Happenings.....

Hi!!!  I know it's been WAY too long.  Well, let me catch you up real quick.

This semester has been really super uber busy.  Short story version:  I needed 3 classes to graduate in May.  They were all only offered in the Fall.  So I had to take Music History Review II, Performance Awareness through Movement, and a theory elective, plus a chamber ensemble credit, plus lessons.  So I had 11 credits, which by the way is a TON  for a music grad student.  My theory elective ended up being Music Theory Pedagogy, a class where we talk about different teaching strategies for theory.  There was a ton of reading, writing papers, assignments, and article/book reviews.  Plus planning a 14 lesson syllabus and a final paper about my theory teaching philosophy.  Yuck.  I really like the class, but it was soooo much more work than what I bargained for.  As many ppl know, I am not very scholarly and hate writing papers.  I also had to write papers for my other 2 classes.  Also, my chamber piece took up the whole first half of my semester....the Caplet Masque of the Red Death.  It was an amazing experience, but there was a ton of rehearsing to do since it is a very hard piece.  So between rehearsing for the Caplet, and doing all my other class's assignments, I hardly had any time to practice this semester...which is bad because my recital is coming up in April, two of the pieces for which I am also doing a competition in June.  Plus, I am auditioning for the Chicago Civic Orchestra in March and that is going to take a lot of time as well.  Crossing my fingers that I get it, that would be awesome!!!

So there it is....my semester in a nutshell.  The only good thing about this semester is that I am officially DONE WITH CLASSES!!!!  That's right....all I will have to do is my big recital.  No more papers, no more reading, no more tests....just practicing all day long.   Woohooo!!!!!  I am really excited for that part.

Well, besides being so incredibly busy and often stressed out this semester, it is finally finals week and I will be driving home with my harp next week.  Provided it doesn't snow and close down the roads.  Then I have to wait.  But hopefully the roads will be clear enough to drive without problems.  I am a seasoned winter driver now, being up here in the midwest for so long, so I don't think it will be too bad getting home.  Again, fingers crossed!!

Sorry for neglecting my blog.  I know everyone likes to get updates on how I'm doing....I've just been going through a lot with school and such that I just haven't really had time, or really thought about it for that matter.  But for now on I am going to do better!!  Promise.  Love to all!!!!

Britten Ceremony of Carols--Live Webcast!!!

Hi everyone....I know it's really super last minute, but I wanted to let you know that I will be playing harp on the NIU Christmas Choral Concert, TODAY (Sunday) at 3pm EASTERN TIME.  That means 2pm mountain, and 4 pm eastern.  I usually don't announce things I play on Sundays because I don't want to interrupt anyone from church.  However, if you happen to be home with an internet connection, this is a really cool piece with choir and harp.  In the middle I even have a solo, which is a pretty well known solo in the harp repertoire.  So if you get this, you can tune in online and watch via LIVE WEBCAST.  The link is on the bottom of the page. 

Ceremony of Carols by Benjamin Britten
--choir and harp

I am not at the beginning....more like the third piece or second choir into the program.  So if you don't tune in right on time that is ok, you won't miss me.


Link to webcast:  http://www.niu.edu/music/media/webcasts.shtml

Love.

Everyone deserves someone who will love them, care for them, and uplift them despite their imperfections.  Everyone deserves someone who will help them and support them in their weaknesses.  Everyone deserves someone who genuinely strives to understand you, and who will never give up on you even if you have already given up on yourself.

Everyone deserves to be loved like that.  There are no exceptions.  

And when you realize you are loved like that, there should be no more reason not to be happy with who you are.  

Keep Living.

Living fully are those who fight;

Whose soul and brow are filled with definite purpose,

Who climb up the fierce summit of a high destiny, 

Who walk pensive, enthralled with a sublime goal,

Unceasingly looking forward, day and night,

To some holy task or some great love.

~Victor Hugo

       Excerpt from Les Châtiments

Brahms Requiem

Hi everyone!  It's been a while.  Sorry I've never posted, or haven't in a long time...I've been so busy that I keep forgetting about it.  Anyway, it's that time of year again.  I am playing a couple things this semester with the NIU Philharmonic Orchestra. I'm sorry it's such late notice...I was thinking that the performance was next week instead of this week.

The first concert I am playing on is THIS WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 20TH, 2010 at 8:00PM CENTRAL TIME (7pm mountain, and 9pm eastern).  And, like the others before, it will be WEBCAST LIVE (see link on the right column of my blog), which means you can watch (or just listen) online in HD!! (In case you are new to the webcast, they recommend that you get the latest updates in Adobe Reader and Flash Player, especially if you experience problems.  Links to do that are on the Webcast page, I believe)

So tell all your friends and family, it's going to be an awesome performance....especially because I am in it! 

