Getting into the swing of things! Rehearsing for our upcoming concert at Ball State University.

As the summer winds down, it's time to say goodbye to the beach and clear the cobwebs from our vacation chops. The excitement of a new semester and another orchestra season (not to mention the next installment of Downton Abbey) brings a fresh wave of motivation and inspiration. Uber Quartet is riding that wave in preparing our program for the upcoming season! We're having a lot of fun learning new music and getting creative with how to rehearse it. 

Now, most horn players already know that the horn is by far the most versatile of orchestral instruments (hate mail from trumpet players can go to icanonlyplaythreeoctaves@gmail.com). Exhibit A is Lowell Shaw's arrangement of the "Pizzicato Ostinato" movement from Tchaikovsky's 4th Symphony. Originally written for string orchestra, (that's right - four different types of instruments) this piece showcases the range and flexibility of our amazing instrument. Uber has been working on keeping it light, bouncy, and driving. We're looking forward to showing our four-stringed friends how it's done.

One of the main pieces in our program is "Quartet" by Dennis Leclaire. The three movements (Fanfare, Fugue, and Chase) are all technically challenging with intricate lines passing among voices. Our task in approaching this piece is to convey the variety of musical moods without being obstructed by the simple fact that it's hard! We're asking ourselves, "How can we phrase this section to make it more ominous? What kind of balance do we need to build a quiet excitement?" These questions help us transcend the difficulty and bring out the quirky personality of the piece.

Kerry Turner's fun and animated "Fandango" has been another great challenge for the group. We started rehearsing somewhere below half tempo, and are getting it up to a speed where the insane joy at creating something so cool is kicking in. This piece is full of virtuosity, which can be intimidating, but we're remembering that bering immersed in the music and totally focused on the beauty is the best cure for trepidation.

We hope you're feeling as enthusiastic about this time of fresh beginnings as we are! Thanks for reading, and best of luck on your own season of starting anew.