h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I'm leaving tomorrow, for a three week trip. I'll be going to Michigan to visit with my cousin's family and then also to go to music camp. I'm really looking forward to it, but will miss being here. I don't think there's *any* possibility of me getting online while I'm gone, certainly not at camp, and I don't think it's likely that I'll be online at my cousin's place either.
I updated my personal space today, and the cult of the dictionary readers page (consider it housekeeping that I wanted to do before I left). I also created this page, A1095158. It's my "kitchen". Please stop by sometime for a snack and a should a situation requiring a hug arise while I'm gone, or even if it doesn't.
Have a beautiful three weeks while I'm gone, and even after I'm back.
to all, esp. Gen and Red as I'll miss your returns by only a few days.
So, as I said, have a great time. I'll miss you all. But I'll be sure to stop by during the four days I'm home before leaving again (that second time Renee's coming with us!). Don't create too much b'log while I'm gone. I would hate to have to catch up on it all!

s to all,
Jen

have fun! and make sure you get enough sleep, because you certainly won't when you get back! (on account of all the backlog you'll have to wade through)

Hope you had a lovely time sweetheart... will be missing you alot... speak when you get back... x

I'M BAAAAACK!

but leaving again on Friday, this time for Canada, with family, Renee, and her younger (and annoying) brother.
I had a really good time. We played Tchaikowsky symphony 4 (the whole thing), which was hard but good. And there were required concerts almost every night, but some of them were also quite good, including an orchestra one with an all shostakovich program and a violin/piano recital (option for violin and piano majors instead of a band concert) that included a Correlli piano trio done in fairly accurate baroque style. The violinist had a baroque bow, the cellist played in baroque style (no endpin) and tried to sound like he had a baroque bow-and the pianist played on a concert grand.
That and other stuff.
Glad to be back but the b'log's horrendous.
Jen

welcome back jen!


our first concert for this year is next month. we're playing, among other things, 'the great gate at kiev' and 'les miserables' and brian hoggs' 'the stone guest', although the violins are absolutely *struggling* with 'les miserables'... (the clarinets faring no better at 'aquarium'. actually that piece is *tough* for everyone - except the trombones )

I played tchaik 4th last year. We went to Paris and got a standing ovation for it in La Madeleine. It was amazing. Sounds like you had a good time and im glad! Welcome home! xxx

HELLO!!!!!

Hi Kess!

Gen-so then you know about all the nasty himyolas and the incredibly high first violin part. I don't know if I've ever worked harder to learn one piece (in 10 days, and I didn't practice, but rehearsals were looooooooong) but it was worth it. All the parts where the strings have 16th note runs we had the brass (mainly trumpets there) play really loudly to cover us.
I have never been to Paris. But I applied to the international exchange program at camp, which sends different ensembles, including an orchestra, to europe for 3 weeks, so I will get to go to europe for the first time if I get accepted. (otherwise, I'll probably go with my school at some point) But it's ususally to france, germany, belgium region. They've only recently started expanding the trips, and not to great britian.

It is hard, but amazing to play dont you think?

The thing is, a year on, we can still sing it, play it from memory and even tell you what page a particular part is on. (of our own section obviously). Last week when i was away with CLYO, we were singing along to a recording. Imagine all the different parts but with voices instead.

If you ever do get to britain let me know ok?

have a great time in canada jen
farlander-i've played les mis, its an incredible piece. the violin part's not that hard-tell then they're all wimps!

hannah - yeah, the violinists *are* wimps! 'kiev' sounds *really* odd the way they play it our concert band is so, so, so, so much better... we've gotten to the point where you can hurl a grade 4/5 piece at us and we can sightread our way through it without getting lost along the way, which is a great deal more than you can say about the *orchestra*...




(oh, and ah, news that you've probably missed: i've switched to french horn for the orchestra. it helps keep our orchestra at its current level of mediocrity)

Gen-at the end of a different camp, maybe 4 years back, we had a campfire and wanted to sing stuff. But not many people knew the same songs. So we ended up singing Mozart's Symphony no. 25, one of the pieces we had played. Great fun.

yeah, doing stuff like thats great fun! pachelbel's canon and queen of sheba work really well!
farlander-have you actually got a french horn, or are you playing the part on the trombone? (if the latter is true, you have sunk as low as our orch! we have 2 trombones, one of which plays french horn, and our one bassoon fills in on clarinet and cello!)

We occasionally have harp played on the electric keyboard, but otherwise we do rep that we have the players for. (Sometimes we import oboes and horns from the band)

arwen - lol, i'm not *that* far gone yet! i'm actually *playing* a french horn (aka curly sewer system. if you've never played one, then you have no idea just how much spit can collect within five minutes), which means that i have to learn everything from scratch. (and yeah, two sets of scales for both f and b flat horn!!! )

one thing i've got to admit... if you have less than perfect front teeth, you should never attempt to play the blessed horn. my teeth and my mouthpiece are not getting along very well...

isnt the french horn the hardess brass instrument to succeed on? Good luck! xx