My entire Monday dragged by at a snail’s pace after the all-too-short Thanksgiving break. Apart from over-sleeping and running to catch the bus, my school day was just fine, the pop quizzes and college apprehensions have become commonplace. I have to admit, after a long day of school, teaching a violin lesson, and facing a seemingly endless amount of homework, I was not exactly thrilled to be headed to PYP rehearsal. The traffic on the way was no help either…However, as always, when I got there, I somehow seemed to forget about all of my homework and college stress for a little while.

Rehearsal was just as energizing as talking to my friends. We were lucky to have Mark Perlman as a guest conductor. He was very friendly and positive and I think we all enjoyed playing under him. It is always interesting to see the music from different perspectives and experience each conductor’s interpretation. Playing with different conductors has taught me the importance of flexibility as a musician. This development of flexibility has helped me listen actively and work more closely with my peers across the sections, not only those in my own. So while I am extremely excited for Ms. Chen’s return for the Concert at Christmas, I feel very lucky to be able to work closely with so many excellent conductors in one season and have fun with all the wonderful friends I would not have were it not for PYP.

Lindsay Olson, Violin, Asst. Principal

Marc Perlman became the third of three conductors to do the snake-charmer wiggle in the 2nd movement of De Falla. Very amusing! A great way to perk us all up, seeing as Mother Nature decided to dump buckets on us today.

Michelle Leipzig, Cello, Asst. Principal

Marc Perlman was our guest conductor tonight, and having someone new definitely keeps you on your toes! He had a great attitude and was eager to teach us. I, like many others, have been having Mr. Selden withdrawal, but because all of our guests so far have been so energetic and fun, transitioning from conductor to conductor has been a breeze. We got a lot accomplished on both pieces tonight, and it is a very positive learning experience being able to change up who is telling us what to do at rehearsal!

Emma Davis, Flute, Co-Principal

Tonight the orchestra was privileged to work with former conductor Huw Edwards. From the time he walked in, stretching in preparation for the rehearsal to the very end when he just sat and talked with a few musicians before everyone parted ways, he gave absolutely 100% of his energy into the rehearsal. Not long into the music Edwards birthed a ring of sweat around his brow and he never slowed once with his enthusiasm or determination. I spent the evening sitting next to Tom, our principal Clarinet, and he and I both just looked at each other after the rehearsal and were both jaw-dropped impressed with how intense, and yet fun, rehearsal was. There was a level of commitment and passion and understanding that came from Edwards that seemed to emanate from every motion of his arms that captivated and drew us closer to his guidance and closer to the music as a whole. By the end of the rehearsal we sounded really good. It was obvious that there was indeed music coming out of us. Though PYP is known for its excellence it was very reassuring to see how he could take a piece that was relatively new to the majority of the musicians and turn it into a presentable work by the end of the night in just three to four hours.

Josh John, Bassoon, Co-Principal

Whether it was worrying for my honors chemistry test that kept me up, or my anxious feelings for Monday’s concert, I slept only a few hours on Sunday night (rather Monday morning). School was just ok (my test went well) but the concert on Monday was outstanding. I have never before felt so confident about a preview concert in my career with PYP. I can gladly say that we overcame the last of the issues we were working on even as recently as our last sectional, and I know that Saturday will prove to be an amazing concert. I know that if we stay confident (as we should be at this point), and focus on the passion that drives us to spend so many hours rehearsing, the audience will be just short of stunned. We are humans, and inevitably will make mistakes, but what separates us from robots who do not make careless errors is our emotion. To my PYP compatriots, we can do this.

Griffin Gaffney, Viola, Co-Principal