A great visit...

It is Monday morning, actually afternoon - and I just got done taking Mary to the airport. We had a slight fiasco, though. Apparently you are only allowed to take one carry-on through security (just like the US), but they count purses as a carry-on. So, here is Mary with her purse and her laptop not knowing what to do. We got one of the handler's to come over and help her. Basically she had to figure out a way to shove one bag into the other. I'm not sure how she did it, but she got through. Geez! Too much stress too early in the morning!

We had a great weekend. Mary got into town on Thursday early, and was surprisingly un-jetlagged (is that a word?) Anyway, we hung out for a bit before heading downtown to do some shopping. We spent most of the weekend out, and even saw the new James Bond movie in England, which I thought was very cool.


I mentioned before in an earlier post that we have a huge ferris wheel downtown that you can get a skyhigh view of the city landscape. Mary and I decided to go down there and do it on Saturday. The views were awesome, but I definitely thought (once we got half way up) that it was a much better idea while I was still on the ground. :(

The Halle Orchestra was playing on Sunday evening, so we took in the concert. It was under the Pops series heading, but was slightly serious repertoire. Here was the program:

Suppe - Light Calvary Overture
Debussy - Claire de Lune
Rachmaninov - Piano Concerto No. 2 (this was awesome, BTW)

Elgar - Cockaigne Overture
Halger - Silver and Gold Waltz
Gershwin - An American in Paris

So, a great program - while not Mahler or Ravel, it was very enjoyable to listen to. Earlier on in the day we ventured down to the Manchester Museum of Art. We played around there for a bit, and found a huge game of Connect Four. Those are the pictures with us looking through the holes. Guess which one of us won the game... :)

Anyway, it was a great weekend. Probably the best weekend I've had since I came over here. It was great to see my Mary and to get to spend some quality, well-needed time. Tomorrow I go to Munich with Steven to test-drive horns at the Besson factory. I promise more pictures and a post when I get back!

Great weekend, and ONE more day.

It was an absolutely fantastic weekend! I headed up to Gateshead, which is about 2.5 hrs north of Manchester near New Castle for the Brass in Concert brass band competition. We were supposed to have 5 people from the RNCM come up, but staring at the clock at 6:15a, it was only myself and Cyril - a great euphonium player from Switzerland. Oh well - - - they all missed out.

The train ride up to New Castle was not too bad. I am still trying to wrap my head around the train system here. Apparently you can get a reserved seat on the train, but I have yet to find out where I go to do that. So, you just have these boarding cards that are good on any train, in any route to your destination. It seems a bit complicated, but actually is quite easy.

Once we got to New Castle, we had to take a quick taxi across the river (still not sure which river it was, but trying to find out). The Sage is the venue for the concert, and it was amazing. We got there about 10:30a and found our seats. The hall was pretty full, but not packed - so there was a little room to spread out. If you are wondering, there seems to be two kinds of brass band competitions. One is where there is a 'test-piece', which is usually something very difficult meant to "test" each of the bands. You will have exposed solos, loud and soft playing, all of the things that are "difficult." Anyway, the other is an entertainment-based competition. In this competition each band had approximately 25 minutes to perform a program. The judges were not screened (unlike the test-piece competition, where they were), and the general idea of the competition was to present something that was not only musical but enjoyable to listen to and watch. Bands had all different interpretations during the day, but two really stood out.

The Brighouse and Rastrick (sp?) band came out on top, with Grimethorpe (the band my teacher was conducting) coming in only 2 points behind them. The big surprise of the day came from the Brass Band of Central Florida who placed 4th. The reason being, is that they won the entertainment portion of the scorecard, and placed 7th in music. They were entertaining, albeit not exactly the idea of a true British-style brass band.

All-in-all it was a very enjoyable day. The pictures on this post are of the hall, and of the surroundings during the day. The concert went until almost 7:30p, since there were 12 bands, each band getting a half-hour to perform. So, I wasn't able to take too many pictures, but enjoy the views.

