All posts by hannahviolin

I am a violinist. I also enjoy running, working out, reading, and hanging with my friends and cat.
Random thoughts

Busy

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We are having so much snow this winter. Yesterday ended up being another snow day—I was supposed to have a few students and an opera dress rehearsal and ended up having a day off. I’m trying not to freak out about the lost income and just go with the flow…the weather wasn’t nearly as bad as earlier in the month, but the roads were pretty bad for several hours. I drove over to a friend’s house after rush hour and it was pretty slow going…I didn’t have too far to go so it was doable though.

February is shaping up to be busy with all kinds of good stuff. There are tons of articles going around the internet about how “busy” isn’t a good answer for “how are you?” and how “busy” isn’t an answer, or a way of life, but the fact of being a freelancer and private teacher is: “busy” often means “making more money” and that’s certainly a good thing. “Busy” also often means feeling more worthwhile and getting a lot of great work done, so I’m not afraid to say “busy” when somebody asks how I am. I like “busy” when it’s for good reasons rather than just for “busy”’s sake.

Okay, I’m done with quotations, I promise!

This weekend:

Falstaff by Giuseppe Verdi: Friday night at 8 pm, Sunday afternoon at 3 pm. We had to move our dress rehearsal but I think that will only make the show better! It’s cold outside and there isn’t too much to do: come see an opera. For those of you who think opera isn’t for them, I suggest you reconsider. If you like movies or musicals, you’ll like opera. It’s dramatic, beautiful, silly, and it has subtitles so you can follow the story easily. I’m in the pit, so come say hello.

And Saturday morning:

I’m running with a friend for sure, and possibly more people I know are doing it. Are you? This is part of a series of events all day allowing folks to be out on the new bridge before it opens for traffic. It’ll be cold, but I’ll be there NO MATTER WHAT. (This is a personal response to my chickening out of a race in December, but I’m feeling far more hard core these days.)

I know it’s only Wednesday, and I’m already talking about the weekend, but let’s not fool ourselves: the older we get, the faster time flies. Lots going on in St Louis this weekend and lots of rehearsals and teaching to get through before then!

Oh, and I went to the gym and did squats the other day. I hadn’t been for awhile, and I’ll tell you what. I’m sore.

And busy. Did I mention busy? 🙂

Random thoughts

Celebrate Fitness 2014

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My fellow blogger Katie from Mom’s Little Running Buddy runs an event called Celebrate Fitness on March 8th.  I wanted to tell you guys about the event because I thought some of you might be interested– in addition to a 5k/10k race there are all kinds of great workouts being offered, and the proceeds from the event benefit the Siteman Cancer Center, which is fantastic.

Celebrate Fitness Beneficiaries

ALVIN J.SITEMAN CANCER CENTER at Washington University School of Medicine and Barnes-Jewish Hospital is a National Cancer Institute (NCI) Comprehensive Cancer Care Center and is an international leader in patient care, cancer research, prevention, education and community outreach.

THE YOUNG WOMEN’S BREAST CANCER PROGRAM at Siteman Cancer Center is dedicated to providing support, raising awareness and conducting research focused on the unique issues surrounding breast cancer diagnosed in women under the age of 44. Of the over 180,000 women who will be diagnosed with breast cancer, over 12% will be 44 or younger. These women experience higher recurrence rates and the lowest five-year and overall survival rates. There is little research focused specifically on young women with breast cancer and few support programs available to them.

THE DIRECTOR’S DISCOVERY FUND enables Siteman Cancer Center’s director to respond to promising new discoveries and scientific breakthroughs, providing the most advanced patient care in the region. Siteman Cancer Center is changing the face of cancer through personalized therapies, impacting the lives of its patients and those who love them.

 

I wasn’t able to attend last year, but this year I can! I’ll be doing the bootcamp class. I considered the run but decided it would be more fun to do something more unusual (and it starts just a little bit later, ha!)

Have any readers done this event in the past?

