A Chat with the members of IHS Student Advisory Council
Serina Turrieta:
- I would be interested to know how you have been pursuing your studies throughout the pandemic. How have you been keeping music in your life?
- What are your personal goals and aspirations for the future?
- Clearly, you love horn but what in particular drew you to becoming part of IHS and the Student Advisory Council?
Kiersten Gustafson:
I've been keeping music in my life during the pandemic by signing up for as many online events (masterclasses, talks, concerts) as possible. For me, having these external obligations helps me stay motivated and inspired. My goal is simply to continue playing horn throughout my life - and to see a lot of places and meet a lot of people while doing so. This fall, I am starting my master's in the UK, and I am excited to see what is different (and the same!) about musical life and horn playing there.
The IHS was introduced to me when my former teacher Dr. Scharnberg asked students to help stuff Horn Calls into shipping envelopes. I thought it was so cool that the IHS connected horn players around the world - not just professionals, but all lovers of the instrument - and I was eager to become more involved when the Student Advisory Council was created.
Yui Ginther:
Throughout the pandemic, I've been studying remotely, getting lessons from Prof. Williams and Prof. Boen. I've also occasionally played for my high school private teacher as we felt comfortable seeing each other. I've been doing more recording than I have done in the past, making recordings for horn studio class. This has really benefited my playing and built my experience using technology. For our freshman recital, I was planning to record Bozza’s “En Forêt” with a pianist who lives near me, but then the crazy snowstorm hit Texas and everything kind of shut down. Instead, I was able to get a recording of the piano part and edit it together with my horn playing. That kind of audio editing was new for me, but I did several other projects like that to show at our weekly studio classes.
Currently I am pursuing a dual-degree in Journalism and Horn Performance and a certificate in Integrated Marketing Communications, so I am excited to see where all those interests take me and how I can serve the arts in the future. I wanted to be part of IHS and the SAC because I really enjoyed the communal aspect of the IHS as well the inspiring videos and articles it featured on its platforms. With the SAC, I hope to see those amazing resources and shared community become more readily available to a wider audience of horn players!
Lauren Antoniolli:
Last summer, at the start of the pandemic, I participated in a variety of virtual learning opportunities including Horns United Cor Camp, Seraph Brass Summer Seminar, and the DePaul University Horn Intensive. These opportunities helped me to connect with other music students from across the country while I continued my individual practice regularly. When school started back up, I was able to return to a more normal ensemble setting with in-person band and orchestra at Western Illinois University. We utilized PPE and spacing modifications for safety while playing music together. This spring, I had the opportunity to play in the Quincy Symphony Orchestra and complete my junior recital, and I was fortunate to be able to have an audience for these performances.
The pandemic has really opened my eyes to the opportunities we have virtually to connect with other musicians from around the world. Joining the International Horn Society Student Advisory Council has allowed me to volunteer my time in areas I am passionate about to help the horn society grow, all while connecting with students from many other universities that share a passion for horn.
Emma Brown:
The pandemic drastically changed what I thought the timeline for my career would look like. That being said, it has been an interesting opportunity to focus on my playing in a way that I might not be able to do again. I have very mixed feelings about how that may have affected my career. For one, I know that my ensemble playing has suffered greatly, as has my ear. On the other hand, I have improved drastically in terms of technicality, tone, and clarity. My horn professor, Corbin Wagner, played a big part in this. He made a point to make things as normal and productive as possible. My goals for the future are to be in a professional orchestra and pursue a graduate degree, while also being as involved as possible in educating other horn players. This is a large part of the reason I applied to participate in the IHS SAC. I think that it is vital to have a lifeline of information that horn players can go to, and I want to help make sure that the IHS continues to be that lifeline in the best way that it can. While the pandemic has been a frightening and dark time, the slow return to normal that we have been experiencing lately has made me excited and hopeful about my own future and that of horn as a whole.
John Degnan:
I am a rising senior at Vanderbilt University studying with Leslie Norton. I am very excited to join the Student Advisory Council and look forward to representing student interests within the society! During the pandemic, I made the best of the situation by taking advantage of the virtual opportunities and connecting with other musicians around the world. This past summer, I participated in Invested Musician’s Summer MasterCourse where I studied with Andrew and Rupal Bain. This was a great time to focus on honing my personal technique and career strategies going forward. I spent the fall semester studying remotely and put together a multi-media virtual recital for unaccompanied horn. This was a challenging but exciting venture, and I hope to continue to incorporate visuals into performance. I returned to in-person study in the spring semester where I was able to perform in smaller ensembles. In addition, I was a finalist in the Vanderbilt concerto competition and was able to perform a live-streamed recital. My future career goal is to have a stable and sustainable career performing in various ensemble settings. In addition, I hope to develop a teaching studio and break into the Los Angeles studio scene. I cannot wait to continue working with the IHS and increase student involvement within the society!
