On the same day of my pre-recital hearing when I didn't think things could get any better . .. they did.
A few weeks ago when I was checking my e-mail in a computer lab, I ran into a Master's student in Music Composition named Joseph Sowa. Joseph and I have gotten to know each other throughout the last year and a half, and I have come to respect him as a composer. As we started talking about what's going on in our individual lives, I mentioned that I was one of the finalists for the BYU concerto competition. When he heard this, he presented an idea to me.
He offered to write a violin concerto for me that would be modeled around my musical tastes and my greatest strengths as a violinist. I couldn't help it . . . .I accepted!
So . . . right now I am in the process of listening to violin concertos and figuring out what I like in a violin concerto. Then, Joseph wants me to write down my ideas and then as he writes the concerto, I will collaborate with him to make sure I'm in agreement with what he's writing.
But . . . . it doesn't end there.
Last Tuesday after my pre-recital hearing, I got an e-mail from Joseph saying that he had approached Kory Katseanes (the orchestra conductor of the BYU Philharmonic and BYU Chamber Orchestra and the director of the BYU School of Music) about the idea of this concerto and . . .
Kory loved idea and said he was on board with my premiering the concerto in December of this year with the BYU Chamber Orchestra!!!!!
It hit me when I found out about this that the reason I wasn't meant to be a winner in the BYU Concerto Competition was because of this opportunity. After all, Kory was one of the judges at the Concerto Competition and had heard me play better than I had ever played before. I think that had a huge impact in me getting this opportunity.
The blessings just keep coming, man!!!
I was thinking the same thing in connecting the contest with this opportunity. I can't wait to hear how it turns out, and I really love that you get to listen to a bunch of concertos for such a specific purpose. It really helps you listen to them in a different way and learn a lot about different composers and what they've done. Maybe after this experience you'll want to compose a concerto of your own for violin someday?!!
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