Okay, here’s all the basic information you need to know:

Date: March 8th, 2014

Location: Washington University Athletic Complex

Registration Fee:

  • $30 in advance
  • Junior Registration for ages 13 – 19 = $20
  • Day of Registration = $35; Junior $25

Time:

  • 6:30 am 5k/10k Check-in & Registration
  • 7:30 am 5k/10k run begins
  • 7:30 am Workout Events Check-in & Registration
  • 8:30 am to 10:00 am Workouts Begin

Event Options:

  • 10K Competitive Run
  • 5K competitive Run
  • 5K Walk
  • 1 Mile Fun Walk
  • Boot Camp
  • Water Aerobics –Shallow
  • Water Aerobics – Deep
  • Yoga
  • Zumba

See the registration form for more details.

Participants get to choose between a shirt and a goodie bag.  Katie tells me the goodie bags are filled with great stuff and that that is one of her favorite parts of the event.  I have tons of shirts, so I chose the goodie bag—I can’t wait to see what it is!

Come on March 8 and get your workout on to Celebrate Fitness!

Performing

Perseid Quartet

My quartet, the Perseid Quartet, played to a full house last night at the Tavern of Fine Arts. It was so much fun and we were totally thrilled so many people braved the icy weather to come see us.

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Today my brain is exploding with so many thoughts. I feel like we had this huge accomplishment last night and then today is just an ordinary day, and it doesn’t really matter at all, in the greater scheme of things, but I feel so great about how we all played and how hard we worked to put on a good show and I feel like we are really contributing to the local music scene by playing together. I’m also listening to a bunch of quartets brainstorming for our next program.

It all seems fairly inconsequential though: so many musicians perform chamber music, and having a concert is really not a big deal, but to me, it feels really special and I’m glad we did it, and I can’t wait for the next one. I’m tickled by how many students and friends and family came out to support out and seemed to genuinely enjoy themselves. As much as we love playing for ourselves, playing for other people and sharing our love of music with them is particularly wonderful. I also think the experience of seeing a chamber music concert in a small setting like we had last night is unique and something that not everybody has experienced, but that people SHOULD experience.

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So often people say, oh, I don’t like classical music. But so many of those people really haven’t experienced classical music in a true way. So many musicians these days are playing concerts in restaurants and bars to reach more people, and honestly, it’s a lot of fun to attend. Isn’t it great being able to order drinks and food while you enjoy a live performance? Here in St Louis there are tons of people playing concerts at the Tavern every week, and other groups doing great things all other town (my former group, Chamber Project St Louis, plays at the Schlafly Tap Room a fair amount, for instance.)

As the saying goes, this isn’t your grandmother’s classical music…but yet it kind of is. Throughout history, chamber music has been performed in small areas where the audience is up close and personal with the performers. It’s a wonderful way to experience music, and the sound you will hear at a live performance is so much richer and fuller and more unique than anything on the radio… IMG_8895

(wait, where did that come from? a cat playing cowbell?)

I guess this is my plea and suggestion to you: step out of your comfort zone and attend a concert in your area that you wouldn’t ordinarily go to. You might be surprised by how much you enjoy it! Don’t be intimidated by feeling like you aren’t knowledgeable about the music. Trust me, even we professionals don’t know everything, and we are constantly learning more.

And I’ve been doing the same lately—trying to expose myself to more than just classical music. So it’s never too late and you’re never too young or old!

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Performing, Random thoughts

I got my hair cut

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It has been awhile since I got a haircut.

I feel so much lighter!

(requisite selfie haircut photos)

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It was so strange—my hairdresser had moved STATIONS. That’s how long it had been since I’d had a haircut. It was like being in a totally different part of the salon.

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I can’t think of a more comfortable place to sit.

Okay, don’t forget: local readers: Friday night! Perseid Quartet (that’s my quartet) is playing at the Tavern of Fine Arts at 8 pm. It’s a free show, and drinks and food are served (not free) during the performance. We are playing two quartets: Op. 18 no 4 by Beethoven, and the Grieg Quartet. More information on the Facebook event page (should be able to see that, if you can’t, let me know.)

