Current mood:	excited
Current music:	SHOSTAKOVICH OP. 87 KEITH JARRETT

time to get in the zone
A lot of work to be done, but a lot of EXCITING work... that's how I feel tonight after a whole day of running around making gazillions of copies for the orchestra, auditioning people, signing people in, etc. I am SO tired right now. I was at the music building from 9 AM til 9 PM working nonstop minus one short lunch break. My joints are actually sore... especially my knee. I haven't felt this kind of soreness in awhile. How is this possible? I'm only 23... I must've spent about 6 hours in that copy room.

Several things to think about.

I didn't have such a productive summer. It was a difficult summer in many ways, but now that I'm back in a familiar element I feel much better. Our conductor suggested couple things to me today that really got me pumped up. He suggested that I apply for the Aspen conducting program this summer instead of shooting for only the Pierre Monteux School. He also told me I should conduct from the keyboard some time. Told me to learn a Beethoven or a Mozart concerto... does that mean he'll let me conduct the university orchestra? I don't know. Either way, I absolutely love both of his suggestions and whether it happens or not any time soon, I'm totally excited to work for it. I know both are somewhat over my head, but it's something to shoot for. I hate being doubtful all the time and finding ways to limit myself... it's really counterproductive. Ever since I came to UCSB, I've been doing a lot of that. It takes the sail out my love for music. It really does. Back in high school I used to think anything was possible, and I just went for it. While I didn't get everything I wanted done, I achieved many things that most people weren't able to. There's a danger in knowing too much some times, you set a limitation on your abilities. But in all seriousness what bad could come out of shooting for something that I would love to work for?

I think I FINALLY found a third piece to round out my recital program. I'm thinking about Shostakovich's Op. 87. Either one or two preludes & fugues... I think they're such fun works and perhaps even neglected works. No one ever plays them. I'm really liking the ones in G major and D major. They're a bit quarky, but there's a certain childish charm to them. I think they would make a wonderful opening for the program before the Barber sonata. I could just turn my first half into a 20th century fest, and end with a warm and profound 2nd half with the Schubert B-flat. I think that really works out well... I really hate the idea of opening the program with a Haydn sonata or learning the entire Debussy Estampes.