Dorkestra

For a little over a year now I have served as the secretary for the Loveland Orchestra, and my dear friend Paige has been the president. The 2017-2018 season was our first season as board members, so we had a lot to learn and a lot of volunteer hours to donate (these are unpaid positions, just like our membership as musicians in the orchestra). Let me just say--I had no idea how many logistical details go into maintaining a community orchestra and putting on seven concerts a year.

Here we are after our first concert of the season back in September--the crowd was a little sparse, perhaps in part because we didn't get the ad in the local newspaper, but we sounded great and there were no disasters.

In February was our fourth annual (and hopefully final) fundraiser gala. Again, I was a little naive about the amount of time required to organize an event like this. It was educational, successful, and completely took over my life. So many things were put on my proverbial back burner during the weeks leading up to February 3, I still shudder at the word "gala."

The crazy look in my eyes has visibly increased in the selfie we took at the gala:

Forest and Ramona came to support me at the fundraiser. They listened to me play music, filled up their plates with food, and won a couple of raffle prizes. During the silent auction, they also let me bid on a student viola, which I ended up taking home.

Ramona's raffle prizes

Our March concert was the highlight of the season for me. We got to play Brahms Symphony No. 4, which I fell in love with at one point, and it still pulls at my heart strings. Our orchestra performed it about five years ago, but this rendition was so much more gratifying to play. The group as a whole sounds much more refined, and the accuracy of my personal playing has also improved, so it was a much more fulfilling experience to present on stage. 

If Louie and I are still here in five years, he promised we could play it again.

Here we are at our final concert, at the end of April. Probably still feeling a little crazy, but so relieved to have that first season behind us with no major catastrophes. 

We presented Louie with an embroidered fleece marking the end of his 15th season as our director. Congrats, Maestro, and congrats Madame President on a fantastic season under your leadership!

We started up our next season a couple of weeks ago, and at the first rehearsal Louie asked everyone to share why they played in the orchestra as they introduced themselves. I have thinking about this a lot, and here are a few reasons why I play:

1) I grew up having a love/hate relationship with orchestra. Love won.

2) Life is better when you find moments to make something beautiful--including beautiful music.

3) Making music is a privilege that elevates my existence in a truly unique way. There is almost something ethereal about the process that makes me wonder if I attempted something similar before this life. 

In the moment, as I stood to introduce myself, this was the reason I gave:

For me and my cello, this is home.