A Virtual Homecoming?

I decided to post something here since I haven't in a long time and for no explicable reason I have begun to feel guilty about this. Let's see, since November, I have:

-Gotten my new/old cello! My "e-bay special" made in approximately 1720 in Saxony was restored and I've been playing on it since January. It sounds great, has a big meaty tone, lovely dark varnish, a short neck I've been adjusting to slowly. I'm very happy with it but as of yet have not been inspired to name it.

-Taken a medieval notation class that is a lot of hard work but really fun (it's like solving puzzles!) and mostly enjoyable. I can now decipher really old music.

-Produced a concert by myself. It happened in March and was a whole bunch of beautiful German laments from the late 17th century. It was great fun, I learned a lot, I hope to do this again but maybe not for a while.

-Played in a masterclass for Wieland Kuijken. While I only had fifteen minutes with him due to poor planning, I played the first movement of the G-major Bach gamba sonata fairly well, got some interesting ideas and played it again much better. Nothing life-changing but a lot of people got to hear me play and I got to meet Wieland. Am looking forward to his concert tomorrow night.

On the table right now:

-Am still dating K. This isn't so much of an accomplishment, per se, but it kind of feels like one. It's been almost a year and we're still happy with each other. How cool is that?

-Am preparing for my lecture recital. My final requirement for my master's degree. The topic is the musical symbolism of the gamba. I will trace the gamba's allegorical meanings from the Italian intermedii through Bach's highly specialized usage in his cantatas and passions. There will also be pretty music. Tentatively, the date is May 12th at 3PM in Marsh Chapel at BU.

-Am preparing for the Concentus tour to Japan. Starting to learn St. Matthew bass lines as I will be the cello for orchestra one.

-Am also working on a longer term project of creating a Baroque cello excerpt book. This seems to have snowballed into a gigantic bit of work compiling everything hard for the Baroque cello, finding public domain sources and creating my own edition (possibly for publication!). A second volume of gamba excerpts may follow.

-I will be graduating from BU in mid-May with a Master of Music degree pending me turning in all the appropriate paperwork.

-Hence, I am looking for employment for next year. Also, housing. I'm staying in Boston since I've dug myself a nice little hole here full of friends and colleagues and occassional musical work.
Trying to put together a resume that includes skills other than music. Also, trying to figure out a way to make money that won't suck the living soul out of me. I am open to suggestions, offers, ideas, etc.

-My father is going to build a house on the land he just bought right outside of Ithaca and I'm hoping to spend some time there this summer helping him build and plant fruit trees and make a garden.

That's all I can think of at the moment. I have been terrible about keeping in touch with various people I love so maybe this post will count as something in a small way.

-Z

September

Here we are, on the precipice of another year. For me, the new year always begins in fall. Sadly, I think this has more to do with my immersion in the academic world than my Jewish heritage. Happy beginning of 08-09. This is a big year for me. Having established myself in Boston, made friends, played gigs, learned the ropes, I now can take advantage of all that to make smart choices about how much time I spend in rehearsals and for what. I know what I can and cannot do, what makes me happy, how important it is to have food with me at all times, etc. This is also the year I graduate from graduate school. I'll be a Zoe with a master's degree. How bizarre. That's almost enough qualification to do something important! I won't bore you with my agonizing over what comes next and the long term implications of that choice. But I do find myself in the mood for arbitrary devotion. I've always been independent, constrained only minimally by my family and closest friends, neither of which has much guided my life goals or choices. Since my mother's death, I've lost a lot of the feeling of grounded attachment to my family, and since that coincided fairly closely with leaving Oberlin and my network of wonderful friends, I've been afloat here. This is how I rationalize my current inclination to grab onto things and hold on tightly. I almost want make decisions, even compromises because of a boyfriend, a musical group. This is silly and unlike me. Luckily, my relationship with K isn't like that at all, it has a transient quality and its sense of inevitable ending, so I am not tempted to stay in Boston for him. I would, however, choose my next move if it meant I could continue playing with Leon and Tats. I don't think this is in the cards either as neither knows what happens after this year nor have we really solidified ourselves as an ensemble. So in the end, I'm stuck with myself, what do I want, what is best for me? These are questions that, ironically, I'm not able to answer. Ironic, because I'm good at helping others answer them, good at seeing what people really want even when they can't see it.

In other news, I've begun scheming about the recipe for my protein/granola bar that will overtake the free world for its healthfulness and deliciousness. That or allow me to continue to get nutrition throughout the business of the school year!

Sweltering in Boston

I've been absent from the online world for a while and though it was a welcome respite, I have decided to return. Spent a week with my dad both in Canaan and Ithaca. Did lots of important sorting there, including my mom's jewelery, all the family photos (which are now in albums), old clothes of both mine and my mom's. And now I'm back and trying to stay busy with all my musical projects and the endless cutting and pasting that inevitably accompanies them. J is back from Ohio and it's nice to have her around again, keeps me upbeat, keeps me from napping too much, keeps me cooking and cleaning. It's good. And K, he's good too. We may go adventuring tomorrow which I will surely recap here if it happens. Life is slow and domestic these days, J and I scrubbed out the basement (which had been much abused throughout the year by the cats) and hung curtain-rods and curtains. We've made delicious meals and soups and sight-read music together. Sadly, J and my taste in movies has some non-overlapping corners from which I seem to have picked all our current Netflix. I will endeavor to watch them quickly so she and I can find things we'll both enjoy. The sky is luminous, the air is heavy, the cats are soft but shedding. A cold shower is a wonderful thing.