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taz_39**Disclaimer** The views and opinions expressed in this post are my own, and do not reflect the views or opinions of my employer. DO NOT RESHARE ANY PART OF THIS POST WITHOUT PERMISSION. Thank you.
This post covers Wednesday and Thursday.
--- --- --- --- --- ---
WEDNESDAY
I had fallen asleep early because I was tired and stressed, and woke up slightly later than usual too.
The masterclass at Temple University is not going to go through. The trombone prof called and apologized for stringing me along, and offered to help me find contacts in Pittsburgh to set up a masterclass there (which is nice of him but he's very busy and I doubt he'll actually remember to do it.) Basically what happened is, the trombone prof offered the chance to give the masterclass, I said yes, he floated it to his Department Head who was enthusiastic and supportive...and who then went on a vacation without having approved it. So, it can't happen without approval. To be honest, I am disappointed with this outcome. But I also understand that people are busy, it didn't line up this time, and it might line up at some other point in the future.
All that said, the GOOD thing about this outcome is now I've got one less thing to worry about during this insanely busy two weeks. In fact, this means I might get to go see my friends perform at the circus on Monday! We'll see!
Anyway: breakfast, coffee, packing myself a dinner and snacks for the theater, working on Foodie Finds, and a masterclass run-through (I'm going to reduce run-throughs now that I'm NOT doing multiple presentations.) Forty-seven minutes, but it's because I've been told that a bunch of music tech/engineering majors will be attending the Delaware masterclass, so I was trying to include their field in my talking points.
After lunch I walked to the theater. It was cold but clear and nice outside.
For perhaps the first time on this tour(?) here is a theater I've never played before! The Academy of Music! It has such a beautiful auditorium!
It's how I imagine playing in a theater in Italy or Spain might feel. The elaborate gold-gilded sculptures and carvings, and the ceiling murals of muses and composers surrounded by cherubs and roses, are definitely Beauty and the Beast-coded. Intrigued, I did some research and found that the Academy was built in 1857!! WOW that's old. Not only that, it was built to be an opera house and has been a theater/opera house for it's entire continuous operation. That is very impressive!! It's a privilege to perform here, that's for sure.
We had sound check and a break for dinner, then the show. It was packed to the rafters out there, and the crowd was great and enthusiastic. I have to say, though, that tomorrow The Creatives--the head honchos whose ideas made this show happen--will be here to watch the show and make adjustments. Of course this is a good thing, and I think we're all excited to do our best...but I can also FEEL the nervous anticipation about it. We all just want to do a good job. I'm sure that we will, but I am not alone in saying that we tend to put extra pressure on ourselves when we KNOW we're being evaluated. Tale as old as time.
Back at the hotel I unpacked my trunk stuff, had a nice hot shower, and took forever to fall asleep because I was anxious! Lol.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THURSDAY
Up too early, of course. We had two shows today, and as previously mentioned all the creatives will be there. I was extra-anxious, but one can only do their best and hope that that continues to be acceptable for this show.
Anyway, breakfast and coffee and all the usual stuff, no masterclass run-through because today is tense enough without that. Instead I took myself to Target for a little retail therapy. Some cheap tees and some cheap slippers (this is such an old lady thing to say but I got chillblains while in Tulsa and want to protect my dumb cold feet) and some cheap Valentine's candy.
Back to the hotel to watch Mighty Nein, eat lunch, and walk to the theater. I went early to rearrange my chair and the plexi surrounding Tim and I, because last night he'd mentioned that I'm sounding loud again. We've discovered that sometimes this has to do with our positions in relation to each other, so adjusting that can help. It actually DID end up helping noticeably, according to Tim, which is great!
The matinee was a lot of fun because we had a packed house and they were rowdy! Lots of cheering and gasping and screaming and whatnot. I love an audience that gets into it! And also I was wrong: The Creatives were not there until the evening show. Suspense!
Walked back to the hotel in the cold, ate dinner and listened to an audio message from Jameson about his day. Bundled back up and walked back. Nervous nervous nervous. But sometimes nerves can be helpful. We were ALL nervous, but we looked at each other and smiled and said, "We'll do just fine." And we did! I thought the show went wonderfully. On a personal note, at no point did I make any mistake that I felt bad about or that I felt was noticeable. The last time we played for Koz was in Greensboro (September-ish.) I can say with certainty that my playing has significantly improved since then, and I was (relieved and) proud of how I played today. Not only that, I never forget that I am here because DAR advocated for me, and I ALWAYS want to do my very best to prove to anyone and everyone that he made the right choice in putting my name forward. That is the very LEAST I can do to repay him for the privilege of being here.
This will not be a very Disney thing to say, but here goes: after that show, and after being so tense with anticipation for the past couple of days, I felt like I needed to do a shot!! I didn't :p because tomorrow we still have rehearsal and a show and I want to be at my best-possible. Instead I typed up this post, had a nice hot shower, and cuddled up in bed with TikTok. Aaaah, now we're talking.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Friday: One evening show, but we have rehearsal with Koz before that.
Saturday and Sunday: Two shows each day so no plans.
This post covers Wednesday and Thursday.
--- --- --- --- --- ---
WEDNESDAY
I had fallen asleep early because I was tired and stressed, and woke up slightly later than usual too.
