I have been absent from this blog for nearly a month. I was resting. And working on other projects. But I’ve missed long form writing, and I’ve missed YOU, so I’ll be more active here again as we move forward.
Here’s a thing that’s happening – I’m playing tonight with the terrific Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra and having a blast. Mozart 41, and a new commissioned world premiere by Chen-Hui Jen, an up and coming young woman composer. (Why is this description so hard to write? I think it is cool that she is young, female, and a composer, and won a commission, but somehow every way I write it sounds condescending, which I don’t mean.) And a Shostakovich Piano concerto that I’m not on, but that sounds amazing.
It’s fun to play with a group that is new to me. The habits are different. The way the woodwinds shape and end their notes is a little different. It’s an enjoyable challenge to fit in and match. I always think that playing second oboe to new people calls for more flexibility than my normal principal roles do, and I love how interesting it feels to make my sound match someone else’s and to make my vibrato a little different, to match, and to think about being an inner voice rather than a prominent one. I wouldn’t want to make my living as a second oboe player, but I LOVE it every now and then and I always learn a lot.
While I’ve not been writing much here at Prone Oboe, I have been more active on my Facebook page – and if you’re interested you should check it out. It’s not quite clear to me right now whether THIS site or that one will be the MAIN hub, the one that gets EVERY piece of content I post – so just to be safe you might want to follow both.
I’ve also started another Facebook Page, this one devoted to my long-standing love of the Tarot, and its usefulness as an instrument of reflection in a creative life. I’m posting weekly cards, little stories, and details of the structure and function of the deck and of various spreads and HOW the whole thing works, etc – and you can message me from there for a reading if you would like. Lots of people have no interest in the Tarot, but if you are mildly curious you should maybe come visit me at Crux Finder Tarot and see what you think!