!

Duelling Pianos

I have had a very busy week. Last Thursday, I embarked on an adventure at 6:30 am, driving halfway to Columbus to a regional dance festival. I would be accompanying classes for members of various youth ballet companies from all over Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New Hampshire, led by the cream of the crop of instructors and paying 75 bucks a class, plus mileage and free food. My first class was scheduled for 8:30 am (ugh) but I was wide-awake and excited.

I arrived at 8:05, where a staff person gave me a tote bag full of goodies (cookies, water bottle, pens, tourist info on Ashland county, etc.) and led me to my first class location. "Some of the locations had pianos but some only had keyboards," he said, adding that some of the other pianists had, shall we say, expressed dissatisfaction with the keyboards the night before.

"Oh, Diva Syndrome!" I said with amusement, adding that I am used to playing a keyboard for class (I play mine for Troy's class twice a week). I was sure I could deal with whatever was there, and I had long ago learned that crappy pianos in the dance studio are simply a fact of life.

So we get to an enormous gymnasium. On one side was a taped-down marley floor with a Yamaha Clavinova (circa 1988) in the corner. I saw Troy and waved, thinking we were going to work together. "No, your space is over there," said my guide, pointing to an identical setup on the other side of the gym.

"Two pianos in one room?! How is that going to work?" I wanted to know. He assured me that they would roll a divider down the middle of the room and that should help some. I wasn't so sure about this but figured they must have thought this through so it must be okay. I checked out my keyboard, noting the volume was set only halfway to the max. Well, I guess it won't be that loud, I thought.

The divider, a thin vinyl sheet with nothing but mesh on the top third, was rolled down. Of course, it did absolutely nothing to mute the sound from the other side of the room. I heard Troy's voice giving the first exercise to his class, and then the music from the other guy's keyboard filled the room as if its speakers were directly in front of us. Uh-oh.

My instructor, Nina Danilova, started showing her combination. I couldn't hear her at all and when I started playing, could hardly hear myself. I turned up the volume to three quarters max. I could now hear myself, but the other guy still sounded louder. Plus, the instrument, although cutting edge technology in 1988, only has 16-note polyphony. This means that with the pedal down, once you play 16 notes either as chords or as a series, the first ones you played start cutting out. It sounded disjointed and all cut up, which certainly didn't help the 50 or so students in my side of the room hear any better. They couldn't even hear me well enough to tell whether they were on the music, so they were always ahead or behind me.

Eventually a staff person came in with an extension cord and I moved away from the wall and toward the middle of the space where we could hear each other a little better. Nina and I developed a system where, when I saw that they were off, I would yell out the counts. Oh, I forgot to mention that I was going on only about 4-5 hours of sleep so my focus wasn't the greatest. But I was eventually able to focus enough to shut out the other pianist so at least it wouldn't throw me off.

It was kind of cold in there but I had the foresight to bring a long-sleeved shirt. At precisely 11:00 am, halfway through my second class, a huge, earthquake-like rumbling sound engulfed the room. Big thunderstorm outside, I thought. But no. It was followed by grinding and whooshing of gigantic industrial-strength fans directly overhead. Blowing cold air, I might add. Just what we needed, a white noise machine! Now it was even harder to hear, and also freezing. The staff person came back saying they were working on getting it turned off, which never did happen.

At lunch in the Ashland University cafeteria (which had very good food, I might add), I sat with some of the other pianists, including the one I had "duelled" with, and laughingly shared our horror story with the others. It turned out that on his side of the room, all they could hear was me! We all agreed that whoever thought this setup was a good idea was seriously lacking something upstairs.

New Arrival: Galion

Proud mama Karin Tooley is pleased to announce

the birth of her newest composition

Galion*

started onThursday, May 18, 2005

finished on Wednesday, May 24, 2005

8.5 minutes long

This is the longest piece I've ever composed. Michael didn't finish setting the choreography until last Friday. We thought it was going to be 4 minutes, maybe 5, but turned out to be twice as long! Not wanting to have a symphony's worth of material, I managed to develop just one main motif throughout the piece. At first it seemed lame and overly repetitive, but I'm very pleased at how it came out. I hardly wrote anything down--who has time?!--and have already memorized it.

