Perseverance, Part 4

This will be the first in a series of post about the Lukens Piano Trio tour to Georgia (and two stops in Pennsylvania).

Last night, the Lukens Piano Trio performed at Muhlenberg College as part of their

Sunday Evening Series. Our wonderful current-and-founding cellist, David Moulton, is on faculty there, so he was instrumental in organizing our event there last night. 

(Yes, that pun was intended).

It was terrific to do this "send-off" concert before departing Thursday morning. 

Our program for these concerts is:

Beethoven, Trio Opus 1, no. 1 in E-flat major

Jennifer Higdon, Piano Trio

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Brahms, Trio in c minor, Opus 101

When David gave the opening remarks last night, he stated that "this is our first trip out of town." It is! We've been playing together since 2005, and we've mostly stayed within 2 hours of Philadelphia (NJ, Lehigh Valley, Philadelphia, NYC, Delaware, suburban NYC). 

We are headed to the Harry Jacobs Chamber Music Series of Augusta, Georgia at the end of this week. 

Why this post is labeled in the "perseverance" series is attributed to our "longevity." I remember times with this trio where we were playing in church basements, or other events where we had to lift a piano, or play to only five people (three of which were my immediate family). Those days, perhaps, are behind us. Last night's crowd was terrific, surprisingly great attendance! 

We've dealt with the difficulties of coordinating schedules, distance, programming, and planning in the cracks of a symphony job (David), a full-time business in antiques (Michael), building a collaborative career (Kristin), a doctorate out-of-state (Kristin), a wedding (Kristin), and other "life" happenings. We've stuck through the five-year itch that often kills new businesses. 

And now, we can continually bank on our own rehearsal process, practice techniques, and the ability to practice individually, with the gruop sound in mind, yielding better concentrated rehearsal efforts before concerts.

Stay tuned for more reflections on this process. 

PHOTO: The last bit of autumn that I was able to capture during my trip south. When I return in a week and a half, these leaves will most likely have fallen.