Trombone Recital - Dec 17th

AuditionHautbois 5 dec 2018 Vivaldi

Audition Trombone 15 octobre - Le Chapeau Chinois

Estelle practicing at home

Vois sur ton Chemin

Oboe ensemble- Adios Muchachos

Oboe ensemble - Marche Parade

Estelle - oboe ensemble at Music Camp

At the beginning of May, the girls spent 5 days at music camp at a spot right on the water about 1.5 hrs from Nice, near Toulon.  Estelle's oboe group played many numbers.  This is one!

Léna - Romance en Ré Mineur - Guy Destanque

Same recital as my other post.  This is a piece published in 1978.  I moved to the back of the room to not have her backlit so much.  I winged at one or two light mistakes then heard other kids play the same song and realized she was doing pretty good comparatively!

Hard to know when you're a parent but not a musician if your kid is doing well or not.  This recitals are a good reality check - for better & for worse!

Léna - Songe de Roi Arthur - Hamid Medhebeur

On Monday, Léna had a recital.  She played two pieces.  The first one is rather long.

She was the first student to play of the whole recital and it was a bit rushed so I wasn't prepared to film.

Apologies for the quality, I had many distractions.

At one point you see a boy (long hair, but yes it is a boy) so inspired by
Léna's playing that he floated about as a bird, climbed up on the
little stage in front of the piano, was scolded, then returned to his
seat.

Léna amazingly did not break concentration though everyone else did!  Bravo.

Amelie Poulain theme song - Lena on trombone

Sonata by Geminiani (1680-1762)

New piece she's practicing at home.  Cameo by Cachette.

Estelle's Recital: Sur les Bords de la Vistuve - Ciesla

Estelle had 2 lessons to prepare this piece.  I had one of those moments where I sat there and all the obligations whirling around me, the commitments and work and stress just halted, suspended and me, ice queen of emotion when it comes to my kids, got teared up thinking when did this happen that she learned to play like this....

End of year trombone

Oboe Recital Mon June 19th 2017

This was 6 days ago and already feels like a long time.

Estelle's last recital as a primary school student.  On the heels of her big Cycle Exam in May, she pulled this piece off with few lessons and only 1 rehearsal with the pianist.  What an adventure the past 4 years have been!

Léna's Trombone Recital

Such a nice recital today.  I was so surprised as I had no idea that the piece was so "modern" and rather haunting - I had never heard the piano accompaniment.  Also, at home, Léna had been playing it at about 4 times this pace.

Estelle: The Pretty Girls of Ballyroan

This is the other piece Estelle played.  C'est le 2eme morceau qu'Estelle a joué pour son examen fin de cycle.  C'est le repetition generale le jour avant le vrai examen (pas le droit de filmé dans l'examen).

Exam Rehearsal

On May 11th, Estelle had her big 4-year "Fin de Cycle" exam at the Conservatoire.
We are not allowed to film the exam, as it is in front of a jury who deliberates after.
However, the day before, I attended the rehearsal and filmed it.
She played better during the real exam than in rehearsal. Phew!

"Comme un Air de l'Opera" - Trombone Recital

Here's Léna at her recital the other night.

I was convinced after listening to her practice this piece for several weeks that she was making too many mistakes.

We heard 5 other kids at the same level playing the same piece during this recital and Léna was leagues above so I was relieved to realize she's doing better than I thought! Doubtful because Léna is a trombone prodigy (meaning she is *not*), but rather she benefits from her special school program which the other trombonists are not part of. At any rate, we exhaled slowly after the recital.

Armenian danse music: HOY, NAZA EEM"

This is the first piece of Estelle's orchestra for this concert held on March 3rd.  It was 3 hours long!  It was the final concert in a week-long Armenian music festival.  Estelle was in the first two numbers.  The conductor is her oboe professor, Charlotte, who had organized the entire festival.  Estelle is just underneath a microphone that is like a candy-cane shape, left of center. Thomas zoomed in on her at one point. She's a bit blocked by a music stand.