It is now on endless loop in the soundtrack of my mind. Every time I hear or play it for the rest of my life, it will remind me of this week. It's nice to know I've still got it. I can compose, even though I never do it unless for a performance and a deadline.

*This is Michael's title for the choreography. Curious, I googled it and came up with nothing except a small town in Ohio. I asked him how he came up with the title, and he said he saw the signs for the town when driving recently. The piece is a sort of fairy tale and the title sounds a little otherworldly.

ABT Weekend

Over the weekend I got to play for 4 warm-up classes for the American Ballet Theatre when they were in town. Conveniently, Case was on spring break so I was free in the mornings. I decided to walk to Playhouse Square on Thursday and Friday since it's not that far away (5.2-mile round trip). This gave me a nice light workout and saved me the hassle of finding parking.

This company is one of the premier ballet companies in the world. The dancers are extremely musical as well as technically breathtaking. It is an honor and pleasure to play for them. The ballet master was very easy to follow, clear and musical, and moved at a super-fast pace. I abstained from caffeine all weekend, knowing the slight adrenaline buzz would be plenty to keep me awake and alert. I played my best stuff, including original compositions, symphony excerpts, show tunes, etc.

Saturday was a master class for advanced-level area students (62 of them, it turned out!) taught by 22-year-old company member Craig Salstein. He was adorable--he looks a little like a young Matthew Broderick. He got very intense and passionate while teaching, never losing his charm. He would signal me to start with varying theatrical gestures that cracked me up.

On St. Patrick's Day, I started the class with "Danny Boy" (which I only play once a year). This turned out to be a big hit with some of the ABT dancers from South America. Turns out they know a pop song that uses the same melody, so on Sunday I got a request to play it again. When I did, a few of them burst into spontaneous applause. That made me feel great. I mean, these dancers have heard it all when it comes to accompanists.

On Saturday night, Paul & I went to see them perform Le Corsaire, a nineteenth-century story ballet about a pirate and his love for a harem girl. Paul and I giggled at the cheesy bodice-ripper plot idea. It sounds like fodder for a role-playing fantasy. ("You be the studly, well-endowed stable boy and I'll be the innocent, busty milkmaid.") In spite of that, the ballet really was gorgeous. Unlike, say, Swan Lake, there was a lot of action for the men in this one. Seeing the men jump and levitate in the air so effortlessly was really something to see.

Good Karma

Wow. The Karma Fairies are really smiling down at me today. My stunt that saved the day at the BalletMet audition a couple of weeks ago moved them to send a thank-you note and a check that was more than the gig paid me in the first place!

Dear Karin,

Thank you so much for "going the extra mile" (literally) for us at our audition. You saved the day for us and we could not have done the audition without your quick thinking and extra effort.

Please use the enclosed gift to treat yourself.

Sincerely,

Chris Rogers
BalletMet

This is awesome! I am going to treat myself when I get a chance to go to Sephora and use my gift card Darcy gave me for my birthday, as I'm running low on several goodies at once.

On another ballet-related note, tonight was $5.00 noght at the Cedar Lee movie theatre, so I went to see Ballets Russes, a documentary on the 20th Century dance troupe that, as I learned, actually brought ballet to most of America. There were tons of stunning archival footage interspersed with interviews with some of the dancers, now in their 80s and 90s.

Also, a lot of the music, soundtracks to the pieces choreographed decades ago on the company, were pieces I play for class all the time, that I didn't even know were used in a ballet ever!

I actually owe a lot of what I do for a living to the Ballets Russes, when I think about it. They almost singlehandedly brought ballet to American conciousness.

Saturday's Windsong Concert

Last weekend, Windsong performed our winter concert to a capacity (240+) crowd. My hands never got warm the entire time, though I think that was due more to adrenaline than the coolness of the room, but we did an excellent job! Here a really cool review. (Only one quibble--she says I provided "occasional" accompaniment. I guess that's true if by "occasional," one means "only" 75% of the songs.)

