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Farmgirl, thanks for the update.
Have a nice week. Keep posting

Farmgirl
I also had John and learned a lot. Could have spent a couple more weeks with him. He'll make you attend to every Mozart detail. At our Friday night event we had performers who were barefoot and some who had to start over...all got thunderous applause. Good idea to bring something to eat to practice. Where do you practice today?

Karen, I wish you were here. It would have been much more fun. I practiced on another grand piano in the downstairs of the Congregation church for my regular practice time. I also practiced additional hour for the chamber music. One violin and viola. So it is a trio. Cannot read the composers name. They were much better than me. I expected total amateur. Write more later

Already Day 3! (Edited it from 2 to 3, I'm losing count)
I felt a little better with my piano violin viola trio piece - first day (yesterday) was horrible). Lets say I played more notes and kept up with them. Not very well done but finally kept up with them. In this little movement by Loeillet, every one has solo part. At least I could join the team today and really enjoyed it. I will seek other instrumentalists to play with in Arizona. It's actually a lot of fun. SummerKey is great for getting this sort of first time experience. I performed in a little students get together. It was fun. My teacher John had been asking me to change lots of stuff for my piano duet. I'm not sure if I can incorporate everything in the short amount of time. I will try. I will be performing Mozart sonata on D maj for two pianos, Bach F minor prelude from Book III of WTC and the Lieillet G major trio sonata on Friday. I will see how it goes. I have been hungry here. So difficult to grab things to eat.

Amazing isn't it that even with 3 hours of practice today, you can only focus on small changes. The trio playing does seem fun and I just wish we were all there to hear you on Friday night. The group will cheer you. Did you have Wednesday evening concerts at the church? Don't forget the pictures. Have Don bring you food while you're practicing.

Karen, thanks. Don is going around all the places (including Canada) on his bike and I cannot expect him to come back for me. I think it was not idea to bring him with me. Perhaps I should coordinate with you next time if our schedule allows for it. We went to the faculty concert last night. As others mentioned I was amazed of the turn out - so many people showed up and filled up the little church. All the faculty was there too. It was a cello performance. Peter Lewy played cello and Richard McIntyre acompanied him with the piano. Our teacher John was a page turner since he performed last week. Karen, I will recommend taking an ensemble class (chamber music) next time you go. This is a very unique opportunity that Summer Key provids to us all beginners. It turned out there is a way to get a score beforehand by writing to string teachers! It turned out I'm the only one sight reading it. I think Sam went through the same thing I did. But others told me that they wrote to string teachers and got the score beforehand. Ok I will post pics tonight.

FarmGirl, glad to hear you are surviving and having fun. The week does seem hectic when you are in the middle of it, especially if you are doing the chamber music portion. I did not know that you could get the music beforehand! I always thought they decided who would play what after your first lesson.

I heard John Newell in concert the week I was there. He played all American music - very impressive. The Wednesday evening concerts are always well attended - the locals from town come.

I always have high expectations of getting a lot done at Summerkeys with 3 hours of practice a day, but sadly, that doesn't happen for me. Maybe I'm just too old to make progress quickly!

Good luck on Friday!

Sam

Just a quick note - yeah I heard it from a person returned to SummerKey. She wrote to string teachers for the score. The other one suggested what she wanted to play and they both got what they wanted. It is a very slow week and this tactic may not work all the time but worth trying. Better than sightreading at your first chamber music session!

I love this whole thread. It's fascinating to read about all your experiences, and it's motivating, too. I just don't think I could do it

FarmGirl - thanks so much for the updates. It takes guts to play in that trio, and you're the perfect person for it!

Cathy

It's great to get an opportunity to play chamber music.

Here are some pics from Lubec

Me walking toward the school

The house we rented

Practice piano for the two piano piece


Inside the apartment


Before the faculty recital

Program

Wow, FarmGirl, great pictures! It's a lovely place. Enjoy!

Cathy

Interesting Steinway logo in the fourth picture. Any idea when that piano was made?

Thanks for the pictures - it's like I'm still there! (I stayed in that rental house 2 years ago). Can't wait to go back...

FarmGirl, if you look in the backyard of that odd house next door - the one on the waterfront - there is a boat that has been converted to an apartment! You can see it from the bridge.

Sam

Weather looks nice (it was cold and foggy the whole time I was there). The pictures make me feel like I'm back there again. It is quite the experience and I think the detailed focus helps me still although I STILL can't play the Mozart just right. Seriously, we should all plan to go the same week sometime...that would be fun.

Hi Farm Girl,
Great pictures. It does make me feel like I'm back there. My friend and I stayed in that same house in June of this year. We are hoping to go for both weeks in June next year. I could not wait to go back after the first year I went. This was my second year. This also seems to be my year to travel. I have been saving for a long time and we are going to Scotland and Paris in 3 weeks. I actually do have a piano in the apartment that we are renting for 3 nights in Edinburgh but no piano for the other 14 days.
It does sound like quite a few people from the forum went to Summerkeys this year.
Judy

Sam, Karen and Zillybug,
Thanks for your comments. This place has a way to grow into you. I am seriously thinking about coming back. I just finished our Friday performance. I played Mozart 2 piano piece with John. It went well. There was one spot I stammered but otherwise I call it a success. I was exhausted after played chamber music, my solo piece and Mozart. I felt physically ill. Have never been so exhausted in my life. People here are so gracious that many people came back to tell me that they loved the piece. Bruce said "good job, it sounded like a Mozart". John told me that's a compliment coming from him. I'm tired. So write more tomorrow.

Sam, i saw the boat house today on the way back from the campobello island. It's neat. We will fly back home to Phoenix tomorrow.

By the way, my husband and I went all over the area today. This is really first day of my trip I did anything like a tourist. I was so looking forward to it. We went Eastport, campobello island for a lobster restaurant and walk around Lubec again.

Ahhh it was so bitter sweet. When we were looking around stores for something to take home, I realized I was crying. It surprised me. I did not think SummerKeys affected me so much until the point. I was completely focused on performance during the week and did not know how happy I actually was. I was only thinking about my Mozart piece which I could not learn before SummerKey in spite of my intention to do so. I did not want perform but John was firm on us going in. He told me I could so I agreed to do it. I have never read music like this under pressure in front of people. I got a page turner but it was over 8 minutes of pure reading and playing at allegro. During rehearsal it was 10 min but it was 8 and half min (my husband measured it). So we must played faster, haha it's probably me. I was so exhausted that I felt like collapsing. Strenuous it was, but I was actually living my dream life. Now I know I would be back here.

Some more pics - not piano related. It's something one needs after a heavy performance in Maine:)


After the feast - I ate them all

Thanks for telling your story, FarmGirl.