Besties, we have so much to catch up on! I apologize again for keeping my three blog followers out of the loop for so long. It’s just been, you know, all of that. But I think I need to give y’all the lowdown of how my time has been spent since March of 2020
Got my Master’s Degree - I’m officially a two-time Juilliard graduate! It was kind of sad not being able to be with my friends and family on the day (but huge plus: attended a graduation ceremony in sweatpants), but after pouring my heart and soul into working on this degree, not even Covid could stop me from getting it.
Made a Big Life Decision - I moved to Greensboro, North Carolina to pursue my DMA at UNC - Greensboro with Dr. Michael Burns! I loved my audition day experience, and I had a gut feeling that this was going to be the right school for me at this time in my life. Long story short, this is the best decision I have ever made. We’ll go into detail a little later.
Baby’s First Audition Win - I actually won an orchestra audition! Well, technically I was runner-up, but the Billings Symphony in Montana decided to offer me the second bassoon position anyway, which was not even advertised as open! So I’ve had a couple of concerts with them, and it’s been a really good experience. It’s only made me more determined to win even more jobs.
Fulfilled a Secret Dream - I don’t think I ever told this to anyone before this year, but for some reason, I’ve always had this dream of being a mascot for a sports team. Something about being outgoing, yet completely anonymous, appealed to me. And this past summer I got that opportunity! I worked for a small baseball team, and it went so well, I got to do some more mascot work for other sports teams in North Carolina. This job is so different from my normal musical life, but I can’t get enough of it. I’m going to apply for more mascot jobs in the future, just to see what comes up from it. You never know, you might catch me at a game you attend in the near future, and you’d never know it!
Fulfilled a Not-So-Secret Dream - I’ve been auditioning for the TV show Jeopardy! for about 6 years, and in October 2020, I made it to the Contestant Pool! Between then and April 2022, I could be called up to play. I highly doubt it, but a simple bassoonist can dream, cant’ they?
This pretty much is the SparkNotes of my life post-Juilliard and post-quarantine. I’ve gotten to do so many wonderful things, things that I wouldn’t even dare to dream of when I was living in New York, Covid or no. I’m so happy with how my life has unfolded since I moved to North Carolina, and I cannot wait to see what’s in store for the next year and a half!