A couple of weeks ago, I hosted my Spring Recital for all of my wonderful young students. This recital included some fun collaborations with some musician parents, including cellists and pianists. Quite a few students selected movie music for their performance, including Harry Potter, Star Wars, and the Sound of Music. Enjoy the pics!
Spring Student Recital approaching!
It's just around the corner! On June 13, 2015 at 10:30 am at Convergence, I'll be hosting my annual Spring Violin & Viola recital for my students. I absolutely love working with students in their lessons to prepare for a recital. It's exciting, and a little stressful, and so very rewarding to see them make progress on the solos they choose! This recital will again feature some new ensembles (trios? quartets? duos?), as well as some musician parents performing alongside their kids. Can't wait!
Welcome to The Guest Room
My band, The Beanstalk Library, has started a fun new concert series in 2015 entitled "The Guest Room." We are collaborating with other area musicians on a monthly basis by organizing a shared show, and performing as a backup band for our featured guests. January and March's shows featured performances by Derek Evry and Lauren Calve, respectively. Our next installment of The Guest Room will be on Wednesday, April 29 at 8 pm and will showcase singer/songwriter Carolyn Crysdale. The Guest Room is hosted at The Evening Star, a well-known haunt in Del Ray (Alexandria), VA. They will be serving up their always-tasty eats and drinks. These shows are free and open to the public. Swing by and check it out!
Lauren Calve with The Beanstalk Library
Concert coming up!
My quartet, The Cherry Blossom String Quartet, will be collaborating with saxophonist Anders Lundegard and clarinetist Terry Guidetti on a very fun performance in April! It will be at The Lyceum in Old Town Alexandria, Saturday April 25 at 7 pm. Since the quartet is always busy with weddings and other private events, we are excited for the opportunity to present this concert open to the public! Hope to see you there!
In the Bleak Midwinter
February in DC: It is a bleak time of year. As I write this, the weather outside 20 degrees and cloudy. In the spirit of one of my favorite winter songs (okay, "In the Bleak Midwinter" is actually a Christmas Carol), I'd like to offer some suggestions for concerts which might lift your spirit. You can listen to this lovely rendition of "In the Bleak Midwinter" (by Gustav Holst) as you read! Attending concerts is a great way to stay inspired while you are taking violin or viola lessons. I recommend checking out different genres of music. These days, you'll see the violin performed in so many styles: classical, folk, Irish, rock, bluegrass, jazz. It's such a versatile instrument, and who knows, you may find yourself inspired to learn a new style! My top five picks of DC and Northern Virginia concerts coming up this month:
1) Claremont Trio at the Library of Congress (FREE)
2) Beijing Chamber Players at the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage (FREE)
3) Alexandria Symphony at the George Washington Masonic Memorial ($5 - $60)
4) Fairfax Symphony Orchestra at GMU's Center for the Arts ($25-50)
5) A Tour of Norwegian and Swedish Fiddle Styles at the Library of Congress (FREE)
Haaapp-py New Year!
The Beanstalk Library celebrated its 5th New Year's Eve Throwdown at IOTA on December 31, 2014. It was a sold-out show with a wonderful, attentive crowd. Videos coming soon!
Was there ever any doubt?
Winter Recital 2014
Mission accomplished! I'm proud of all of my students who performed in my recent Winter Recital. This time I invited a few of my musical parents to perform alongside their sons and daughters. It was a fun, interesting, and unique experience for the audience and the performers! The final performance of the afternoon was the first movement of the Bach Double Violin Concerto. It was performed in a string quartet format: my students Duke and Nozomi played the violin parts while I accompanied on viola, and Ralph Brooker played the cello part.
The Recital's A-Comin!
Many of my young students are prepping for the upcoming Winter Recital. It's a very exciting (and sometimes nerve-wracking!) time, but the end result is always hugely satisfying. Tonight I held a rehearsal with two of my students who will be performing the Bach Double Violin Concerto. I'll accompany on viola and another student's dad will play the cello part. The recital will be on Sunday, December 14 at 1:30 pm at Convergence. All are welcome!
