Phew... a busy week behind us, as we wrapped up our last major concert of the year for our ensemble. Although the pointy end is that hectic week, with an intense weekend, much of the planning is a year long slow burn that intensifies into that final run!
Repertoire needs planning a long time in advance... dates, venues, and guest artists booked long in advance... music sourcing from libraries and archives... and then the publicity!
... then in the week of the project, the logistical stuff starts. Harpsichord training... making sure that it is tuned to our preferred pitch and temperament in the week leading up to the concert, so that it is stable for when we need it! Of course, that can be difficult if the weather is changing quite a bit... like it was in this particular week... lots of warm days, and then rain... then sun.. changing temperature and humidity is a nightmare for these instruments as the changing positions of the wood frame causes the tuning to be unstable!
... and it isn't great for the gut strings of the violin as well! And then you are left with the eternal dilemma of whether to change a string out as it is wearing and getting false, and dealing with settling in a new string... or to keep the old string, and run the risk that it fails during the concert instead! This time, I chose to restring the top strings the evening before the concert. Risky in one way, but these were starting to fray badly.
... and then post concert, the clean up and returning the venue back to the state that we found it in. We often find things that the audience has left behind... mostly umbrellas and glasses... but oddly enough this time, we found a hat, a water bottle, and a little tray of snacks!
Well, it was a hot day, and that would explain two of the things... and the snacks? Well, not unwelcome in our concerts... but odd!
... and finally, the administrative wrap up. Reconciling of finances and accounts... updating of mailing lists, writing out the thank you emails to volunteers, artists, and audience....
... and waiting for the recording, reviews, feedback, and photos... and sharing those to social media. All part and parcel of running an ensemble! It is just my wife and I.... and this time, we were also both swamped by other projects and other work... so, it was quite a bit more than we normally have to deal with... but on the hand, this passion project was our little island of sanity in the midst of everything else!
Out the other end, and we can focus on the other projects for other groups and ensembles... and then we turn to a couple of education events, a charity concert, a large grant application, and then a recording in December! Sigh... we really throw ourselves into the middle of everything!
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