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