Playing with the husband and more

First thing I want to say is how much fun I had playing across the orchestra from my husband Ian (rock star bass player) again for the first time in years last week! We were both mentors for the National Academy Orchestra of Canada with Boris Brott. We played some "best of" opera, and had a really fun time, shout out to Megan Jones and Boris for their vision! Ian, you did a great job, I am so proud of you!

At the same time, I also started my Bachelor of Interior Design classes online! I have to say, I already love it! I started learning about drafting by hand, and discussed my influences in design and architecture with my classmates.  A lot were from NYC, no surprises there, NYC was such an amazing city to live in! A few of them were the Chrysler Building from the Art Deco movement, and the Hypar Pavilion accross the street from Juilliard as part of Diller Scofido + Renfro's redesign of Lincoln Center (go check out their website, they are amazing!).

Albus has been loving the time I now spend studying and writing for my classes, he comes into my office/studio and curls up in his basket by the window. Of course, he would never be caught in there when I practice (he hates the sound of the violin), so it has been nice to have company at least for a portion of the day!

As if all that wasn't enough, I also organized all my music by composer, alphabetically, and put all that music in a filing cabinet... It took HOURS but was definitely worth it, check out all the stuff I have below, and how little space it takes now! I was getting tired of never finding what I was looking for, like the piano part to Beethoven concerto, which I am playing in a few weeks with the NAO and Boris Brott (see concerts for tickets).

I admit it, I have been neglecting my workouts lately, but it has been so busy! I'll have to schedule them in my calendar from now on..! I continue to see my osteopath, which is really helping relieving tension in both arms, neck and back from playing! I am also excited to see a naturopath this week, I'll let you guys know how it goes in my next blog post!

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The king of concerti

Last week was all about easing back into playing. I started practicing Beethoven concerto for the concert coming up on August 1st, and it has been really fun to revisit! Albus has not been a fan though, he really doesn't like the sound of the violin in general, but I don't think that it's a reflection on my playing..! It's just hard for me to disturb the cutest sleeping cat ever when I start practicing (see picture below)... Luckily I know there are plenty of other rooms for him to go snooze in, so I don't feel too bad. I call Beethoven concerto the King of all violin concerti, I love the simplicity and easiness of the music, and I'll be working on making it sound that way for the next month and a half! I've also had the time to go to the gym more regularly, both for yoga and working out, and to stay motivated, I've used a few essential oils. My favorites right now in the practice room are citrus and mint combinations (I love diffusing wild orange and peppermint, or lemon lime and grapefruit), they keep me focused and awake in the heat of South Western Ontario! At the gym, I really like the blend "Breathe" (bay laurel, eucalyptus, peppermint, tea tree, lemon, ravensara and cardamom) on the chest and throat before starting, and Cypress on the legs right before leaving the gym. I've also had a few projects on the side, like trying new recipes ("Super-fast beef hash, baked potatoes, goddess salad and lovely butter beans and bacon" from Jamie Oliver's Meals in minutes, Ian and I really enjoyed it), refinishing an old window that we found on the side of the road to make it a frame to hang pictures and notes in, and gardening. Wow, I didn't really realize how busy we've been until I wrote it down... This week, I'd like to paint, maybe sew something, and of course continue practicing! We'll see how it goes, I'll try to write a post every week, so check back soon!