You’ve performed at Carnegie before –-  How did this compare?

This performance at Carnegie Hall was probably the most exciting and anxiety filled performance I have ever had. I have performed there before playing the bassoon when I was 14 and singing there 4 years ago. This was different!

I received a text from our director the day before the performance saying she had a curve ball to throw me. It seemed there had been a bit of a miscommunication and I was to now be playing the piano part on stage. I had always thought I was going to be the rehearsal accompanist. Even that wasn’t the curve ball. The curve ball was I didn’t have the music yet and the music they gave was very different than what I had been playing for the past 4 months. I received the music at 3pm. I had 35 mins of rehearsal time on a piano because the tour company we were using only had pianos rented until 5pm and all of them were being used until 4:25pm! Then I had a rehearsal with the orchestra at 8pm for 1 hr. The only other rehearsal I had for this performance was the day of the show with SCS.

Then came the part if trying to find a performance outfit. Being a professional musician I have numerous concert black performance outfits but due to not knowing I was going to be performing I did not bring one.

Early Saturday am, the day of the performance, I had to run around trying to find an outfit. I found one in SOHO and then it was time for the rehearsal in Carnegie Hall. We rehearsed and then I had a few hours to find a pair of shoes, eat, and be back at Carnegie Hall. Wow, what a whirlwind.

After having already performed this in the Spring, and not knowing I was going to be performing, I really had no expectations. The only thing I wanted was to successfully make it through the performance without too much anxiety/nervousness!

Overall it was a very powerful and moving experience that I will forever be grateful.