An Unintended Workout

I knew today was going to be jam-packed, but I had no idea just how much I would end up doing today. Here was my schedule:

9:30-10:30 UU Choir practice at chuch
10:45-12:00 Play for church service with choir singing
12:30-1:30 Potluck lunch, yak with friends
1:30-2:00 The first 1/2 hour of Worship Committee meeting, which I have to leave early from so I can get downtown in time for
2:30-4:00 Gig playing for audition class for BalletMet's Summer Intensive workshop. I then leave ASAP to arrive as soon as possible (though I will still be late) for
4:00-6:00 Windsong rehearsal (concert is this Saturday). Then I rush back to church for
6:30-8:30 Building Your Own Theology Class.

But how could anything else possibly fit into this schedule? you're probably thinking. Well, here's the story. Everything went great until I arrived downtown for the audition gig. It was held at the West Studio at the State Theatre (part of Playhouse Square). I have been gigging there intermittently for the past 18 years, and (other than it sometimes being chilly or the piano being out of tune) never have had any problems there. So I really didn't expect the scenario that awaited me.

I got there 10 minutes early (like a good little professional). I stuck my head inside the studio and noticed something unusual--the piano was gone. I glanced down the hallway and saw (what I thought was) the back of an upright piano against the wall. I introduced myself to the instructor and asked if there was someone who could help me move it back into the studio. She volunteered herself, and as we approached the "piano," we realized it was just a prop from the opera. The opera people were in the other studio, but there was only one piano in there and they were using it. Uh-oh.

I went down to the security guard, who first asked me if I had "ordered a piano" for the studio. He found the invoice, and, what do you know, there was the piano request in writing. He made a call to a worker, who was on break from 2:00-3:00. These are union guys, he explained. If he made them work during their break, they would charge double. They wouldn't be back until at least 3 and then they still had to "locate" a piano and then bring it up the freight elevator. I figured that, since the audition was over at 4 and it was now 2:30, by the time they got their act together it would be too late.

So after relaying this unwelcome information to the instructor, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I ran like a bat out of hell back to my car (3 minutes), drove home, making all the lights and only speeding a little bit (9 minutes), ran up the stairs to grab my little keyboard and accessories and back out to the car (2 minutes), and drove back downtown to my same parking spot (10 minutes). Fortunately, it was a nice, dry day. I then slung the 15-pound bag of accessories over my shoulder, tucked the 20-pound keyboard under one arm, and galumphed back to the studio and up the stairs (4 minutes). Smiling ballet moms greeted me and held doors for me. The instructor was beside herself with relief. "Oh, you're beautiful!" she exclaimed ecstatically.

She started showing an exercise when I entered the room, and by the time she'd finished I was all plugged in, set up, and ready to play (60 seconds).

Another example of how my regular workouts are paying off!
Total time spent saving the day: 25 minutes
Cardio minutes: 8
Strength training minutes: 6
Total minutes in target heart-rate zone: at least 25. Nothing like a beat-the-clock challenge to rev up the ol' metabolism!

Now my little keyboard is woefully inadequate for a ballet class. It only has 5 octaves. The touch is hard to control. I've banged it up over the past 13 years and some notes cause a rattling vibration or stick out too much or don't sound. But nobody cared. They were just so thrilled I was able to fix the problem.

I'm Having Doubts About the Gospel (Choir)

My Gospel Choir gig was so fun over the spring and summer. We sang every month in May, June, and July, culminating in the Raise the Roof Gospel Service on August 7, which was attended by over 200 people. We sang for 20 minutes and it went really well. We had the rest of August off and it was my understanding that we were going to start up in September with rehearsals to sing on the 4th Sunday as previously agreed upon.

Now I'm on the mailing list for their newsletter, which is how I found out they were planning to sing on the 3rd Sunday (their homecoming Sunday) in September ("featuring special music," etc.). Now this would have been fine with me if someone had let me know, but I was already committed that day at my own church. I got the feeling that no one there had any idea that my Sundays are full of other jobs and commitments, and I can't just be "on call" and flexible.

