My friends, imagine the caption above this picture as reading: "I am TELLING you, I wish I had more time to update my blog, but I can't. BRIDGEMAN!" Of course, it helps to think of Wrath of Khan (speficially Shatner) to get the proper gist. Yes, it's the craziest time of the year for academics, especially performing academics. I can't even begin to list the number of things that are happening at FSU between national tours (I've been involved at some level with all four), International New Music Festivals, nine degree recitals, three TSO concerts, recruiting, preparing my students for graduate school auditions and job interviews, percussion ensemble concerts, two guest artist residencies, organizing this recording project for my teaching studio, and of course...CARNEGIE HALL! That's right, in case I haven't spoken to you in a while--highly likely, since I am under a self-imposed phone arrest in my office--four of my students and I are taking a week-long tour and ending with a concert in Weill Recital Hall (Carnegie Hall) in NYC on May 4th...which is exactly five weeks from today.It's cool, though--I feel really good about the program for the tour for this far out; things are almost ready for run-throughs for people who keep score of such things. Plus we're premiering a new piece by David Skidmore, and I'm very excited about that. The only hard part about all of this is the 8am rehearsals on Tuesday and Thursday. It's killing me.
And this is just work! ENP and I continue to love the new house and are coming up on our one-year anniversary, which I cannot believe! We are looking forward to summer so that we can just hang out and do nothing but watch Lost DVDs and catch up on Battlestar Galactica for a few weeks. That, of course, after we return from NY and spend two days recording everything for a new CD.
Speaking of recording, I'm very happy to report that our amazing administration funded a small recording gear project I proposed, which involves a Lexicon USB interface (for XLR cables), two KrK powered studio monitors (rock ON!), two AKG 3000 condenser microphones, two nice large booms, and a bunch of cables--and some REALLY swanky headphones (Beyerdynamic) for recording in the percussion studio. The sweet part: one of our tech geniuses is going to help me wire the snake through the studio wall into my office, which will now double as a recording booth! Talk-back speakers, the whole thing!
I have been working with Adobe Audition 2.0 for a while now, and feel that this set-up is going to be amazing for producing audition CDs for the students, graduate school screening CDs, music festival CDs, recording lessons (with really, really fine sound quality), and also for students to run recital rep and have a choice of takes (rather than just the live ones). Given that we are remodeling the studio this summer and should have the recording capability in the Fall--we're going to have one of the best looking and functional rooms in the College of Music!
Well, as much as I'd love to continue for my four readers, it's time to get back to the marimba. Merlin waits. Until next time, enjoy this picture of the group. These guys are going to kick it, as Devil Dog would say.
