And Just Like That... It's Over.

I am two-thirds of the the way through my master's degree program (as of Wednesday at 2 PM). It's been quite a year and I've learned a lot, conducted a lot of different ensembles, worked with some fantastic musicians, and I even got a job in the process. This year has been very good to me and I am thankful for the many great things that have happened in my life. I'm looking forward to next year but I am definitely ready to take a moment to pause and enjoy the summer.

Wednesday night was the final UISO concert of the year featuring the orchestra, the Oratorio Society Chorus, several guest soloists, and 4 different conductors. It was a huge event and a great way to wrap up the academic year. I conducted the Mozart Impresario Overture, a somewhat lesser-known work written in 1786 for a competition sponsored by the emperor Joseph II. It tends to be overlooked because it was written at the same time as Marriage of Figaro and is a much smaller work - a Singspiel - with only five musical numbers in the entire production. Even though the work isn't often performed the overture rocks (Mozart-style) and is fun to play and conduct.

Of course I couldn't have finished everything all at once so this morning I tied up the last of the loose ends for my academic work. I finished my term paper on Beethoven 3...

...and there was much rejoicing. It ended up being a 25 page romp through the fourth movement complete with philosophical connections to the French Enlightenment and the German philosophers, Kant and Schiller. Throw in a little bit of Prometheus, a composer going deaf, and a nod to Napoleon and you've got a stew goin' baby.

Honestly it felt great to finish this project which, of course, pales in comparison to a thesis or dissertation. I do feel though, as I did last semester, that I was dangerously close to tipping over the precipice in my paper. There's so much to cover and so much one can bring into a work like this that it's very easy to write 50-75 pages. For papers like this I have to remind myself not to get out of hand and just stay close to the thesis. I will be writing a dissertation (gulp) soon enough.

Now that the academic year is over I can take some time to reflect and relax. Next up: a youth orchestra concert and then a trip to Italy. I think I can handle that.