It's hard because their minister is on a 3-month sabbatical that doesn't end until November, so it seems like no one is in charge there. Andrew, the choir director, is talented and passionate but has real problems being organized, following through, and remembering agreements from one week to the next. So I wrote him a letter letting him know about my other Sunday jobs and reviewing the agreement for my availability for rehearsals and services. So no problem, Dorothea would play for their service on Sept. 18, then they would sing again on the 25th with me playing.

So I learned the 2 new songs, got there at 9:30 am as agreed on the 25th for rehearsal. Only one person showed up and Andrew himself was 30 minutes late! I was understandably irritated, especially when no one else ever showed up and we ended up not even singing after all that. I said I was going home and would see them not the next week, but the week after, as per our schedule agreement.

Last Sunday (Oct 9) was the day. Luckily it occured to me to check my cell phone for messages before trekking all the way there. There was a message from Andrew saying he was sick and rehearsal was cancelled. I called him back and said this was no problem, as I was sick too, see ya next week, etc.

So today I checked my phone--no messages--and drove all the way there, only to see no one in the sanctuary. I went downstairs to the fellowship hall, and there was Andrew along with 2 of the choir members. Everyone else had evidently left already. So once again, no rehearsal. I couldn't help feeling annoyed. I said maybe we should just sing for special occasions, two or three times a year maybe, because I was getting tired of putting energy into preparation only to have rehearsals fall through again and again.

Andrew was upset because every time he sees me I'm irritated, he doesn't like being bitched at, and if he had known I had so many other Sunday commitments in the first place, he wouldn't have hired me because, as he puts it, in his church tradition down South, a Gospel choir is a full-time commitment and his goal was to have it singing every Sunday! The other choir members were trying to calm him down, trying to explain to him that that isn't our agreement, apologizing to me for their fellow choristers' flakiness and thanking me for coming.

I guess we're not singing next Sunday, as we haven't had a rehearsal for too many weeks. I agreed to give them another chance for November, but really, I just don't need this aggravation. It doesn't help that David (the minister) isn't available, especially since he was the one to actually "hire" me. I know Andrew was just upset and venting, but that remark really bugs me. I feel like saying, "Well, good luck finding someone else who is both 1) able to learn your songs from a CD as well as I can and willing to do it for the small amount you're paying me and 2) available every Sunday to be at your beck and call. These 2 requirements tend to be mutually exclusive!" Grrrr.

A Deluge of Work

When I was under-employed all summer, sometimes I felt bored. Now I feel pressured. Sometimes I'm not so sure which is worse.

Here's my weekend.

Sat, 11 am. Cindi's wedding out in Boondockland, Lake County. Running there from a 9 am class at Gladisa's, dragging 75-pound behemoth keyboard and lots of songbooks. Dressed up, probably in the rain. Have I practiced anything for this? No. But I already know a lot of the music I'm going to play, and I'm a good faker.

Sun, 9:30 am. UU Choir practice. This is one of the few things this weekend that's not stressing me out. It's just that it means no sleeping in.

Sun, 11 am. Play for church service. Since the topic is Joseph Campbell: The Power of Myth Revisited , Paul really wants to come. We've decided to play our version of Wagner's Liebestod, from Tristan and Isolde, that I learned for Darcy's wedding. When else would be a more appropriate time to play it?! Tristan is only one of the great myths Campbell explores in depth. We'll be playing two other short pieces, we already know as well. Yes, I do already know the music, but I still have to practice and then we have to go over them together.

Sun, 12:45 pm. Gospel Choir rehearsal. I'm supposed to have learned 2 new songs from a CD, including writing down the vocal notes since Andrew is bad with pitch. I've only done 1/3 of one of them. Well, if I'm behind for this one, no one will be mad. I meant to do it earlier in the week but I got sick with a bad cold for days and didn't feel up to it.

Sun, 4:00 pm. Windsong rehearsal. No, I haven't even looked at the music. I can probably get away with this one, too--I've certainly done it before.

I tallied up all the hours I'm actually working at my 6 (count 'em!) gigs, and its 35.5 hours a week. Doesn't sound like much, does it? Boy, am I glad it's not more. Could be worse, I guess. I could have a sugar hangover on top of everything else.