I’ve had some problems with Blogger over the last few days, but they should be fixed now, and my ever-so-insightful posts from the last several days should be available for your browsing pleasure :).

The first orchestra rehearsal of the term was this evening. We’re playing some Dvorak dances (I don’t think the conductor has decided on which one), a piano concerto, and Schumann’s Symphony No. 4. I have a particular fondness for this last piece, as it was the first major challenging work I played in the OAYO youth symphony back in sophomore year of high school. I remember that the idea of playing a 30 minute piece was rather overwhelming at the time, and the fact that those 30 minutes were filled with an awful lot of notes didn’t make things any easier. That said, that particular OAYO concert was also one of the most exciting musical experience of my life. After spending so much time practicing the thing, the thrill of a good performance was exhilarating. I suppose it didn’t hurt either that the bombastic conclusion brought the audience (admittedly comprised of enthusiastic parents) to their feet. I’m not really expecting any life changing musical experiences the second time around, but I’ve come to love the piece, and I would very much like to do it justice.

In other news, I survived my first day of classes for the term! I’ll post more in this vein sometime later in the week.