Yesterday morning was very low stress…aside from the disgusting shower that all of us were forced to take at the hostel. There were only 3 showers per floor, and 15+ rooms (with multiple people in each) on each floor. Thankfully, I did bring my shower sandals, which helped a bit. The breakfast wasn’t too impressive either; I had a piece of bread and some watermelon. Yum.
I bought some internet time to catch up on some work (and facebook, of course!), and then met some people at 11am to go on an optional boat tour of the city. Since it was not "official", it took us awhile to find where we were going! I love how everyone will follow “the leader” blindly. I think we even went in a circle once, and no one even noticed!
The boat tour was really nice, and a great way to see the city. I was really impressed with the guide, as she did the whole thing in 3 languages; Danish, English, and German. Copenhagen is a beautiful city, with a lot of old buildings juxtaposed with brand new architecture. It was cool to see everything from the water, along with the explanations from the guide. I even got to see where Hans Christian Anderson lived!
After the boat tour, we had about 2 hours to kill before we needed to meet for the rehearsal and concert. We had some ice cream, then some coffee, and did a little window shopping. The weather was beautiful! We’ve been so lucky! I’ve even been getting some color on my skin (finally!)
I was able to lay down for a granny nap before meeting everyone at 2:40pm to walk over to Tivoli, where the concert was being held. Tivoli is a small amusement park in the middle of Copenhagen. It was so funny for us to walk into this place with all of our instruments and concert clothes. However, regardless of the rides and games right outside the windows, the hall was acoustically great (not decorated very great, but I guess they were trying to fit the “amusement park” theme) and the percussion equipment they provided was really nice.
We had lunch at the cafeteria at the hall. Food in Scandinavia is so much better and more fresh than in Germany. Not only taste wise, but my digestive system appreciated it as well! The percussionists had to eat quickly to help the crew set up the stage. It’s really funny because the one old man always calls me ‘Mariah’, and I don’t have the heart to correct him. Wictor and I set up most of the percussion stuff, and we were ready in plenty of time for the rehearsal.
The dress/touch-up rehearsal was really efficient and light. It was perfect just coming off of our first performance. Plus, the drums really sounded great in the hall, so we didn’t have to do much adjusting.
The concert itself went really well, and the audience loved it! I think that the overall performance was better than the first, but there were some weird things that happened in the Stravinsky that hadn’t happened before. I also challenged myself to focus on listening to different sections during my “rests”, and because of the new acoustics I was able to hear instruments that I hadn’t before, which was really enjoyable.
After the show, some of the orchestra members went out with family. Many of the musicians are from Sweden/Norway/Denmark, so it was a popular venue for friends and family to visit. I found some people to eat with, and we walked all over Copenhagen looking for some place open for a late dinner…but everything was closed! They weren’t serving food anywhere, which really mad us mad because we were so hungry! We ended up just eating at Burger King, which was not very pleasant. However, it was probably the only type of food I could afford considering Copenhagen is so expensive. We ate quickly and headed back to area where the hostel was located. Everyone from the orchestra was hanging out and drinking outside. Then, most people left the courtyard for a club, and I decided to go to bed. I really must be getting old…saying no to dancing?! Who am I?! haha I guess I was just craving a good night’s sleep in our smelly hostel room…
Next time in Copenhagen I’m definitely going to spend the money on a good place to sleep, good food, and maybe a few rides at Tivoli.
4.7.10
3.7.10
The Ferry
The entire orchestra was looking pretty beat on the buses as we left for the ferry yesterday morning (to go from Poland to Sweden). I don’t let many people see me in my glasses with no makeup on, so I consider these people privileged! Most of the orchestra and staff had partied all night…but my group definitely had the best stories :-)
I slept on the bus transfer to the port, and was getting cranky as we had to wait for what felt like a very long time before boarding the ship. Everyone had a cabin, and my 3 roommates and I went directly to bed as soon as we entered the room. I think most of the orchestra slept until lunch time at 12:30. We had a classic Ferry-buffet lunch, and everyone was looking much better than they had the few hours before. At 2pm we had to meet outside on the deck to take a group photo (there is a photographer that is on tour with us, it’s pretty crazy! And he’s literally everywhere…paparazzi!)