Inman Hebert:
While the pandemic has been a monumental challenge to musicians, the horn community has reached out in innovative ways to provide opportunities. Insights gained through virtual workshops, master classes, competitions, and ensembles have allowed me to focus on my improvement. With the IHS Student Advisory Council, I hoped to provide a perspective of making horn resources accessible for the newest among our community, just as the IHS has helped me feel connected to the horn world. My goals are to study music performance and perform in an orchestra or teach at a university. As a high school student, I know I am at the beginning of that journey and am thankful for the guidance and resources the organization provides along the way.
QUARTETO INTEMPORAL
by Flávio Rafael Sousa Oliveira
Sobre o quarteto: Este quarteto foi criado no ano de 2020 com o objetivo de levar a música a toda a parte do nosso país. Fazendo concertos em zonas históricas e antigas de Portugal. Também defende um ideal de que a música não se situa apenas em algumas épocas históricas daí, também ter um grande interesse em levar a música pouco conhecida até aos seus espetadores, enriquecendo assim o conhecimento dos mesmos e dando voz a grandes compositores que ainda são pouco conhecidos. Este quarteto tem como objetivo fazer concertos pedagógicos para os seus ouvintes falando um pouco da zona onde acontece o concerto e comentando todas as obras que serão interpretadas, valorizando assim as zonas em que participam e também motivando o interesse do público pela cultura. Este tipo de formação é muito versátil e pode ser usado em inúmeros tipos de eventos e projetos. Todos os elementos são dotados de excelentes condições técnicas e musicais, tendo todos os estudos e competências para a execução do seu instrumento, como se pode verificar pelos seus currículos. Atualmente, o grupo já realizou alguns concertos, onde obteve comentários muitos positivos em relação ao seu trabalho. Futuramente o grupo pretende fazer certos eventos, tais como, casamentos, batizados, inaugurações, música para crianças, música em locais históricos e participar em vários eventos culturais. Um dos projetos idealizados pelo quarteto será percorrer todas as partes histórica e culturais de Portugal, ajudando assim a sua dinamização e a sua visibilidade perante a população.
The Arrival of the Horn in Colombia
by Luis Fernando López Muñoz
English Translation by David Bryant and Gabriella Ibarra
This article describes the chronological, geographical, and cultural path in regards to the introduction and musical relationship of the horn in Colombia via symphonic orchestras and wind bands in the Caldas region from the colonial period through the 20th century.
The European Horn and its Arrival in Colombia
Part of the colonization process the American continent experienced was how the Spanish crown and its nobles tried to replicate the culture and customs of their motherland in the new American territories. After the conquest, and with the imposition of the Christian church, Spanish music came to New Granada by way of noble and rich landowners, who paid conductors to organize concerts, dances and parties, not only for religious, but also for social purposes. The horn at that time was called by its Spanish name trompa. It arrived in Colombia in 1783, although many musicians think its appearance occured in the previous century. Contrary to what one might expect, the horn in Colombia has quite an extensive history. Its first use was documented during the colonial period of the eighteenth century.
Colombian music history books[1] confirm that the horn appeared in the country for the first time in 1783 as part of a Spanish orchestra. This orchestra performed tonadillas (short pieces with dialogues, theatrical performances, and some music and dances), typically lasting about 30 minutes. These performances were the most important musical/theatrical genre of Spain, reaching their peak in the eighteenth century, all the while beginning to receive strong Italian influence. Performances of this orchestra were played in the first theater, the Coliseo Ramírez, which was founded by the approval of the viceregal authority, a military officer of that time whose name was José Tomás Ramírez. Over the years, that theater became known as the Teatro Colón.
This Spanish symphony orchestra performed for a season in 1795, with regularly scheduled concerts, including the participation of the first documented Spanish horn players[2]: Diego García and José Garzón. Also, as important an highlight in the book Historia de la Música en Santa Fe y Bogotá' by Bermúdez, we find the same horn players, Diego and José María García forming part of the José María Garzón group a year later. As a reference for the following data and in order to avoid ambiguities or other excessive clarifications, we chose the music history book by Perdomo Escobar, because it is the predecessor of both and provides more documentation.
The year after the horn arrived in Colombia (1784), the Banda de la Corona was founded. It was one of the first musical bands in Colombia conducted by Maestro Pedro Carricarte, who also conducted the first symphonic orchestra from Spain. According to the chronicler José M. Caballero, “the musicians under the mentioned conductor played music of horns and bugles.”[3] Those instruments had not been heard until then. Later, musicians from this band and others living in Santa Fé (Bogotá), experimented by bringing all the musicians together in a symphonic orchestra, which was a novelty at that time. This experimental orchestra performed works by Michael Haydn and Johann Christian Cannabich in homage to the arrival of the new archbishop of Bogotá: Baltasar Jaime Martínez Compañón in 1791.
