SYS-CMW Week II

Second great week of SYS-CMW 2010. This year, we had guest composer (and good friend) Zack Stanton join us for the premiere of the work we commissioned, Ascend. On Monday, we sounded horrible. On Wednesday I sent them home with no dinner. On Thursday morning (Zack's first day in California and first time hearing us perform), I was somewhat annoyed and embarrassed because somehow we sounded even worse...by Thursday afternoon, with a little yelling and personal threats (PG-rated) from me and a run-through with faculty assisting, the piece actually started to sound good. By the first of three concerts, starting on Friday, I was thoroughly amazed at how good the orchestra sounded and it only got better from there. I hope Zack felt the same way!

Also special to the 21st year of the Sacramento Youth Symphony Chamber Music Workshop was the addition of 8 students from Jinan, China, as part of the Jinan-Sacramento exchange program. (forced me to learn a little Mandarin for rehearsals!)

The repertoire this year for the orchestra included Zack Stanton's Ascend, an arrangement of the "Prelude and Intermezzo" from Cavalleria Rusticana by Pietro Mascagni, and Dvorak's Serenade for Strings. In addition, we had chamber group performances of string quartets, piano quintets, trios, and sextets by Brahms, Dvorak, Schubert, Mendelssohn, and Strauss. A lot of repertoire for one week's worth of rehearsals!

Below, some pics from yet another great week.


Faculty lunch on Friday (last day of the workshop)


Little did I know they would impress me the next day!


The kids from Jinan China with their director and Susan.


After the Thursday evening performances (Brahms, Strauss, Mendelssohn)


With Visiting Guest Composer, Zack Stanton and Director, Susan Lamb Cook


And with the Jinan Director


With the assistant coaches!


With some of the senior participants...GREAT players!


A hodge-podge


The full workshop: 70 participants, 16 faculty coaches and assistant coaches

The First Post...I just found out about my comps

...and I've unofficially passed!!!

There was some mix-up with the Score ID portion and somehow my history and theory exams were graded (passed those, as well), but Score ID did not. I received word yesterday that enough of the Scores have returned with a grade and I have a minimum of 42 points (could be 6 out of the 7 I answered could be 5, but who cares).

Barring any major mistakes and assuming I pass the three specialized comps in the fall (which I should), I'll finally begin my last full year (hopefully) as a student.

I've been school without breaks (excluding summer and winter, of course) since September 1988. 12 Years of primary and secondary school. 4 years of college. 2 years for my masters. And I begin my fourth year as a doctoral student this fall.

If all goes well, one year from now, I'll hopefully be holding a piece of 70 lb. paper with the words "...has conferred upon HERMES CASILLAN CAMACHO the degree of Doctor of Musical Arts in Composition..."

Fingers crossed.