When the photo session was over, we all stayed outside to enjoy the sun and the water. Then, a few of the cruise employees dressed up as pirates came out to entertain us, and people started drinking again! It was like we were in the Caribbean, not the Baltic! I had intended to go back to sleep, but I stayed outside and had a blast all afternoon! I was forced to hula dance, and Wictor, being the nice guy he is, bought a few of us gals a girly drink. Once we were tired of being out on the deck, we went to do some Duty Free shopping. We spend almost an hour looking/smelling all of the perfumes, and then bought some treats. Johan and Wictor thought it would be funny to have a “party” in their room…which was the size of a closet! Regardless, about 8 of us ended up cramming in the room to hang out.
The Ferry docked in Sweden at about 7:30pm. We were herded outside and into 2 buses for a 4 hour drive to Copenhagen. Leann, Eline, and I chose the top of the double-decker bus. We weren’t cool enough to sit on the bottom floor, because that was the “party bus”. They literally drank the entire trip! I’m too old for that! I ended up doing a little writing and cuddling up to my cymbal bag for a short nap. Haha :-)
We got to Copenhagen at about 11pm, and were assigned to our hostel rooms. Unfortunately the hostel is really crappy. Our room smelled of rotten cheese and fart. We opened the windows and the door, and I used up about half of my perfume bottle. It helped…sort of. The bathrooms were disgusting, but the beds themselves weren’t too bad. I just told myself to suck it up for two nights…and hoped my suitcase wouldn’t adopt the nasty stench.
I slept on the bus transfer to the port, and was getting cranky as we had to wait for what felt like a very long time before boarding the ship. Everyone had a cabin, and my 3 roommates and I went directly to bed as soon as we entered the room. I think most of the orchestra slept until lunch time at 12:30. We had a classic Ferry-buffet lunch, and everyone was looking much better than they had the few hours before. At 2pm we had to meet outside on the deck to take a group photo (there is a photographer that is on tour with us, it’s pretty crazy! And he’s literally everywhere…paparazzi!)
When the photo session was over, we all stayed outside to enjoy the sun and the water. Then, a few of the cruise employees dressed up as pirates came out to entertain us, and people started drinking again! It was like we were in the Caribbean, not the Baltic! I had intended to go back to sleep, but I stayed outside and had a blast all afternoon! I was forced to hula dance, and Wictor, being the nice guy he is, bought a few of us gals a girly drink. Once we were tired of being out on the deck, we went to do some Duty Free shopping. We spend almost an hour looking/smelling all of the perfumes, and then bought some treats. Johan and Wictor thought it would be funny to have a “party” in their room…which was the size of a closet! Regardless, about 8 of us ended up cramming in the room to hang out.
The Ferry docked in Sweden at about 7:30pm. We were herded outside and into 2 buses for a 4 hour drive to Copenhagen. Leann, Eline, and I chose the top of the double-decker bus. We weren’t cool enough to sit on the bottom floor, because that was the “party bus”. They literally drank the entire trip! I’m too old for that! I ended up doing a little writing and cuddling up to my cymbal bag for a short nap. Haha :-)
We got to Copenhagen at about 11pm, and were assigned to our hostel rooms. Unfortunately the hostel is really crappy. Our room smelled of rotten cheese and fart. We opened the windows and the door, and I used up about half of my perfume bottle. It helped…sort of. The bathrooms were disgusting, but the beds themselves weren’t too bad. I just told myself to suck it up for two nights…and hoped my suitcase wouldn’t adopt the nasty stench.
2.7.10
BYP first concert
Wednesday was my favorite day of the BYP experience thusfar. I was so happy to have a great night’s sleep, shower in a huge bathroom, and warm breakfast. I met some of the other orchestra members in the hotel lobby at 9:45am to go on a guided tour of Gdansk.
To be honest, I had never heard of this city before. I really didn’t know much about Poland, either (whoops…such a naïve American!), but I was pleasantly surprised with the beaty of the city! I learned that the architecture is very international…there is a lot of influence from Belgium, Germany, and Russia, and it doesn’t look like any other city in Poland. We had beautiful weather for the tour, and a great guide. She told us a lot of cool/spooky stories about the church, the merchant streets, and some other buildings (too many to repeat, and they aren’t as interesting withough having been there!)