The masterclass at Temple University is not going to go through. The trombone prof called and apologized for stringing me along, and offered to help me find contacts in Pittsburgh to set up a masterclass there (which is nice of him but he's very busy and I doubt he'll actually remember to do it.) Basically what happened is, the trombone prof offered the chance to give the masterclass, I said yes, he floated it to his Department Head who was enthusiastic and supportive...and who then went on a vacation without having approved it. So, it can't happen without approval. To be honest, I am disappointed with this outcome. But I also understand that people are busy, it didn't line up this time, and it might line up at some other point in the future.
All that said, the GOOD thing about this outcome is now I've got one less thing to worry about during this insanely busy two weeks. In fact, this means I might get to go see my friends perform at the circus on Monday! We'll see!
Anyway: breakfast, coffee, packing myself a dinner and snacks for the theater, working on Foodie Finds, and a masterclass run-through (I'm going to reduce run-throughs now that I'm NOT doing multiple presentations.) Forty-seven minutes, but it's because I've been told that a bunch of music tech/engineering majors will be attending the Delaware masterclass, so I was trying to include their field in my talking points.
After lunch I walked to the theater. It was cold but clear and nice outside.
For perhaps the first time on this tour(?) here is a theater I've never played before! The Academy of Music! It has such a beautiful auditorium!
It's how I imagine playing in a theater in Italy or Spain might feel. The elaborate gold-gilded sculptures and carvings, and the ceiling murals of muses and composers surrounded by cherubs and roses, are definitely Beauty and the Beast-coded. Intrigued, I did some research and found that the Academy was built in 1857!! WOW that's old. Not only that, it was built to be an opera house and has been a theater/opera house for it's entire continuous operation. That is very impressive!! It's a privilege to perform here, that's for sure.
We had sound check and a break for dinner, then the show. It was packed to the rafters out there, and the crowd was great and enthusiastic. I have to say, though, that tomorrow The Creatives--the head honchos whose ideas made this show happen--will be here to watch the show and make adjustments. Of course this is a good thing, and I think we're all excited to do our best...but I can also FEEL the nervous anticipation about it. We all just want to do a good job. I'm sure that we will, but I am not alone in saying that we tend to put extra pressure on ourselves when we KNOW we're being evaluated. Tale as old as time.
Back at the hotel I unpacked my trunk stuff, had a nice hot shower, and took forever to fall asleep because I was anxious! Lol.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THURSDAY
Up too early, of course. We had two shows today, and as previously mentioned all the creatives will be there. I was extra-anxious, but one can only do their best and hope that that continues to be acceptable for this show.
Anyway, breakfast and coffee and all the usual stuff, no masterclass run-through because today is tense enough without that. Instead I took myself to Target for a little retail therapy. Some cheap tees and some cheap slippers (this is such an old lady thing to say but I got chillblains while in Tulsa and want to protect my dumb cold feet) and some cheap Valentine's candy.
Back to the hotel to watch Mighty Nein, eat lunch, and walk to the theater. I went early to rearrange my chair and the plexi surrounding Tim and I, because last night he'd mentioned that I'm sounding loud again. We've discovered that sometimes this has to do with our positions in relation to each other, so adjusting that can help. It actually DID end up helping noticeably, according to Tim, which is great!
The matinee was a lot of fun because we had a packed house and they were rowdy! Lots of cheering and gasping and screaming and whatnot. I love an audience that gets into it! And also I was wrong: The Creatives were not there until the evening show. Suspense!
Walked back to the hotel in the cold, ate dinner and listened to an audio message from Jameson about his day. Bundled back up and walked back. Nervous nervous nervous. But sometimes nerves can be helpful. We were ALL nervous, but we looked at each other and smiled and said, "We'll do just fine." And we did! I thought the show went wonderfully. On a personal note, at no point did I make any mistake that I felt bad about or that I felt was noticeable. The last time we played for Koz was in Greensboro (September-ish.) I can say with certainty that my playing has significantly improved since then, and I was (relieved and) proud of how I played today. Not only that, I never forget that I am here because DAR advocated for me, and I ALWAYS want to do my very best to prove to anyone and everyone that he made the right choice in putting my name forward. That is the very LEAST I can do to repay him for the privilege of being here.
This will not be a very Disney thing to say, but here goes: after that show, and after being so tense with anticipation for the past couple of days, I felt like I needed to do a shot!! I didn't :p because tomorrow we still have rehearsal and a show and I want to be at my best-possible. Instead I typed up this post, had a nice hot shower, and cuddled up in bed with TikTok. Aaaah, now we're talking.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Friday: One evening show, but we have rehearsal with Koz before that.
Saturday and Sunday: Two shows each day so no plans.
no subject
Date: 2026-02-13 01:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-02-13 02:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2026-02-13 02:27 pm (UTC)That venue looks and sounds amazing. Dream come true.
Good job doing a great job for the mucky mucks! Hopefully they are there to make directorial adjustments to the stage show and not really critique the pit orchestra. I’m sure everyone was relieved that it went well.
no subject
Date: 2026-02-13 02:57 pm (UTC)Thanks, im glad it went well too. As I mentioned in this and other posts, our direct music supervisor is here……I’ve mentioned “Koz” several times and also linked to his bio a few times….Koz is the orchestra’s supervisor. So yes, they are here to evaluate us specifically……..as well as every part of the show……which is also why we have a rehearsal, all of us, not just the actors, today.