Sigh... our little startup period instrument ensemble is going pretty okay.... but paired with that unexpected traction is the unexpected busy-ness that comes with it. Lots on the administrative end of things, with emails, interviews, and publicity...

... and a good chunk of that is out of the way for the incoming concerts. 5 concerts and one education presentation in 2 and a half weeks... and just because we do the things that we do, each concert is a different programming with different instruments... mostly centred around our period instrument stuff from the Baroque era on historical instruments, but also with one concert with tangos, romantic pieces, and some fresh of the press compositions.

Like many things, it is the sort of thing that looks all fine on paper... but when you are in the thick of it, you are just hunkering down and trying to triage and bat off the things that are coming at you with the most importance.

First off the ranks is a solo violin concert... and that programme is currently residing in my head along with the patter that will need to go along with that. Then I really need to finish off the lecture demonstration on Early Music, and what we do with it... that is also paired with a concert.

Then two more instrumental concerts, and then we finish off with our regular main event... a chamber music series with a cross-over pairing with Philosophy.

The purely instrumental concerts are the easier parts... we just need to learn our music and then get it all together. Thankfully, all these concerts and presentations are just the core group of my wife and I... so, we have ample opportunity to rehearse at home without needing to co-ordinate with any outside guests. That is a gigantic advantage to this sort of ensemble set-up....

However, the Philosophy and education project needs a bit more thought and co-ordination. Well, the Philosophy one at least... but that is now mostly out of the way now that the guest presenter has given us a rough outline of his patter. We can start fitting appropriate music in the sections between the spoken presentation sections.

The education one is difficult in a different way... my wife and I are specialists in our field... but that means it can be a bit difficult to distill what is important and interesting into a two hour (2 part) lecture/demonstration. Still, I have the skeleton structure completed... and we both know more than enough to talk at length about each section...

... the danger being that we talk TOO LONG!

So... heads down, into hyper-concentrated mode for our ensemble concerts and presentation. It is front and centre for most of the coming couple of weeks, and as soon as we are out the other end, we part ways to do other projects. Sigh, that is something that I also need to look at, I'm a guest leader for a different ensemble... and there is LOTS of music to ingest so that I can direct the group well!

Eeep... this is the life of a freelance musician! Triaging stress and work... not so much on the glamour side!

I can also be found cross-posting at:
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