There is only one piece on this concert, because it is very long:

Ein deutsches Requiem by Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)

- for Choir and Orchestra

This is a very beautiful piece by Brahms. Personally, I think Brahms is one of the most expressive composers of the 19th c. 

Program Notes:

    Brahms’ text seeks to comfort the living who must deal with and accept death. Just 33 years old when he completed the bulk of A German Requiem, Brahms already had a very personal perspective on mourning. The requiem had begun to gestate in Brahms’ mind a decade earlier, in response to the untimely and protracted death of his close friend and mentor, Robert Schumann: And there can be little doubt that the death of Brahms’ mother in February 1865, spurred him on to complete the work.

    A German Requiem, however, is not simply a memorial to the composer’s mother or mentor, but a message of hope for us all. Brahms took great pains putting together his text, piecing together fragments from throughout the Bible to create a tapestry of solace.

    The musical form is a tightly wrought edifice, a seven movement arch with the music of brightest comfort at its center. The first and last movements echo each other in conveying blessings, first upon the mourners, finally upon the dead. The second and sixth movements are the darkest (and longest). The third and fifth movements feature soloists in meditations, the baritone seeking hope, the soprano bestowing it. Nestled in the middle is the shortest movement, the gorgeous chorus of tranquility, “How Lovely Is Thy Dwelling Place.”

For complete notes about this piece, visit the below link (or google for other sites):

http://www.cascadianchorale.org/brahmsrequiumnotes.htm

For the chorale text and translation, visit this link:

http://hector.ucdavis.edu/evenings/TEXTS/MoreTxts/BrahmsReq.htm

 Harp in the Requiem

~There are two harpists in this piece: myself and Annie, a senior harpist at NIU.  Although we only play on Movements I, II, and the very end of VII, the piece is well worth listening to in its entirety, even if you are not specifically watching it. It is great background music as well. It is very beautiful and the choir does a very good job considering the magnitude of the piece.  The harp parts are also very exposed...so you should be able to hear us for most of our playing.  In addition there are 2 solo parts that I play.  The first is at the very end of Mvt. I, the second is at the very end of the piece, in Mvt. VII.  I think that's cool because it ends the way it started, and ends with the harp.  :)

  

I know it's last minute, but if you can, save the date for WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 20TH, 8PM CENTRAL TIME.

~P.S.  Oh, and for those who were wondering, the header photo on my blog was indeed taken by me.  =)  For those who only get my email, you should click on the link to my actual blog page (michelleheuer.blogspot.com)...it looks way cooler up there. You will actually have to do that anyway to find the link for the live webcast.  And you can comment on my posts if you like as well (when I finally have time to post anyway...)

just hang in there.

From Small and Simple Things by Marjorie Pay Hinkley:

It's a common saying, but one that gives us heart: "When the going gets tough, the tough get going."  when trials and tribulations come, we can just hang tight and keep doing our best and things will eventually get better.

And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience.

~Romans 5:3

A reason for all things.

Everything happens for a reason, people change so that you can learn to let go, things go wrong so you can appreciate them when they're right, and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can come together.

--Marilyn Monroe

One more thing....

I forgot the best part of spring/summer!  (At least in TX, don't know about the midwest.) 

THUNDERSTORMS!!!!  yup, love 'em.  Big ones that pop up out of nowhere.  Awesome.  That's all.

SUMMERTIME!!!!

Hey there....long time no speak.

I love summer.  Mostly because I'd rather be hot than cold.  Not that I particularly enjoy TX summers all the time.  Upper 90's is pushing it even for me.  But I love it for other reasons.  Although, in TX, there is no such thing as spring or fall.  After it gets warm, it heats up super fast into Summer weather.  And winter only happens for about 2 months.  In Texas, there are 2 main seasons with 1 mini season.  Hot, cool/cold for 3 months, with a mini spring that lasts for about 6 weeks, give or take.  Fall doesn't exist in North Texas. Not enough rain and stays warm for too long, so all the leaves just kinda die instead of turning.

Now in the midwest, I'd say Fall is my favorite, just because of all the colors here.  In fact, you could say there are 3 mini seasons of Fall, as the colors change every couple weeks until all the leaves are gone.

But summer is my favorite because of all the things you can do outside.  I love being outdoors, as you all know.  I want to hike, canoe, and kayak...all of which is on the agenda while I am in WI this summer.

