Coming Full Circle, Weekly Inspiration from Carole
Guess what, 5HE fans & followers? I am officially reigniting the fire that runs our Weekly Inspiration Blog Posts! Man, how long has it been since our last dose of weekly inspiration? I think it's been about 7 or 8 months, and that's embarrassing! It's not that we're not inspired! Because we definitely are, and generally on a daily basis. But sometimes life just starts to move too fast or gets in the way. And you know what, I really miss reading what is inspiring our ensemble members each week. For those of you who are new to the Weekly Inspiration Blog Post, each week, a different 5HE musician or staff member writes about what is inspiring them in their musical, educational, professional, or personal lives that week. Last year, we heard so fascinating stories and found some true inspiration, and it's my job to kick off the WIBP today; here we go! In the coming three months, Fifth House Ensemble will travel and tour more than they have since I joined the ensemble as a staff member 20 months ago. And I am beyond excited for it!
Between January and March, various members of our ensemble will travel to Arizona State University, Western Michigan University, the New England Conservatory, Augsburg College, Shippensburg University, Concordia University of Ann Arbor, Carthage College, the University of Minnesota, and Saint Mary's College for residencies and performances. Holy Cow, that's a lot of miles, flights, hotels, and concerts!
We get to go to some cool places: Phoenix in January, Boston in February, and Minneapolis in March.
But you know what I'm most excited about? Saint Mary's College. My alma mater. That's right. On Monday, March 18, 2013, at the young age of 27 years old, my life will come full circle. From the moment she begins working on the college's stages, every theatre or music major dreams of coming back as a professional and performing at our beloved Saint Mary's. And honestly, while I dreamed about it, I never thought that it would actually happen. But it is!
I know we're traveling to way more exciting places, performing a much higher profile venues, and doing other residencies that are more involved or longer than this higher education one-shot performance at SMC this year, but this is what, deep down, I'm most about. I get to bring the artists I love working with on a daily basis to the place that gave me the building blocks for my career today and is the source of a lot of my inspiration. And I get to show current SMC students that a career in the arts is possible. It might not always go the way you planned or take you down the road you thought it would, but it will happen!
Also, come the end of March, if you have any questions about booking the cheapest flights or hotels, I'm your girl. Because by then, I will have done it so many times, for so many people, that I will be a certifiable expert!
The top photo is of the beautiful Saint Mary's Campus, and the bottom photo is a self portrait after my final performance at Saint Mar's -- Stage Managing the music department's opera in the spring of 2008.