Is It May?

It's been a helluva semester. Only a week and a half to go. Since the last time I wrote in this blog, I've had a few things on my plate:

- I conducted L'Histoire du Soldat with the U of I Chamber Orchestra:

-The next week I went to a workshop at the Cleveland Institute of Music:

-The following week I gave a recital in Champaign:

Two days after this I got to conduct the collegiate premiere of a work that had its world premiere at Aspen last summer (no photo).

In addition to my conducting, I spent the first half of my Spring break in Chicago observing student teachers, played in the pit orchestra for the Champaign-Urbana Theater Company's production of The Producers, and somehow managed to keep myself current in all of my classes. In fact I just turned in a term paper this week! I'm also finishing up my first full season with the McHenry County Youth Orchestras in Crystal Lake. Our final concert of the season is coming up on Sunday, May 20th.

So it's been a little... busy.

The cherry on top of the sundae for me this semester is a 180 mile bike ride (from Champaign to Crystal Lake) as part of an effort to raise funds for a domestic violence shelter in the McHenry County area called "Turning Point" and raise awareness of the youth orchestra program as well. I thought of the idea last fall as I drove along the Fox river from Oswego to Crystal Lake (it's a beautiful stretch) and I volunteered to make the trip and connect it to some kind of fundraiser. I started my bike training this week. Not too bad so far.

While this might be a little bit crazy, I also view it as a great way to shed myself of the stress of the semester and do something I've always wanted to do (of course I initially envisioned rides across Wisconsin or Southeastern Minnesota or along the North Shore of Lake Superior, but the flat, hot, windy terrain central Illinois will have to do for now).