Six months ago it would have been hard to imagine having a month like I did this November. After a relatively quiet summer gradually returning to rehearsals and public performances, I found myself setting foot in four different cities within the span of two days this past week. This rapid transition back to the lifestyle of a traveling musician happened so seamlessly that only upon returning from a trip around the country and back again did I realize how far we’ve come since the beginning of the year. The vast majority of musicians throughout the world are not enjoying this amount of work and freedom at the moment, so I find it important to take the time to look back and appreciate the situation I am in.
I consider myself very lucky, having been in the right place at the right time more than once in the recent past and owing as much of my success and happiness to circumstance as I do to my own planning and diligence. The performances with Suzhou Symphony Orchestra in Changsha, Shenyang, and Taiyuan have reinvigorated my interest in traveling the country after a rather sedentary period in Suzhou. My subsequent visit to Zhejiang Conservatory of Music for a master class and chamber concert has furthermore brought education and cultural exchange back to the forefront of my musical goals.
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November 19 performance of Giaochino Rossini’s Duet for Cello and Double Bass
Cello: Claudius Lepetit
Photos courtesy of Zhejiang Conservatory of Music