Well, I was home in Dallas for about 2 weeks.  It was a lot of fun....and hard work. And hot. My mom had surgery on both her foot and her shoulder within a week, so she couldn't get up and do much. Don't get me wrong...I love helping out, plus I got some sun (I'm so white!!).  Scubbed the front porch (of all dirt and bird poo from the barn swallows that we breed in our porch overhangs.  Cool to watch, but makes a big mess every summer.), planted flowers, remulched the flower beds, trimmed, blew out both garages....seems like I'm missing something.  But that's the main of it, me and my sister slave monkeys.  FYI, to all you Jillian Michaels facebook haters (you know who you are) "monkey" is a term of endearment.  So don't hate.

As awful as doing all that sounds (and my sisters did much more yardwork like mowing and such than I did, partly owing to the fact that they are there all summer, note credit due), especially when it's anywhere between 95 and 105 degrees...not exaggerating...it was kinda fun.  I should be careful about admitting this because I might get sucked in more, hehe, but I liked working outside.  Except mowing.  I hate mowing with a riding lawn mower.  Call me crazy.  Let me tell you the story.  Our old riding mower, Moe, hated me.  Every time I tried to mow with him he would shut off, not turn on, or have some other mechanical issue.  EVERY TIME!!  So the lawn ended up taking FOREVER.  It could be me, and I know all of you are laughing, but I haven't been able to mow the lawn without something happening on a riding mower.  Push mower, I love.  I'm a pro.  (Well starting it is hard, but other than that)  Ride mower....rather not.  Eventually Moe died and I haven't been able to even learn how to drive our new one.  It's one of those John Deere foot pedal ones, with buttons instead of knobs.  So maybe I'll learn to drive it one day.  Maybe not.

I like doing most everything else.  Or maybe I should ammend.  I don't like the yard, but I like the gardens.  Flower and veggie.  I enjoyed planting flowers for my mom and trimming everything up, mulching and overall making them look pretty.  I even got some weird satisfaction out of scrubbing the porch.  You know that weird satisfaction you get from dusting baseboards or sweeping up big crumbs on the floor?  Yeah, it's that same feeling.  By the way, the best way to get rid of bird poo is degreaser.  Makes it so easy.

I've also discovered that I'm becoming a little bit OCD about the kitchen.  Well, not actually OCD, but termed in the loosest way.  When I'm done with something, I have to clean the counters and make it look pretty.  I have to wash everything right after I use it (something I'd never been great about doing).  It now bugs me when ppl leave dishes in the sink or by the sink.  All this I blame on my Landlady that I live with up at school.  She has some house rules, one of them being the kitchen must always look nice when you are not in it.  So no dirty dishes anywhere, clean up your messes, wash everything right away and put in dishwasher or dishrack, etc.  There are 4 different places to throw waste items.  You have to wipe off the bathroom sink with the sponge after you use it. These rules have changed me.  Now, even when I go to other places or restaurants, if I make a water mess by the sink or leave crumbs where I ate in a restaurant I have to wipe them up.  Thank you Diane Ragains for showing me the error of my former ways....I think, hehe.  :)

We also saw Wicked the musical.  If you have not seen Wicked.....GO SEE IT!!  And bring binoculars if you are far away because it is worth watching their facial expressions.  Everyone knows the music is amazing, and Alphaba singing 'Defying Gravity' on Broadway is the 7th wonder of the world.  But the play is soooo funny and very clever.  Not to mention a whole new vocabulary of made up words.  Even has one kinda corny love scene/song in the middle, though the actual love story underneith all the action is not corny at all.  Anyway, go find out for yourself.

What else...my cousin graduated high school.  Got to see a lot of old friends.  Went on a date, though I won't post on any of that here for obvious reasons...there is always the chance that whoever I date will find my blog and that would kill whatever mystery factor I possess.  I'm so bad, hehe.

Henry the fish is doing well.  He is in his 'summer condo' right now.  I'm taking him up to WI with me, so he can't be in his bigger tank that he normally is in.  Oh yeah, for those who don't know, I'm working up in Door County, WI near Egg Harbor.  I'm going to be a counselor for a summer music camp called Birch Creek.  It consists of 4 2-week camps: orchestra, steel pan/percussion, Jazz I and Jazz II.  I'm' way excited.  Basically, I'll be in charge of the students (ages 12-18) when they are not doing music stuff.  It will kinda nice....usually I go to camps as a student.  This time I can still be around music but not directly involved with it, which will be a nice break.  I love being outdoors so I'm excited to focus on those activities.  Don't worry, I'll be practicing my harp, probably during all my 'free time'.  I have a lot of big stuff lined up for my next recitals in both the fall and next spring, plus doing a competition inn Denton, TX next summer.  So I'll be plenty busy with music anyway.

