Whoops!

You can ignore the T-shirt ads, but these pictures are worth a laugh.

To play, or not to play

A friend called today to tell me about this page. I believe I could pass auditions such as these. My concern is about schedule.

When I lived near Chattanooga, my father, sister and I were all members of the Chattanooga Symphony, under the direction of first Vahktang Jordania, then Bob Bernhardt. (Someone check my spelling, please.) I played with them for ten years, mostly as a section Violin II player, but occasionally as a Violin I. The CSO frequently had performances on Friday nights, during the Sabbath hours, but we were not hired for those performances, partly because those performances were in a hall with a slightly smaller stage, and partly because the personnel manager was a good man who respected our religious beliefs and took care of us.

Since moving away from the area I have assumed that most symphonies, community, professional or otherwise, would have Sabbath hours schedule conflicts, and so I have not actively sought membership in any symphony. But as I look at the site mentioned above, I realize that I've been missing symphonic repertoire for nearly a decade, and I wonder whether, somewhere nearby, there's an ensemble that does not have regular Friday night or Saturday performances or rehearsals.

Time to blog at last

Just a quick note: I'm heading to the GC sessions in St. Louis, MO to play tuba with a brass choir there. This would be much more fun if it didn't involve two overnight drives separated by only one night of sleep, and if I hadn't been sick for the past two days. Oh well: I believe it's worth doing.