If you can’t make that performance, don’t despair: there will be more. We are setting up more dates for the future, but are very excited about our first performance this weekend. I’m hoping for a full house, and would love to see you there!

Random thoughts, Running

Living Life

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I am getting very excited about my haircut this week. I haven’t gotten one in months and my hair is long, flat, and occasionally tries to choke me in my sleep. Don’t expect anything drastic style wise, but I am planning to get several inches taken off.

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I really needed a new pair of running shoes. The ones I’d been running in (Mizuno Wave Nirvanas) had been discontinued and I was waiting for the replacement model to come out. These are the Wave Paradoxes and so far I really love them.

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They looked weird to me at first but now I like them and think they look really neat and modern. They feel great. My knee is doing better (and honestly was probably not being helped by my old, worn out shoes.)

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Requisite picture of Fat Cat. Oistrakh. Or Oyster-friend—a new nickname I am trying out.

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The Ford Focus hit 100,000. It’s really strange to have an extra digit on the odometer, but I’m sure I’ll get used to it!

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Moroccan Tagine made by April.

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Mole Chicken Tacos at the Royale.

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Peanut Butter M&M’s from a wonderful student.

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Jazz at the Bistro…who am I becoming? IMG_8868

And a lovely run through Tower Grove Park today in my new kicks. (Do the kids still say that? Did they ever?) I tried to take advantage of the nice weather before I have to work all day and before it turns bitterly cold again tonight. I suppose it IS January, but STILL. And I’ve developed this thing where I like to run in long sleeve cotton shirts. I feel like they are cozier than tech shirts, and for shorter runs in the winter I think it is just fine—I don’t sweat that much and feel great. I know cotton is bad for when you are really sweating, but otherwise it’s pretty soft and nice.

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I saw this on facebook. My cat doesn’t care to knock mugs and drinking glasses over but she is obsessive about making sure my nightstand stays clear of things like eye glasses and phones.

Deep Thoughts

Life Motto

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A lot of folks like to come up with a motto for the new year (yes, I know the year isn’t quite as new anymore, but there’s still way more ahead than behind). I don’t like to limit myself to calendar years generally, as life is more linear and complex than that, but the beginning of year is still a great time to reevaluate yourself.

A good friend has a great “life motto” that I’m kind of adopting. The idea is: never turn down the opportunity to experience something new.

I’m not sure if that’s the exact wording my friend used, but the idea is pretty good. If you are given the opportunity to try something new or do something different…don’t turn it down. (I mean, except for obvious reasons, such as, you’ll end up in jail, it hurts people, you have a prior commitment)…but for instance, that’s why I ended up auditioning for the TSO tribute band I mentioned. Initially I thought, huh, that’s ridiculous and not something I would be into. But then I thought, well, I don’t always love everything I’m doing now, and it might be a great opportunity and a ton of fun, and I just might love it. Worse case, I learn a lot and do something totally different.

This idea continues into many aspects of life: seeing movies that are a bit strange (over the weekend I broadened my horizons by seeing The Great Beauty, which is so not my sort of movie, but it was a neat experience), trying new restaurants (always up for it), going to shows, talking to people, going for a run, saying YES to a lot of things that you want to say no to because they frighten you or you are afraid you’ll be bored or you won’t like it…because the worst that will happen is that you will spend a few hours being bored, but you might potentially spend a few hours experiencing something amazing or even life changing.

Not to be cheesy (mmmm cheese) but it reminds me of that whole thing about how growth occurs outside of your comfort zone.

That’s an important graphic to remember. (I usually hate this kind of thing, but I don’t have any other pictures for this blog post, so there you have it. Obviously you should pin it.)

So those are my thoughts for today. Nothing too deep, just deep enough. In order to make 2014 a better year than last year I have to face my fears and get out there into the world. Even on those days where I just want to stay in bed because it’s safe and warm there…

Do you have a motto for 2014? Or a life motto?