At noon we had to meet the entire orchestra and walk to the concert hall where lunch was waiting for us at the hall’s fancy restaurant right on the water. It was a very nice ‘sit down/be waited on' lunch. The percussionists were served first becase we had to eat quickly and help the stage guys set the stage. We didn’t mind…it’s part of the gig :)
We were pretty cramped on the stage, and it took some time to arrange the equipment to fit. We were on a high riser with limited space, but once we figured out the set-up, it worked quite nicely. As everyone was getting ready and the orchestra was getting seated, Kristjan (conductor) came in and started to talk to me. I haven’t had a chance to talk to him yet because I didn’t want to force conversation. I also wanted my playing to ‘speak for me’ before I spoke for myself. He asked me where I’m from in the States, and being from Cincy is a good thing...since that is where his brother conducts (or, used to conduct. Paavo is changing to the Paris Sympony next year). We chatted for a bit about the States, and then he gave me a really great compliment, one of the best to hear from a conductor…he said that I have really good time. :) Although it was a simple statement, it really made me feel happy and proud of myself for my contributions to the music. I went on to say that I’ve really enjoyed the experience, and working with Damien was great. He then said that he’s looking for the next ‘Sebastian, Martin, Damien…” (names of the coaches) in this orchestra. Kristjan has a fresh, hip, groovy, and very musical approach to conducting and rehearsing. I love it…and if he’s looking for new people to support and contribute to his ideas, then this is a really good place for me!
After the conversation I couldn’t wait to rehearse and play the concert. The hall was set up like an arena and the acoustics were quite dry. But, I think it was a great place for our first performance. The rehearsal went well, and we were slowly getting used to the space. We had to so a lot of peer listening for the percussion section, since it was so different from the spaces we rehearsed in.
Directly after the rehearsal we ran next door to eat at the same restaurant, and had to be in concert dress and back outside at 7:15 for a group picture. Good thing I’m relatively low maintenance (seriously....), because we were severed dinner at about 6:40! I threw my concert clothes over my very gross, sweaty body (Poland is humid, and we’d been either outside or playing all day!) and went to take the picture. I also made the percussion guys pose for a few section photos…they love me, whether they want to admit it or not! :)
The concert began at 8pm. I was on one piece in the first half… a cello concerto by Arvo Pärt. I played the vibes, and was happy with the performance. The audience was a little stale at first, but I think they loosened up little by little. The second half of the concert was Rite. Kristjan conducted with no score, and I’ve never seen anyone put so much energy and excitement into a performance before. It was inspiring. I laid down my part just fine…this cymbal playing is really feeling good!
The audience was on their feet 2 seconds after the last note. We were all sweating, and I was so proud of my new friends for giving so much on the opening performance. I know each concert will get better and better! After a few bows, we played 3 encores. Tckaik was the second, and Kristjan entered the stage from my side, and came over and gave me a hug before taking the podium. It was a crowd pleasing moment, but made me happy…I love playing that tambourine part!!!
The energy in the room after the show was palpable. Everyone was exchanging hugs and congratulations. I’m proud of the percussion guys. I think we really stepped it up, and it will only get better. We’re actually becoming close friends, too…which makes a world of difference!
Everyone wanted to go out for a drink after the show, so almost everyone showed up in the hotel lobby. We walked around the city for a long time, but couldn’t find anything to accommodate 50ish people! So, about 12 of us decided to go out on our own. We found a place to sit outside and have a beer. We really wanted food as well, but the waiter said that the cook was drunk so he couldn’t make us anything!!! I asked if I could go to the kitchen to whip up a few things….but he said no :(
The socializing at this bar was very short, because they soon turned off the lights and practically kicked us out. We were a little disappointed with the rude behavior, but wanted to continue our party anyway. I ended up hanging with 5 other friends, Leann, Eline, Igmar, Ellen, and Hannah. We found a really fun place to hang out all night…and let’s just say that it was a night I will never forget! So much fun, so many laughs, and such great people. We had a 4am stop at a Kebab place, and then headed back to the hotel for a 6:15am departure time...it was a traveling day, so there would be plenty of time to sleep :)
To be honest, I had never heard of this city before. I really didn’t know much about Poland, either (whoops…such a naïve American!), but I was pleasantly surprised with the beaty of the city! I learned that the architecture is very international…there is a lot of influence from Belgium, Germany, and Russia, and it doesn’t look like any other city in Poland. We had beautiful weather for the tour, and a great guide. She told us a lot of cool/spooky stories about the church, the merchant streets, and some other buildings (too many to repeat, and they aren’t as interesting withough having been there!)