Well that's about it.  This is a really long post, but if you think about how long it's been since I posted, it's way overdue.  And I'm going to do a much better job this summer, since there will be so much going on that I'll actually want to write about.  I'll try to post some pics that I took at home, there there aren't very many.  I'll take loads at WI.  Also, don't forget to check out my photoblog soon for more pics I've taken recently.  I'll try to post them in the next week.    Toodles!!

I'M FINALLY DONE!!!!!!!!!!

Woohoo!!!  Just emailed my paper to the prof.  And the best part is....it's thundering outside!!

.....now I can finally sleep.....even though I want IHOP.....but there's no one around or awake to go with me.....so i'll just sleep.....

.....and then maybe have a social life.....

~zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Program for Saturday

This is my first graduate harp recital studying under Faye Seeman at NIU. Ms Seeman is an incredible harpist who has helped me delve into my deepest musical reserves.

So here is my program everyone (I will post program notes later before my recital so stay tuned):

Sonatine opus 30----Marcel Tournier (1879-1951)
allegrement
calme et espressive

Red Quintet----Gustavo Leone (b. 1956)
*Ilana Waniuk, violin
*Alex Wang, violin
*David Lee, viola
*Jason Young, cello

Four Preludes for Two Harps----Tournier
tranquillo
pas trop vite
lent
allegro
*Assisted by Joanne King, harp

Birds in Winter----Michael Mauldin (b. 1947)
presto
allegretto
with precision
dolce
in one
con moto

***I am especially excited about the Red Quintet and Birds in Winter.

FIRE
Red Quintet is an extremely passionate piece inspired by the color red. It explores all the combination of sounds in the string instruments to bring this passion to life, mixing mesmerizing segments of free floating sounds to sections of calculated metrical movement.
ICE
Birds in Winter is a hauntingly beautiful serious of movements that are pictorally programmatic. I have interpreted this piece as a progression through the winter season, starting with the first snowfalls in the beginning, to the windy, frozen ice covered dead of winter in IV, echoes off the cold canyons in V, and spring finally returning with the melting snows in VI. Throughout the piece, birdcalls (or absence of) can literally be heard in the music. With this in mind, I invite everyone to let their minds wander and draw up whatever pictures the music inspires.

The Tournier pieces are also very expressive and beautiful.

I have really enjoyed exploring the depths of my musicality working on this program. I hope you enjoy it as well!

link to webcast

I forgot that this goes out in email and that ppl don't actually get onto my blog, so here's the link:

http://www.niu.edu/music/media/webcasts.shtml

World Music concert TODAY AT 3PM CT!!!!

I know its last minute....if you are at the computer today at 3pm CT, 2pm MT, or 4pm ET, then you can get online and watch via webcast the World Music concert today.  It is a concert with multiple ensembles from around the world.

I am playing the liuqin in the Chinese orchestra, which is the first 3 songs on the program.  It is going to be awsome.  So come watch if you're not at church!!

(link to the url on the right)

Announcements!!!!!

I have a couple of exciting announcements for everyone:

1)   My first Graduate Recital

I wanted to invite anyone that wanted to fly several hundred miles to come and watch me play my first harp recital here at Northern Illinois University in Dekalb, IL.
...........cricket....................

Yeah, that's what I thought.  On that note, I will also be broadcasting it through the NIU LIVE WEBCAST system.  That means that yes, while I am doing a sound recording, it will also be broadcast LIVE.  That means you still have to save the date to watch me, whether here in Dekalb or on your computer screen.

The date for my recital is APRIL 17, 2010 at 4:45 pm CENTRAL TIME.  I will be posting my program later when I know my piece order.  So Save the Date!!!!!

2)   Perfect Light Photo Gallery

I have just launched my new photo gallery site Perfect Light.  I love taking photos and this site allows me to share my photography with everyone.  There is not much there so far, but I will be expanding it over time as I take more photos.  Remember each thumbpriint is for a single post so there are multiple pictures for each post. Come visit, give your comments and spread the word!  (I have also added the URL link to side under my profile)

guess what.....

I WORE SANDALS TODAY!!!


....too bad it's going to rain slush tomorrow....

