NIU Philharmonic Concerto Concert -- tonight at 8pm CT via webcast

Hey....don't have long but wanted to remind a couple of you that tonight is the first NIU Philharmonic Concert of the spring.  It starts at 8pm central time and will be on LIVE WEBCAST.  You should know the drill by now.  The link for the webcast is on the right side column of my blog, michelleheuer.blogspot.com.

It is going to be a good concert, as it is the winners of the concerto contest.  Nope, no harp.  My friend did audition with the Ginastera harp concerto, and in my opinion it should have been one of the winners....it sounds way cooler than some of the concertos on the concert.  But enough about the stupid politics of NIU.

I only play on one concerto....the very last piece on the concert.  It is a piano concerto by Ravel, and everything by Ravel is really good.  His Introduction and Allegro was the piece that I did to win the Undergraduate Concerto Competition at Ball State.
I'm not sure what time I'll be playing, since I'm last, so to watch me you'll have to stay tuned.  I'm going to guess at least 9pm, but like I said, I'm not sure how long the concert will be.  However, I do have a solo section in it, so you should definitely be able to hear me.  :)

Forward this post to anyone who you think would want to watch.  See y'all tonight!!

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!!