And, only one more day until my Mary gets here. It has been a while since we have been able to spend some time together, and I am really looking forward to it. It has been a great semester so far, but I am definitely missing a few things. Mostly my parents, my family, a "real-person" sized shower, and a washer/dryer that I only have to share with my parents. Oh well, small price to pay for living over here!

Good week, but way too busy...

This week has been great. I have been super busy, not too much free time - but very enjoyable. This weekend, there is a brass band contest called Brass in Concert, which is in Gateshead. It is up north, and should be a lot of fun. My teacher, Steven Mead, is conducting the Grimethorpe Brass Band, who are the favorites to win. Oh, sorry... favoUrites to win... Anyway, he had me do some computer work on the scores for him, and that was taking up most of my time throughout the first part of the week.

I did, however, manage to get over to a Grimethorpe rehearsal on Wednesday night, and it was impressive to say the least. The band played beautifully, and when they played soft it was simply - magical. They have a great program, and it will be interesting to see how they (and Steve) do. More info on the Brass in Concert contest here.

The review from the Besses concert last week was pretty good. No large mentions of the 'almost-train-wreck' that we had, so that was nice. Here's the link.

I am headed up to the contest on Sunday with some friends from the studio. Once again, no one from the UK - but I think we can manage. The contest is different than the last one that we went to in London. This one is purely entertainment driven. There is no test piece, just one rule - you have 23 minutes. Now, ENTERTAIN us. And they do, apparently. They do have awards for best new arrangement, best soloist, etc. The view from New Castle should be nice. We are taking an early train up on Sunday, and a very late train the same day (actually, morning by the time it's here). I promise pictures for everyone!

Good news. MY NEW CD IS AVAILABLE! Stepping Stones For Euphonium, Vol. 1 was released on Tuesday, and you can get more information about it here. It is purely educational in nature, although it is full of great pieces that you can simply listen to for enjoyment. Another plug for the website, I have updated my online store with new arrangements by the Norwegian-euphoniumist, Tormod Flaten. They are stellar, and available now.

Enough about the euphonium world. I get to see my Mary next week. She is traversing the ocean to come see me. She gets here bright and early on Thursday morning, and she is staying until Tuesday. Should be a great time. I think that we are going to take a day-trip somewhere. Not exactly sure where, yet - but am working on that. I am sure whatever we do, there will be posts and pictures.

I am glad that so many of you liked the YouTube posting earlier this week. You can't imagine how funny that is until you see it happen right in front of you. Makes you really not want to drive behind buses, right? Well, that is about it for now. I must practice a bit. More pictures next week, and a post after we get back from Gateshead!

OUCH!

OUCH!

Being in England - the land of crazy driving and small cars, I thought you would appreciate this. We actually have these near the music building, and I have seen this happen before - way too funny. Hope you get a kick out of it!

Sunday - and the sky is grey... totally...

This weekend has been pretty laid back. I finished reading a book that I have been working on for the better part of two weeks, Lisey's Story by Stephen King. It is my first taste of horror, but I would classify it more under suspense. The book has its own 'language' meaning that it takes you 100 pages or so before you can adequately get around the lingo and know what it going on. But, overall a pleasant read.

I had my first experience in a brass band concert on Friday night with the Besses. It went pretty well, aside from a minor collision (I would refrain from using the word trainwreck), because the wheels didn't fall off the bus - not totally, that is. The only problem was the there was a reviewer from 4barsrest.com, which is the major brass banding website - only know what he'll write about that little incident. Oh well. No problem.

Had a nice lazy Saturday and Sunday after my three days from hell. I think I spent more time on the bus and on the tram than I did sleeping! Geez! But, for all of the travel that it takes to get to rehearsals and gigs, the people in the band really make up for it. They are all super friendly, and are a great bunch of people to be performing with. Also, the musical director (MD as they are called, over here), asked me to solo on the next concert - geez... now I have to memorize something. Darn it!

Yesterday was laundry day. Those of you who live in dorms (or remember THOSE days) know exactly what I am talking about. We have 300 people in this dorm, and we have 8 (actually make that 7 because one was broken yesterday) washers and dryers. So, it is always fun getting to a machine when you need it. I usually do it on Wednesdays, but just didn't get it done this week - and when the supply of socks is up... it's time to do the wash.

