Bala 3.6.6.7

I know I don't usually post about "work" related things here, but this is totally worth the exception. My brass quintet, Bala Brass, is giving a recital this coming Sunday and I've been looking forward to it for months!



First, I love these guys. Fred sometimes refers to them as my other boyfriends. But collaborating with people in an artistic endeavor is intense! Musicians are so committed and invested in our own personal music making that it's sometimes hard to work as a team when we get together. Everyone has to get along and trust each other and somehow manage to agree on the most intimate of details. But I think in those regards I've really lucked out with Bala. We have a blast together, and I think it comes out in the music.



We're delighted to have a couple of friends joining us on this recital (hi Fred!) so we could expand beyond the standard brass quintet repertoire. Our program will be:

Benjamin Britten - Fanfare for St. Edmundsbury
Oskar Boehme - Sextet Op. 30
Ingolf Dahl - Music for Brass Instruments
Giovanni Gabrieli - Canzon per sonare a7

If you're not familiar with these pieces, they're awesome. The Boehme and the Dahl are the biggies. Boehme's sextet is a beautiful romantic piece that adds a cornet to the standard list of players. Dahl's sextet is huge and thick and stormy, and features the horn fairly prominantly. I've had my work cut out for me! These are such tremendous pieces. It's stuff that doesn't get performed very often, and we're so excited to be playing it.



So if you're in the Boston area, or you know anyone in the Boston area and can send them, head on down the green line to Coolidge Corner on Sunday! We'll be at the United Parish at 3. Oh, and there will be a reception following the program. Seriously. I sent Fred to the grocery store yesterday to get 3 pounds of butter and 4 pounds of chocolate and I'll be baking all week. You'll not want to miss this one!


{Pics by the lovely and talented Rachel Hadiashar}