Asparagus

So Diane my landlady had a whole bunch of asparagus she didn't use; so I said I would eat it. I have always wanted to try roasted asparagus. However, asparagus was never a favorite vegetable growing up (sorry mom). My mom's favorite way to eat it is to boil it. And then I would smother it with ketchup. Sounds disgusting, but at least 2 of my sisters eat it that way too, and it's actually pretty good.

You can quite making barfing noises now.

Anyway, I've always wanted to roast them, since a lot of people cook asparagus that way. So I coated them in olive oil, seasoned pepper, salt, dill, and minced onions and roasted them in the oven. Let me tell you....that was probably the most delicious cooked vegetable I have ever eaten. It literally tasted gourmet and I was extremely sad when it was all gone.

So, turns out I do like asparagus (without ketchup). I think that is probably the way with most vegetables. Many people say they don't like them. Maybe that's because they haven't found the right way to cook or prepare them yet. It's a theory, anyway.

=0>

Happenings.

Ok, still trying to figure out how to get pictures off my camera. My dad sent me this cool transfer card thing and I'm trying to figure out how it works....when I get around to it hehe.
Yeah, I got this really nice cool camera for Christmas....Canon PowerShot SX20 IS with 12.1 mega pixels....yeah it's pretty sweet. I love taking photos, kinda wish I could do something with photography now. Who knows....it has become a hobby at any rate.

So yeah we got to stay at home (Dallas) for Christmas this year. It was really nice not to have to travel, and to get a real tree!! I love trees. Also my grandparents came down which was really cool because I don't get to see them too often like my sisters do. Usually my dad's brother's family would come too, but we didn't get to see them this year, mostly because my cousin in law was about to have her twins!! Exciting!! I can't wait to see them. Anyway, it was a good Christmas, but I did miss my cousins and playing games all day with them. :(

Update: For those that knew I was dating someone, we are no more (in case you didn't get that memo somehow). Just to set the record straight, I am single at the moment.

School so far has been good...ish. I'm taking a research class and it is not my favorite class. It's not hard necessarily, but time-consuming with lots of little assignments on top of a huge research paper. I'm also taking Music History review, which I actually like...except I have to write another research paper for that. I'm going to be super busy after this weekend.
Flipside, I love Faye Seeman (harp teacher). While the school ensemble-wise is not offering me what I'm capable of, I would not trade my time with Ms Seeman for anything. She is trully amazing and has helped me grow as a harpist so much and really understands how to teach. Speaking of teaching, I have 3 students: 8, 10, and one older adult. I love it.

I am also learning to play the Liuqin, which is a small version of a Pipa. They are Chinese instruments and I am learning liu chin for a silk and bamboo ensemble that we are putting together to perform in April. It's a lot of fun, and our teacher (visiting from China) is a lot of fun to work with. She knows how to play every chinese instrument and even conducts chinese orchestras in China. If it is broadcast, I will let you know. :)

Technical Error...

So apparently no one got to see me play. According to a couple ppl I have talked to, the webcast cut off at the end of the violinist. As it happens, I was in the next piece. I don't know what happened but the feed cut out or timed out.

So if you feel bad because you think it ended and you missed me, don't worry; you didn't. Joys of technology.

Philharmonic Concert tomorrow Feb. 9th

Hi all!!

Well, it's that time again....I have my first Northern Illinois Philharmonic Concert of 2010 via LIVE WEBCAST.....TOMORROW NIGHT at 8:00PM CENTRAL TIME. Yeah, I know....I kinda forgot that I actually had the concert until this weekend, and I've been so bad about posting on my blog lately that I forgot to post about it....so sorry.

In my defense, while you might get to see me, I am only playing on one piece and you probably won't hear me except maybe in one part.

This concert is the Concerto winner concert...and the Chamber Choir concert. We are sharing....I know. Unfortunately I can't post the exact program because they do not have it printed anywhere. To top it off, I don't know which one is first on the concert. If you turn on the webcast and it is choir, then you can probably wait at least 20-30 minutes. I don't know how long the choir is singing. In the Philharmonic half, there are these pieces (these are not necessarily in order):

Violin Concerto by Sibelius - this one is very beautiful and worth listening to
Marimba Concerto by Keiko Abe - I play in this one and it is AWSOME....even if I don't play much.
Piano Concerto - I really don't know anything about this one, except it is a piano concerto.

Here is the link to the LIVE WEBCAST:
http://www.niu.edu/music/media/webcasts.shtml

Spread the Word (promise I'll give more warning next time)!!!

Blog Under Construction

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I'm updating and changing my blog. Stay tuned.