![]() But generally, playing music together is also “playing” together, and, with the right energy and effort, when it comes time to step onstage, everyone in the group will hit the right keys at the right time and the performance will sparkle. Of course, just like hiking with a group, it’s only as much fun as the least happy hiker. Working together is usually a spirited and informative experience, and most colleagues are supportive and helpful. That preparation precedes the rehearsals, which are the best part of the process, especially for chamber music. Listening to CD’s can give a sense of the whole piece. Mark cues (colored pencils are helpful) for key changes, and other important elements. I love a challenge, and as a veteran performer, I’m now fairly well equipped with strategies for learning a piece. “There’s nothing remarkable about it,” Johann Sebastian Bach supposedly said “All one has to do is hit the right keys at the right time and the instrument plays itself.” If only! When faced with new and difficult music to learn, some musicians say, “Yippee!” and others cry “Help!” I’m somewhere in the middle. As the Verbier Vlog begins, I anticpate getting to the Alps, looking up at the sky, and feeling the thrill of a brand new adventure. ![]() While it’s not rocket science, and of course, infinitesimal in comparison, launching something on the internet can carry a similar sense of excitement and optimism. And whenever we launch or relaunch something in our lives, a sense of exploration and energy rumbles through our veins. These launches, sending explorers out into the ether, are linked to our longings, our yearnings, our optimism. ![]() This past Friday I listened on the radio as space shuttle Atlantis launched, and although it was the last lift-off for the Shuttle Program, is was spine-tingling. I then got to watch Discovery take off from the closest spot allowable – a jaw-dropping, bone-rattling, awesome experience. In the year 2000, I performed at the Kennedy Space Center at a private gathering of dignitaries moments before the 100th space shuttle launched. It was the Russian spacecraft Sputnik, heralding the dawn of the space age. On a chilly October night in 1957, when I was a tiny child, my father, an inventor and engineer, woke me and my big sister up, bundled us into coats and took us outside to look into the heavens to see a tiny spot of light arc overhead. My Verbier Vlog will share this new and exciting experience. It’s unchartered terrain and I feel like an adventurer. Adding to the thrill, I’ll be collaborating with musicians who are new to me. It’s an opportunity to explore new and challenging repertoire: works by Hanns Eisler, Arnold Schonberg, Andreas Jakob Romberg and Behzad Ranjbaran. This summer I’ve been invited to make my debut at the prestigious Verbier Festival in Switzerland. To my delight, my multi-colored quilt of a career continues to expand. I’m a flutist, writer, television arts correspondent, arts administrator, teacher, and internet entrepreneur (). Like many artists today, mine is a patchwork existence. Most fondly, Stephanie Challener, publisher All of us at Musical America thank her for her warm heart, eloquence and curiosity, and her generous willingness to share her story with our readers. ![]() Welcome to Eugenia’s Verbier Adventure! If this is your first visit to the Verbier Vlog, there’s a real treat in store for you- scroll down and follow Eugenia as she prepares to participate in the 2011 Verbier Festival interviews many of her colleagues, famous and not-so-famous and shares conversations with many of the people who make the festival experience so wonderful.įor my part, it has been a delight to have worked with Eugenia on this project. ![]()
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