Demons out!

It's funny that I can stand up in front of a hundred strangers and play in a concert or recital and keep my cool, but when I am asked to play in church on Sunday I get a knot in my stomach. Of course, anyone who performs knows that it is much more difficult to stand up in a room full of your friends than one full of complete strangers. Today I performed in church for the first time in our ward in SL. It went well and now the demons are out.

Lately I have been listening to a lot of piano music: Chopin, Debussy, Schumann to name a few. I never fully appreciated the piano as a solo instrument until I started my graduate work at Park U International Center for Music and met some of the most amazing pianests on the planet! It is such an incredible instrument. I wish I could play it.

I will be returning to KC, MO this week to play in a concert. On the program: Brahams Double Concerto for Violin and Cello (amazing!) and Elgar Enigma Variations (also amazing!). Did I mention it will be amazing?

Recording of the week: Brahams Violin Concerto and Double Concerto
Anne-Sophie Mutter and Antonio Meneses with
the Berlin Philharmonic, Herbert von Karajan

What's up with the symphony?

I played with the Utah Symphony this past weekend after a 5-year hiatus. It was good to be back. A string quartet is coming soon. Stay tuned!

Since I am a musician, many of my friends and family often ask me for a list of recordings I would recommend so I am going to start a column on my blog of my favorites. This spring I will be playing Dvorak's Romance in F minor, op. 11 in a concert in Kansas City so I have been listening to various recordings of that piece. My favorite is a performance by Gil Shaham with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. He has the most gorgeous, rich sound and the orchestra is fantastic. You won't be disappointed!