Our recital went really well tonight in Gravenhurst went really well.... we were surrounded by love and appreciation from the Muskoka Concert Association and had a great time talking to the audience members at intermission and after the show. Now it’s almost 2 a.m. and I need to be sitting in my second bassoon (sub) chair for the Toronto Symphony tomorrow morning.
But before I scrape of the stage makeup and pitch headfirst into bed, I have a few observations.
After years of hammering espresso, then switching to decaf, I quit coffee entirely this month. I cannot tell you how much easier it is to play the long recital! In fact, it no longer seems long and and I find the small resources to power through the nuanced moments towards the end. The fine control is so much better without the background grip of caffeine that it is startling.
And after months of low-level injuries in my forearm from overtraining with weights, I began working with an amazing chiropractor/acupuncturist, and tonight was my first pain-free concert since last October! This chiropractor was an Olympic gold medalist twice as a discus thrower... Dr Borys Chambul really understands what it means to train for high performance. I feel like I have been given a huge gift... not only is the pain gone but I am learning more about how to access my strength.
Conclusions: performing musicians are athletes... we have to take very good care of ourselves and have a support team that is on the same level in order to push to where we want to go. It is simple yet requires research and experimentation. And it is really worth it.
Does anyone want to hear about reeds? That is a journey in itself but I wonder if the details are interesting to anyone but me. Tomorrow.
1 comment:
I, for one, would love to hear about reeds!
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