On Saturday the 17th (a month ago!), Mary performed on violin at the National Federation of Music Clubs' festival and we congratulate her on Superior scores on her two solo songs and her one concerto! (Videos are at the end of this blog post.)
We really didn't know if she could pull it off: Like breaking her wrist two weeks before her Guild performance of ten songs last year--it's really a story worth reading here--she caught influenza two weeks before Federation this year and lost an entire week of practice. This flu makes a person so weak, there is no stamina hardly to walk slowly around the house, let alone to stand erect and practice violin for 45 minutes.
When Mary was finally no longer contagious and could get to a violin lesson with her teacher, the teacher doubted that Mary could pull it together in time. But Mary is nothing if not a spitfire, and she rose to the occasion!
She had a lesson on Thursday, and then her teacher sent her home to practice for an additional hour. On Friday morning, Mary woke with instructions to practice for another hour before showing up for yet another lesson . . . and then Friday night, Mary voluntarily practiced for yet another hour that day. Saturday dawned, and Mary got up early to show up at Federation two hours early to get in more practice with her teacher-accompanist! It's that kind of grit that develops excellence, and we're far more proud of Mary's developing character than any score on a certificate.
Mary performed three pieces:
Boccherini's Minuet
Paganini's Witches' Dance
Violin Concerto No. 5, 1st Movement, in D Major by Seitz
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