Tonight I am headed over to school for a late night practice session. I usually try to get 90 minutes or so in the evenings, before I go back to my dorm to make my phone calls back to the US. With the time change (we are six hours ahead), it makes it slightly difficult, but not too bad.

I just found out that I am going to Germany for a couple of days. My teacher, Steven Mead, is going to the Besson factory (they make the euphonium that I (we) play on), and we fly into Munich - so a new country to visit... It's only for 2 days, but I think it'll be fun! I promise pictures for everyone!

I have some free time this week. I am going to take some pictures around town here in Manchester. I will go out to the city centre and give you guys some nice shots. We have a large ferriswheel in the middle of town right now as a tourist attraction. So, I will get a ticket and get some nice aerial shots!

Thanks to everyone who has been writing lately. I have gotten your emails, and will get back to you real soon. I am glad that people are enjoying reading the blog and I will keep posting things as they happen!

One BUSY Week!

It's Wednesday evening, and I am very tired - so, this entry will be brief. The Besses are getting ready for a concert this Friday evening with the Bolton Youth Brass Band (who, incidentally are coming to the U.S. via Lee Harrelson and the Fountain City Brass Band in the summer of 2008), the Besses' Boys, and the Besses in a joint concert. We had rehearsal last evening, and then a dress/run through this evening.

At rehearsal tonight, I had an "American" moment. We were sitting around while one of the other bands were rehearsing, and a nice lady comes around and asks me if I want a 'brew.' Well, any American would say, "I know it's 5 o'clock somewhere, but I have to play in a bit..." She was definitely talking about coffee or tea, which is 'brew---ED', not talking about a beer. Oh well...

Thanks to everyone who has been writing lately to tell me that they are enjoying the blog and the pictures. I feel like it is one of my only life-lines to the U.S. while I am over here - and it gives me the chance to tell it like 'it is' over here.

In about two weeks, my Mary is coming over to visit me, and I am VERY excited. She is giving up her Thanksgiving break to fly across the pond to see little-ole-me. I feel loved.

Anyway, it has been a severely long day, so this is it for now. More pictures from the concert this weekend, and maybe even one in my spiffy-little uniform!

Remember, remember the Fifth of November

As I am sitting here in my dorm room, I am surrounded by loads of fireworks. Tonight is bonfire night, and the city is lit up like a Christmas tree. If I was in the U.S. right now, it would just be another night in November. I would probably be busy trying to finish some paper that was due before Thanksgiving break in a couple of weeks - but, tonight is bonfire night in England.

If it wasn't for the movie, V for Vendetta, I think that most Americans would have absolutely no clue what this day is about - or why people celebrate it. If you want more information on Guy Fawkes and the history of bonfire night, click here.

It's amazing that we as American need a movie to enlighten us about British history. I, for one, had no clue about the 5th of November until last year about this time - sitting in a movie theater in Lawrence, KS saying to myself, "this story is really cool." Then, learning that - well, IT'S TRUE! Maybe there are more historical "hidden" treasures out there that we can turn into movies. Or, maybe just read a book... Anyway, enjoy the day and check out the link!

London Pictures

I just finished playing my first orchestra concert here at the RNCM. Here was the program:

Dvorak - Carnival Overture
Strauss - Oboe Concerto
Mahler - Kindertotenlieder
Janacek - Sinfonietta

It went pretty well, although no thanks to the 7 notes that it is in the euphonium part. But, once again - we are just happy to be included. It has been a really good week here. I am playing full-time in the brass band, which is turning out to be a real treat. Everybody is great there, and since we have so many euphonium players at the college, getting outside opportunities is really the way to go. We have our first concert next Friday - should be loads of fun.

Here are the promised pictures from London. We had a great time, and got to hear some of the best brass bands out there. After the contest, we had some time in London so we ventured to the science museum and around town for a bit. Great place to go visit - enjoy the pictures!