At noon we had to meet the entire orchestra and walk to the concert hall where lunch was waiting for us at the hall’s fancy restaurant right on the water. It was a very nice ‘sit down/be waited on' lunch. The percussionists were served first becase we had to eat quickly and help the stage guys set the stage. We didn’t mind…it’s part of the gig :)
We were pretty cramped on the stage, and it took some time to arrange the equipment to fit. We were on a high riser with limited space, but once we figured out the set-up, it worked quite nicely. As everyone was getting ready and the orchestra was getting seated, Kristjan (conductor) came in and started to talk to me. I haven’t had a chance to talk to him yet because I didn’t want to force conversation. I also wanted my playing to ‘speak for me’ before I spoke for myself. He asked me where I’m from in the States, and being from Cincy is a good thing...since that is where his brother conducts (or, used to conduct. Paavo is changing to the Paris Sympony next year). We chatted for a bit about the States, and then he gave me a really great compliment, one of the best to hear from a conductor…he said that I have really good time. :) Although it was a simple statement, it really made me feel happy and proud of myself for my contributions to the music. I went on to say that I’ve really enjoyed the experience, and working with Damien was great. He then said that he’s looking for the next ‘Sebastian, Martin, Damien…” (names of the coaches) in this orchestra. Kristjan has a fresh, hip, groovy, and very musical approach to conducting and rehearsing. I love it…and if he’s looking for new people to support and contribute to his ideas, then this is a really good place for me!
After the conversation I couldn’t wait to rehearse and play the concert. The hall was set up like an arena and the acoustics were quite dry. But, I think it was a great place for our first performance. The rehearsal went well, and we were slowly getting used to the space. We had to so a lot of peer listening for the percussion section, since it was so different from the spaces we rehearsed in.
Directly after the rehearsal we ran next door to eat at the same restaurant, and had to be in concert dress and back outside at 7:15 for a group picture. Good thing I’m relatively low maintenance (seriously....), because we were severed dinner at about 6:40! I threw my concert clothes over my very gross, sweaty body (Poland is humid, and we’d been either outside or playing all day!) and went to take the picture. I also made the percussion guys pose for a few section photos…they love me, whether they want to admit it or not! :)
The concert began at 8pm. I was on one piece in the first half… a cello concerto by Arvo Pärt. I played the vibes, and was happy with the performance. The audience was a little stale at first, but I think they loosened up little by little. The second half of the concert was Rite. Kristjan conducted with no score, and I’ve never seen anyone put so much energy and excitement into a performance before. It was inspiring. I laid down my part just fine…this cymbal playing is really feeling good!
The audience was on their feet 2 seconds after the last note. We were all sweating, and I was so proud of my new friends for giving so much on the opening performance. I know each concert will get better and better! After a few bows, we played 3 encores. Tckaik was the second, and Kristjan entered the stage from my side, and came over and gave me a hug before taking the podium. It was a crowd pleasing moment, but made me happy…I love playing that tambourine part!!!
The energy in the room after the show was palpable. Everyone was exchanging hugs and congratulations. I’m proud of the percussion guys. I think we really stepped it up, and it will only get better. We’re actually becoming close friends, too…which makes a world of difference!
