I've always been one to pack light. Just my style I suppose. Don't worry Mom, I have everything I need packed away in those bags. It's hard to believe that in twenty four hours I will be on a plane headed to Santiago most likely trying (and most likely failing) to get some sleep. At this point the emotions tend to fluctuate between excitement and apprehension. I think it's normal that upon the embarcation (I don't care what you say auto correct, it is a word) of a unique journey such as this, excitement is always present. This is, however, not purely a vacation. There was a lot of music to learn, some of it quite demanding *cough cough* Strauss *cough cough* Stravinsky , and a good deal of preparation was required. Furthermore, when entering any new situation with a new group of people you never know what the dynamic will be and how things will come together ( of course, I'm thinking the band will sound great). Mix all that togeter with the mundane details that must be attended to before you leave the country for a month and things can get a bit hectic. But alas, that nonsense is over and I've done all the prepping I can do. Now there is nothing left to do except dive in head first and hope the water isn't freezing. I'm looking forward to getting the plane rides out of the way and settling in and getting started. I hope the Pacific is as blue as I remember it being. EAL

Knot of Anticipation

The start of our travels is only three days away and I am doing my best to not let the logistics of it all cloud my excitement and anticipation.  Learning the music (times four for the horns since we do not have part assignments till after our seating audition the first day), packing, activating travel debit cards, ordering travel advances on prescriptions, holding the mail, renewing car registration in advance, etc. all add up to make things slightly stressful for the last few days of preparation but once I am on my flights from Austin to Dallas, then on to Santiago, it will hopefully all melt away and I will be able to focus on this exciting time ahead of me.

There is no way to anticipate or set up realistic expectations in your mind for a trip like this.  You can imagine what it will feel like to sit in an orchestra where only a portion of your colleagues speak your language or how we will feel after our first concert when the energy level is high and we are (hopefully!) proud of what we've just shared but no matter what you dream up it will play out differently.  For someone who is a "planner" like me, it is hard to get rid of that anticipation knot in your gut until you land on stable ground and feel out the energy and vibe of your section mates, conductors, roommates, etc.  I imagine most of the group is feeling like this also.  At the end of this whole experience I'm really looking forward to posting about my favorite performance, favorite meal, favorite city and all of those really exciting moments.  For now, all I can do is keep on trucking, prepare the best I can, and do some more score study and listening. Off I go!  RKV

Nostalgia, Brahms and Airplanes

Shakespeare once wrote that the past is prologue. Is that true? Perhaps. I personally think it is. When I picked up an electric bass toward the end of my junior year of high school I had no idea the places the instrument would take me. I started taking some lessons from a local teacher, mainly a jazzer. One day I walked into his studio for a lesson. His upright bass was out of its case, standing against two corners of the wall. Right away I was hooked. I loved the way it looked, loved the way it felt and loved the way it sounded. My first stop after high school was Washington, DC where I had the opportunity to study on scholarship with a great player and teacher in one of the world's great cities. Next I made my way to Baltimore for graduate studies at the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University. This next stop, however, will perhaps be the most exciting one yet. Chile. The motherland.

My mother was born in Valparaiso. After a brief sojourn in Paris she made her way to the U.S. and never left. We visited family there as often as we could and from an early age I realized that there was something different, something more than my home, my school and my friends. My experiences there, including that of learning a different language, very much shaped my identity as I grew up.

When I began my musical studies I never thought the bass would bring me here. It's weird how things work out sometimes. I know that as the plane begins its descent on Santiago and I look out the window and see for the first time the peaceful, inviting landscape of emerald pastures, cool blue rivers, and smoothly-sloped, lazy-looking mountains I will feel in strange way that I am coming home.

What am I most excited about? Playing Brahms Symphony no. 4! After that I will have performed them all, in order. Also, I can't wait to work with Carlos Miguel Prieto. I hear that guy is awesome. What am I not looking forward to? Roughly 13 hours of flying over 2 days. Oof.
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Welcome, again!

I am very excited to be able to provide my friends and family with a glimpse into this incredible adventure Ed and I are about to embark on.  I am certainly no writer but I hope to share another perspective throughout the duration of our travels as we dive head-first into this musically and culturally rich month-long festival. 

When you are a part of a music festival (no, not the Bonnaroo type) that is any significant length of time, it's amazing the type of relationships you form.  Of course you make life-long career-related connections but you also form relationships with colleagues that are different and very meaningful due to the nature of the environment.  In our case we have roughly eighty musicians from twenty-five different countries that will live, rehearse and travel together in a country that is foreign to so many of us.  As a group we will grow and be able to explore everything together, hopefully without any significant missteps!

One of the most important connections that will be growing throughout this journey is my relationship with Ed.  This trip is particularly special because of Ed's deep connection to this country.  Before Ed and I began dating I overheard him making a phone call...in Spanish.  What is this American bass player from Philly doing speaking Spanish so well?!  I quickly learned that Chile, his mother's birth-country and where she spent the first twenty-five (or so) years of her life, became an extremely important part of his life and identity after traveling and visiting family there throughout his youth.  This winter when the opportunity came for us to potentially join this orchestral festival doing what we love while traveling in Chile, we jumped at the chance.  After submitting audition videos we learned we would both be traveling to the place he loves so dearly and that I never imagined I would see for years.  I am so looking forward to all aspects of this amazing opportunity and sharing it with you here.  Time to let my senses take over and enjoy!  RKV

Welcome!

So many times we are reminded that life is a journey. It's not something to be accomplished, but instead experienced. In a couple short weeks my girlfriend Rose (the other contributor to this blog) and I will have the opportunity to embark on a truly special journey. It will be one of professional development, self discovery, and cultural exchange. As members of the YOA Orchestra of the Americas we will have the opportunity to learn from outstanding musicians, perform great repertoire, and impart our knowledge to local fledgling musicians. Oh yea, and we get to do it in Chile! The tour will take us North to South with some great stops along the way. We have decided to create this blog both to share our experiences with family and friends who desire to be kept abreast and to document our journey in order to ensure that it remains a vivid part of our future past. To learn more about the festival we've been chosen to be a part of follow the links below.

YOA Orchestra of the Americas

YOA on Facebook
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