Merit Honors Flute Quartet Advances in Competition!

Congratulations to my chamber group at Merit School of Music!!! They are one of four ensembles selected to be finalists in the 2009 Jules M. Laser Chamber Music Competition co-sponsored by Music in the Loft and Society of American Musicians. Their competition repertoire will be the first movement of Dubois's Quatuor and The Easter Islander by Mike Mower. The final round of the competition will be held at the Music Institute of Chicago in Evanston on Sunday, January 18th. This is a really nice acknowledgement of how hard the students have been working since September. Besides their weekly coaching with me, they also rehearse independently a second time during the week and take turns writing up rehearsal notes to reflect on what they accomplished. Good luck Leen, Katie, Julia and Jingyi; I couldn't be more pleased for you!!!!!

Drat the flu!

Well, it happened. I got the stomach flu and it sidelined me for three solid days. I missed some great student concerts that I had been looking forward to hearing and fell behind with my desk work at the office. (Processing faculty payroll comes before all else!) So, I sadly cancelled my plans to attend the Midwest Band and Orchestra Clinic. Next year will be my year to go!