Everyone wanted to go out for a drink after the show, so almost everyone showed up in the hotel lobby. We walked around the city for a long time, but couldn’t find anything to accommodate 50ish people! So, about 12 of us decided to go out on our own. We found a place to sit outside and have a beer. We really wanted food as well, but the waiter said that the cook was drunk so he couldn’t make us anything!!! I asked if I could go to the kitchen to whip up a few things….but he said no :(
The socializing at this bar was very short, because they soon turned off the lights and practically kicked us out. We were a little disappointed with the rude behavior, but wanted to continue our party anyway. I ended up hanging with 5 other friends, Leann, Eline, Igmar, Ellen, and Hannah. We found a really fun place to hang out all night…and let’s just say that it was a night I will never forget! So much fun, so many laughs, and such great people. We had a 4am stop at a Kebab place, and then headed back to the hotel for a 6:15am departure time...it was a traveling day, so there would be plenty of time to sleep :)
and let the craziness begin...
Right now, it’s about 8:30pm on Thursday, July 1 and I’m on a bus heading to Copenhagen. The last few days have been really great; the rehearsals were super productive, we started to travel, had a great concert last night, and the orchestra members are really opening up. I already have so many amazing memories from this tour, and it’s really just beginning!
----
On Sunday we rehearsed in a new space in Potsdam. It’s great having a stage crew that takes care of moving and setting up the instruments. It’s been tedious to try and get the instrument list and set-up charts correct, but the man in charge is really nice and tries hard. He eventually started calling himself “my shadow” because he had an equipment related question about every 5 minutes the last few days of rehearsals. I like organizing things, so I didn’t mind helping.
The rehearsal space was a warehouse-like area turned into a cool/hip artsy area. We finally played through both programs, it was hard to believe that we would be performing pieces that we hadn’t even played through yet! However, the best part about the space was that both lunch and dinner were catered by an awesome company! Fresh salads, warm lasagna, potatoes, veggies, free drinks… :)
After the full day of playing (well, except for when Johan and I didn’t play in Rite…we snuck out the back door and went outside to watch the Germany vs. England game), the day ended with an amazing concert given by all of the instrument coaches. It was such a great way to end a super intense and exhausting week. They played some great tunes, a lot that were inspired by Middle Eastern rhythms (written by Daniel Schnyder, who composed the contemporary piece for the group to play in August). It was amazing to see everyone finally putting their hair down, enjoying music, and even dancing a bit. I think it was the moment the orchestra finally felt like a united group of people. It’s about time!
----
Monday was our last day with the coaches, and we wanted to make the most of it. The morning rehearsal was very relaxed, as we played through the strings only pieces. We were back at the school rehearsal space, which was like a sauna…but right next to a lake, so it was nice to have some time to walk around outside! During the lunch break, Wictor, Johan (whom I now call “Gramps”…we are all starting to really bond now!), and I walked to downtown Potsdam and shopped for a gift for Damien to thank him for all of his help. We found a grocery store with some nice whiskey/scotch choices. I left the decision on which to buy up to the boys.
We had a lot of time to leisurely make our way back to rehearsal. It was nice to see some of the city (Potsdam is a small town outside of Berlin). I never got to see much of the Berlin Centrum, so this was my main tourist opportunity (plus, since we’ll be back in August, I can check it out then!)
The second half of the day was filled with more rehearsals, and ended with a beer (on the orchestra’s budget) by the lake to say goodbye to the coaches. It was a nice way to chat and celebrate how much we’ve grown the past week. But…the celebrating didn’t end there. The coaches unofficially invited the orchestra members to hang and have a beer at a Brauhaus near our hotel. It was a great hang, and I think most of the orchestra members came out.
First, I sat and talked with a few of the girls in the string section. We bought a few pitches of beer (brewed at the restaurant) and I had a great time with them! It’s so nice that people are feeling more comfortable! The whole night was filled with a lot of mingling and even more laughs. I also got to chat with some of the coaches that I hadn’t been able to get to know outside of rehearsals. When the bar closed, the entire group ended up wandering around and eventually found a new place that was open (only one bartender and about 30 people!). Wictor and I spent a lot of time chatting with Damien at the end of the night.
The conversations with Damien throughout the night really got me thinking and reflecting upon the first week of BYP and the future that I hope to have in music. He talked a lot about his path, about how he perceives music, and about what he thinks we need to do. I still really don’t know what Damien thought of me. He’s a positive person with a lot of energy, and I felt like sometimes he just went for a generic answer to my questions when they involved my future and ambitions. During the first part of the week, I was so obsessed with this…I couldn’t really read him, and hated feeling like he thought I was an inadequate player. I was upset that I didn’t represent myself well at the audition, and wished I could have a conversation with Damien about it. I never felt comfortable bringing it up, and even tried asking about our audition DVD’s and what he thought about our growth when we were at the bar. But, he only talked about Wictor, and it honestly made me laugh a little. I still wonder why he avoided many real conversations about my playing, hmmmm.
