Groupmuse in New York 2/16

I had the pleasure of playing a Groupmuse with a friend in New York this past weekend.

A Groupmuse is a small house concert that can be hosted by anyone, anywhere. As of currently it is still mainly based in New York but they are trying to expand it to cities across the United States. For those of you who are curious about Groupmuse, follow the link below to read their mission statement!
Groupmuse

The program that we preformed that evening was rather short but it included a piece that I was really excited to share.
Henri Dutilleux: Trois Strophes Sur Le Nom De Sacher
A work that was commissioned by Rostropovich, written by Dutilleux, for Paul Sacher's birthday. It is an extremely technically demanding work that requires complete control over one's facilities.

It was my first time performing it....and I butchered a couple sections. I think I did a pretty good job depicting the melodic features that outline Sacher's name within the piece but I really need to clean up some of the passage work for my next performance.
Like the opening of the last movement.

I got excellent feedback from some of the listeners who were there and I think my next performance should be a lot more convincing.

Living rooms in New York are always a tight fit so it usually ends up being quite intimate and crowded.

Despite the lack of space, I almost always have a unique connection with the audience that I don't often experience in a concert hall. Many of the listeners who show up at Groupmuses have never been to a classical music concert before and I have always found them to be much more attentive and focused than those who claim to be classical music connoisseurs. They emanate a feeling of genuine curiosity and have such a sincere sense of excitement that I can't help but feel inspired to share my music with them.

These small concerts are extremely special to me as a performer and its an experience that I will always cherish.