Entries by VYOA Staff

Beginning Again

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Tonight, for the first time in quite a while, I am not practicing. It feels like a huge weight has been lifted from my shoulders. No more working on runs that have never been perfect enough, no more deciding between practicing for an extra half an hour or getting more sleep, no more figuring out […]

Variation On A Theme

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The last paragraph of Kelly’s post last week is EXACTLY what I keep thinking about as the concert date draws closer and closer. I can only hope to trek across the stage and arrive at the piano unscathed…I know that once I sit down on the bench, I will be okay. Like Kelly, I can […]

Twelve More Days…

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I’m already nervous. “Don’t listen to the violins,” asserted Mr. Peters at last Sunday’s VYO rehearsal, “It will slow you down.” I tried my hardest to drown them out, but it’s pretty impossible to ignore thirty violinists playing only a foot away from you. There are twelve days until I will be standing on the […]

The Buzz on Ravel

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Sunday’s rehearsal was very focused. As I sat in the performance hall eating my lunch, I listened to the first two movements of the Borodin and Chabrier’s Joyeuse marche. The only distraction came in the form of a wasp buzzing around the clarinets, but Mr. Peters quickly captured it and let it outside. After this […]

A View from The Other Side

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It feels so weird to be on the other side of things. When I was younger, and even during the past couple of years in VYO, the senior soloists always seemed so…intimidating. They played their pieces perfectly. They would stand in front of the orchestra with such confidence, obviously having worked toward playing their solo […]

Kicking Off a “Magnifique” VYO Season!

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During the weeks preceding the fall concert, VYO soloists Kelly Herrmann (flute) and Samantha Angstman (piano) will begin to post their thoughts and comments about the excitement involved in being an orchestral soloist. They are both currently preparing for the VYO opening concert of the season. “Vive la France” will be presented on September 28 […]