Magnificent Intentions Music Festival
This weekend, one of my favorite Arlington, VA haunts, IOTA Club & Cafe, will host the Magnificent Intentions Music Festival. This 3-day festival features more than 20 DC-based bands, including Vandaveer, Justin Jones, The Cowards Choir, Derek Every & his Band of Misanthropes, and...well, I'll just let you read the rest on the poster below. Advance tickets are available for purchase online via the festival website. You'll save yourself a few bucks if you purchase them there. I guarantee you'll hear some excellent music and discover some artists you may not have heard of before. Check it out!
Hello, Mando
I've recently been working up my chops on the mandolin. Since the mandolin shares the same string intervals as the violin (G, D, A, E) the transition from violin isn't totally outrageous. However, there are some obvious differences: picking vs. bowing, frets, double strings, etc. I always love trying out different instruments because I find it helps me in my teaching studio. I get to experience exactly what my students experience in terms of trying to train your mind and body to do something totally new. I have to remind myself of the same things I tell many students: "Practice more slowly!" "Start simple!" Chris Thile's mandolin video Essential Techniques for Mandolin has been a big help.
It's also such a joy to see my technique improving day by day, even in very small ways. Learning the mando is turning out to be a very rewarding challenge. The most difficult part for me? My left hand fingertips are sore! Turns out violin finger callouses aren't nearly tough enough to withstand mandolin strings. :)
Weddings, Weddings and more Weddings
As I've mentioned before, my string quartet The Cherry Blossom String Quartet performs at many weddings and other events in the area. Our summer has been a busy one, and I'm looking forward to my favorite season for weddings: autumn! Here we are at the St. Regis Hotel in Washington, DC this summer.
Scenes from the Studio
My greyhound Luke, enjoying the dulcet tones of one student's lesson.
The Beanstalk Library takes on Arlington
I performed with my band, The Beanstalk Library at IOTA in Arlington on June 26. The bands The Fire Tonight and Tinmouth joined us on the bill. It was a great night with awesome music! Enjoy the photos below by Roxplosion!
Spring Recital 2014
Enjoy a few images from my most recent student recital, which I presented on June 7, 2014 at the Sanctuary at Convergence. The students did a wonderful job, as always!
The Beanstalk Library welcomes Spring 2014...
...with a little outdoor music festival in the District on what's setting up to be a perfect Saturday. We'll be at the Kingman Island Bluegrass & Folk Festival on April 26, 2014. Ryan, Brian and I will perform on the Gypsy Sally's Stage at 2pm. Be there!
...And, post-Festival, here's a picture of us playing! It was an amazing day and the event reached capacity within the first 3 hours! Can't wait to play for it next year!
Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat!
Playing in pit orchestras ranks as one of my favorite ways to perform. This week I've been having a wonderful time performing in the pit for the Maret School's production of Guys & Dolls. Tons of fun tunes to play, and the student performers are very talented!
Learning Together
Last weekend I held a group studio class for some of my students. It was a nice opportunity for some of my younger, less-experienced students to play along some of my more experienced pupils. We worked on a couple of pieces together (in parts) and then practiced performing solos for each other. Every little performance helps calm nerves and ease stage fright for the next time, so I know all attendees will feel a little more confident at my next student recital.
Happy 2014!
I had the pleasure of ringing in the New Year with my band The Beanstalk Library at IOTA Club & Cafe in Arlington, VA. This was the 2nd year we performed to a sold-out crowd at IOTA for New Year's Eve. Also joining us for the show were two great bands: Derek Evry and His Band of Misanthropes and These Future Saints. Can't think of anywhere else I'd rather be on NYE!
Winter Recital 2013
On December 14, I hosted my 3rd Annual Winter Recital for twenty-five of my private students at the Sanctuary at Convergence. Everyone did a beautiful job performing a mix of holiday and classical solos. I love recitals so much because they provide an opportunity for students to set performance goals and feel a real sense of accomplishment at the end of it all. And Convergence provides a beautiful space not only for the students to perform, but also for everyone to convene in the Gallery for refreshments after it's all over!
