Chamber Music in the Spring

Wow, it has been a long time since I have blogged!

I've been very busy this spring, especially with chamber music performances and competitions.  I participated in the Discover Chamber Competition and the Rembrandt Chamber Competition with my woodwind quintet, and my trio and my quintet played in three soirees at Ravinia.

I really enjoy playing in my woodwind quintet, Calcetinos Vivos.  They are very nice and very talented musicians.  Here's a picture of us:

Some of the pieces we've played this year are Arnold's Three Shanties, a quintet by Klughardt, and Paquito d'Rivera's Aires Tropicales.

I also play in a piano, clarinet, and viola trio.  We still haven't given our group a name yet.  My brother Ari plays viola, and we play with a 7th grade pianist named Finley.  We have been working on the Schumann Trio and the Bruch Eight Pieces.  This is a really fun group too.  Here is a link to us playing the first movement of the Schumann:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVQC1rObrwE

May is a busy month.  There are of performances for my orchestra and wind symphony and my chamber groups.

Quintet Attaca - Woodwind Chamber Camp

This week, I went to a woodwind chamber camp directed by Quintet Attacca. Quintet Attacca is a woodwind quintet who are the 2nd woodwind quintet to ever win the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition. They are incredible musicians, great teachers, and really nice people. This is my second year going to their woodwind chamber camp. Both years, I had a great time.

This year was different than last year, because there were more kids there. I played in a quintet and a large chamber group. We performed a Beethoven woodwind quintet (Op. 71) and Gopak by Mussorgsky in my quintet, and we performed 2 movements of Gounod's Petite Symphony in the larger group.

I really enjoyed being a part of this. The coaching was really good, and the other kids were very nice. I hope I can go back next year, because it was such an amazing experience -- even moreso than last year.

Thanks, Quintet Attacca!