But, oh well…as each rehearsal day passed, I began feeling more and more like myself musically. As we sat talking to Damien, I actually felt empowered. It didn’t really have anything to do with what he was saying specifically. I liked hearing his opinions and stories, but I kept thinking that “hey, I can do this”. I know my strengths and weaknesses, and I’ve worked hard. Sometimes it is easy to forget these when a bad day occurs, and it takes time to feel good again…but I do...finally!
At the end of the night it was sad to say goodbye to Damien, He really helped the section feel the music, and it was fun to hear a new perspective! He told me to watch out for the guys (especially Alexandr, the Russian…who is awesome! His English is slowly getting better, and I think he’s feeling much more comfortable with everyone. He says that in Russia, his shortened name is “Sasha” and a girl named Maria is usually called “Masha”..I told him he can call me that….but he’s the only one that’s allowed!) Damien also thanked me for helping him out...which really met a lot to me.
The night ended and I got back to the hotel at about 2am, and needed to pack up all of my stuff because it was a 7:30am departure time…
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The tour officially began on Tuesday. We had a super early checkout, and then left for Potsdam for a full morning of rehearsals. The day started late, and there was some tension in the group because the schedule was getting messed up. We needed to get through the entire repertoire, but we also needed to leave for Gdansk, Poland on time! After some rearranging and a few tense conversations, we all made it onto the bus….luggage, instruments, and dinner packages in hand.
Leann saved Eline and me a seat on the “nice bus”. Us Americans have to look out for each other :) The bus ride was 9 hours long, and all of the roads in Poland are so small...so we were driving so slowly!! We had a good time, though. I tried to sleep as much as possible. We were sitting around a lot of fun people, which helped the time pass. Each day I’m having more in depth conversations with new people, and it’s been fun to get to know so many musicians from different countries. I even had a long conversation with our photographer who is from Berlin and talked about East/West Germany. I love hearing about history from people that actually lived through it…much more interesting and impacting than reading it in a book!
We made it to Gdansk around 11pm, and our hotel was amazing! A good night’s sleep in my own bed prepared me for a great day and concert in Poland the next day!
----
On Sunday we rehearsed in a new space in Potsdam. It’s great having a stage crew that takes care of moving and setting up the instruments. It’s been tedious to try and get the instrument list and set-up charts correct, but the man in charge is really nice and tries hard. He eventually started calling himself “my shadow” because he had an equipment related question about every 5 minutes the last few days of rehearsals. I like organizing things, so I didn’t mind helping.
The rehearsal space was a warehouse-like area turned into a cool/hip artsy area. We finally played through both programs, it was hard to believe that we would be performing pieces that we hadn’t even played through yet! However, the best part about the space was that both lunch and dinner were catered by an awesome company! Fresh salads, warm lasagna, potatoes, veggies, free drinks… :)
After the full day of playing (well, except for when Johan and I didn’t play in Rite…we snuck out the back door and went outside to watch the Germany vs. England game), the day ended with an amazing concert given by all of the instrument coaches. It was such a great way to end a super intense and exhausting week. They played some great tunes, a lot that were inspired by Middle Eastern rhythms (written by Daniel Schnyder, who composed the contemporary piece for the group to play in August). It was amazing to see everyone finally putting their hair down, enjoying music, and even dancing a bit. I think it was the moment the orchestra finally felt like a united group of people. It’s about time!
----
Monday was our last day with the coaches, and we wanted to make the most of it. The morning rehearsal was very relaxed, as we played through the strings only pieces. We were back at the school rehearsal space, which was like a sauna…but right next to a lake, so it was nice to have some time to walk around outside! During the lunch break, Wictor, Johan (whom I now call “Gramps”…we are all starting to really bond now!), and I walked to downtown Potsdam and shopped for a gift for Damien to thank him for all of his help. We found a grocery store with some nice whiskey/scotch choices. I left the decision on which to buy up to the boys.
