Music + Words

Ok, so I let another 8 months pass before posting a second poem…  This one I started the summer of 2016, exactly a year after the first one.  What is it about summers that put me in this mood?  I’ll have to continue this theme and write a “Dear Summer” 2017 version.  Something tells me […]

It’s been awhile since my last post and the excuses are just excuses, so no excuses.  ☺️  Well, maybe one… that I’m somewhat of a perfectionist… but I’m trying to change that about me at least when it comes to writing.  I started writing this (poem?  blog entry?  stream of consciousness?) on a plane in […]

Isn’t the first day of school the best?  The excitement of a new beginning, the anticipation of reuniting with your friends and making new ones, the butterflies in your stomach, wondering what this year has in store.  I used to be anxious about the unknown but now I welcome the mystery, the surprise, even the obstacles, because they […]

This is the third conductor interview I’ve done for my column Off The Record on The Metropolitan Opera Musician website! This one is all about Maestro James Conlon, whom I made my German debut under, so he holds a soft spot in my musical heart. I started this series (you can read more about why […]

The worst thing that ever happened to me became the best thing that ever happened to me. The Met Orchestra was my fist orchestral audition and the only orchestra I wanted to play in. I was still in school and pursuing a solo career when I won the position, and in April of 2005 with […]