Season 2024-25 Wrapped

And so, another season has ended, and what a wonderful one it was. It is the nature of performance life (and one of the qualities I love most about it) that each experience is inherently fleeting, often long built up and prepared for, incredibly important in its moment, and then over in a split second, soon forgotten about as one moves on to the next and the next and the next. To me, this is magical; anything can happen on stage, and it will only ever happen once.

At the same time, I would love to be able to remember what happens in my life! To have something tangible to look back on in 20 years and think, “Wow, I really did that!” I am so lucky to do work that I love, play the best music with the best people, in some of the best places, and I’m looking for some small way to keep a record of all this. This post will likely, therefore, be more for me than for you, but if you will indulge me just once per year, here are my reflections on some of what happened to me in the 2024-25 season.

(Captions from left to right)

I began the season with performances on the Smithsonian collection of Strads! The one pictured here is the ‘Greffuhle’ Strad, decorated with these beautiful, fantastical illustrations.

I played two concert tours with the Smithsonian Academy Orchestra, directed by Ken Slowik, and got to sit next to concertmaster Catherine Manson - a total dream - in performances of Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and Mendelssohn.

I celebrated a GRAMMY nomination for an album that I collaborated on with True Concord Voices & Orchestra. I look forward to working with them again next season.

So many performances with Washington Bach Consort and its wonderful family of musicians. Pictured here during a particularly special St Matthew Passion: Erbarme Dich. Playing in this ensemble feels more and more like home.

I celebrated 10 years of partnership with my best friend.

A clip of our soundcheck before the concert on the Strads.

A performance of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio, at Strathmore Music Center, with my mom in the audience!

I reached the summit of Las Torres, Patagonia, after which I completed the ‘W’ trek.

I performed for the first time at Jazz at Lincoln Center, New York, in a marvelous production of a long-thought lost opera by Edmust Dede, together with Opera Lafayette.

I was featured for a second on CBS, in a clip from a concert at Lincoln Theatre in DC.

I bought my first pair of Fluevogs.

I played my first project with Apollo’s Fire. I can’t wait to play with this group again, this summer and next season.

I performed a series of ‘Salon’ concerts around DC with a small group of fabulous musicians. We curated a program featuring Jacquet de la Guerre’s ‘Judith’ cantata (incredible) and Bernier’s coffee cantata, Le Caffe. Such a fun concert to present.

I reinvented this Substack! And introduced it to the world.

I finally got my library card to the Library of Congress, one of my favourite spots in DC, and where I write many of these posts from.

I played at a heartbreaking memorial for victims of the DCA plane crash. There are no words. Except for the importance of music to say the things that words can’t.

I played my first Pergolesi Stabat Mater with some of my favourite musicians at this historic church in Alexandria, VA! I love collaborating with friends.

One of my most memorable gigs this season was with The Thirteen, performing two of Bach’s early masses. Here is a video extract from one of the concerts. I absolutely love working with this group.

I was introduced to some sacredly beautiful Jewish baroque music, which I performed with this fantastic lineup of musicians.

Another new piece of music to me was Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis. OMG, this song is so hard. I’m so grateful to know it now!

I became a citizen of the United States.

I explored all of the Beethoven piano trios on amazing historical pianos at the Smithsonian Beethoven Academy.

I collaborated with Musica Spira on a recording project featuring the music of 17th-century Italian women composers. This will be the world’s first recording of this music, and I can’t wait for everyone to know it.

Finally, I want to end by saying how truly honored I feel to have worked with an array of fabulous musical collaborators this season. There was one that stood out, though, a real favourite, and that was Truman. I sincerely hope I get to play with him again!