We had a lot of time to leisurely make our way back to rehearsal. It was nice to see some of the city (Potsdam is a small town outside of Berlin). I never got to see much of the Berlin Centrum, so this was my main tourist opportunity (plus, since we’ll be back in August, I can check it out then!)
The second half of the day was filled with more rehearsals, and ended with a beer (on the orchestra’s budget) by the lake to say goodbye to the coaches. It was a nice way to chat and celebrate how much we’ve grown the past week. But…the celebrating didn’t end there. The coaches unofficially invited the orchestra members to hang and have a beer at a Brauhaus near our hotel. It was a great hang, and I think most of the orchestra members came out.
First, I sat and talked with a few of the girls in the string section. We bought a few pitches of beer (brewed at the restaurant) and I had a great time with them! It’s so nice that people are feeling more comfortable! The whole night was filled with a lot of mingling and even more laughs. I also got to chat with some of the coaches that I hadn’t been able to get to know outside of rehearsals. When the bar closed, the entire group ended up wandering around and eventually found a new place that was open (only one bartender and about 30 people!). Wictor and I spent a lot of time chatting with Damien at the end of the night.
The conversations with Damien throughout the night really got me thinking and reflecting upon the first week of BYP and the future that I hope to have in music. He talked a lot about his path, about how he perceives music, and about what he thinks we need to do. I still really don’t know what Damien thought of me. He’s a positive person with a lot of energy, and I felt like sometimes he just went for a generic answer to my questions when they involved my future and ambitions. During the first part of the week, I was so obsessed with this…I couldn’t really read him, and hated feeling like he thought I was an inadequate player. I was upset that I didn’t represent myself well at the audition, and wished I could have a conversation with Damien about it. I never felt comfortable bringing it up, and even tried asking about our audition DVD’s and what he thought about our growth when we were at the bar. But, he only talked about Wictor, and it honestly made me laugh a little. I still wonder why he avoided many real conversations about my playing, hmmmm.
But, oh well…as each rehearsal day passed, I began feeling more and more like myself musically. As we sat talking to Damien, I actually felt empowered. It didn’t really have anything to do with what he was saying specifically. I liked hearing his opinions and stories, but I kept thinking that “hey, I can do this”. I know my strengths and weaknesses, and I’ve worked hard. Sometimes it is easy to forget these when a bad day occurs, and it takes time to feel good again…but I do...finally!
At the end of the night it was sad to say goodbye to Damien, He really helped the section feel the music, and it was fun to hear a new perspective! He told me to watch out for the guys (especially Alexandr, the Russian…who is awesome! His English is slowly getting better, and I think he’s feeling much more comfortable with everyone. He says that in Russia, his shortened name is “Sasha” and a girl named Maria is usually called “Masha”..I told him he can call me that….but he’s the only one that’s allowed!) Damien also thanked me for helping him out...which really met a lot to me.
The night ended and I got back to the hotel at about 2am, and needed to pack up all of my stuff because it was a 7:30am departure time…
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The tour officially began on Tuesday. We had a super early checkout, and then left for Potsdam for a full morning of rehearsals. The day started late, and there was some tension in the group because the schedule was getting messed up. We needed to get through the entire repertoire, but we also needed to leave for Gdansk, Poland on time! After some rearranging and a few tense conversations, we all made it onto the bus….luggage, instruments, and dinner packages in hand.
Leann saved Eline and me a seat on the “nice bus”. Us Americans have to look out for each other :) The bus ride was 9 hours long, and all of the roads in Poland are so small...so we were driving so slowly!! We had a good time, though. I tried to sleep as much as possible. We were sitting around a lot of fun people, which helped the time pass. Each day I’m having more in depth conversations with new people, and it’s been fun to get to know so many musicians from different countries. I even had a long conversation with our photographer who is from Berlin and talked about East/West Germany. I love hearing about history from people that actually lived through it…much more interesting and impacting than reading it in a book!
We made it to Gdansk around 11pm, and our hotel was amazing! A good night’s sleep in my own bed prepared me for a great day and concert in Poland the next day!
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