The previous events describe the arrival of the horn in Colombia. Perhaps it was played without the "Hampel" hand technique because since the year 1791 it is not certain if the horn players incorporated this particular technique into their training due to the skills required for its implementation. It is possible that the musicians from Europe had heard about this new discovery however, in the review it was not possible to identify if they incorporated it in their performances.
In 1809 there were two organized bands, la Artillería and Milicias. There was a great rivalry between both bands, evident in every open air concert they performed. An example of this was when the bands tried to interpret what the other had played the day before. In addition, each one used to improvise new things to attract attention from the audience, even if these improvisations had nothing to do with art or with the correct performance of the instruments. One particular anecdote tells about “a horn player who lost his mouthpiece while traveling to Salto and surprisingly continued playing using a playing card.”[4]
The introduction of horns and other instruments into the bands was a big event and caused a great impact in the city of Santa Fe (Bogotá). According to chronicler José M. Caballero, “these instruments and players improved and enriched the low quality of the few instruments in the Cathedral of Santa Fé orchestra.”[5] In fact, it is mentioned later by the same chronicler that the skills between the elder and younger musicians were remarkable. As an important piece of information that complements the previous statement, in 1810, a musical evening was held in front of the house of the President of the Supreme Board, José Miguel Pey. For that event, and upon request of the conductor and the musicians, a stage with a lot of lights was adapted so that the musicians could read their sheets of music, which meant that the music was interpreted with the help of the paper. Until that moment the music played outdoors, generally by bands, did not use scores.[6]
From 1820–1828, Don Juan Antonio Velasco (organist of the Cathedral of Bogotá) held weekly meetings at his home accompanied by a small orchestra which performed masterpieces by great classical composers. Some of these concerts were held as special events or homages to the heroes of Colombia, such as Bolívar and Santander. For the first time, overtures by Rossini (Tancredi, L'Italiana in Algieri and La Gazza Ladra, among others) were heard. These works have two or four horns in their orchestration, a clear demonstration of the progress and the place that the horn was gaining in Colombia.
In 1838 (ten years after the events named above ) Spanish artists performed in Bogotá the following theatrical works by Gioacchino Rossini and Gaetano Donizetti, La Gazza Ladra, L'Italiana in Algieri, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, and Lucia di Lammermoor. By 1846 the Philharmonic Society was created, which had five horn players: Felix Rey, Bernardo Dourde, Ignacio Otalora, Mariano Castillo and Mr. E. Jossup.[7] The previous information represents a further step toward the introduction of symphonic music in Colombia as well as the evolution of the horn, since the usage of horns was fundamental in this genre.
On July 20th, 1875 a public party was held celebrating Colombian Independence Day in the Plaza Bolívar with a military band. The band had horns as part of its instrumentation. Later in 1882, the National Academy of Music was created including the horn class. The horn teacher was Jorge W. Price, who not only taught horn, but also trombone and trumpet.
From the Natural horn to the “Flugelhorn"
Archives documented in Egberto Bermúdez´s book (2000), state that around the year 1865, the person in charge of the National Park wrote a letter to the Ministry of Finance describing the instruments of the bands Artillería, Zapadores and Ayacucho: “among the instruments…there are horns which had additional rings of tubing for their tones.”[8] That means that even in this year, Colombian bands still used natural horns. In addition, a flugelhorn in E♭ is mentioned as being the instrument that replaced the natural horns in the second half of the nineteenth century. This was because it was an instrument with a new sound (based in the text described by the instrument inventory clerk) besides, it had been recently invented by Antoine Joseph Sax[9], better known as Adolphe Sax. It was imported into the country between 1869-1874 by Importadoras Monpox, which supplied the national market, mainly in Bogotá, in the second half of the nineteenth century.
Harmony bands, as they were called at that time, played a very important role in public and outdoor venues. With the appointment of Maestro José Rozo Contreras as conductor of the National Band in the 1930s, and the growth of the musicians roster, two Italian horn players arrived in Colombia in the middle of the twentieth century. One of them was Sergio Cremaschi, who was a horn teacher well known throughout the academic and musical scene in Colombia. By this time, and based on photos of the National Band, there were four horns in this group, two of them were piston horns, or better known as E♭ Alto-Horns.
Due to the influence of Italian and Colombian musicians trained in this school, the term trompa, which was the Spanish word for “horn” used by Spaniards, changed to corno, which was the word used in Italy. Corno translates as the word “horn,” which refers to an animal horn such as goat, antelope, etc. As a result, the word corno was adopted, and continues to be used through the present day.
Evolution of Music for the Horn in Colombia
In the year 1783, when the horn arrived in Colombia, the literature for the instrument was very limited since the harmonic series produced few notes. Furthermore, in order to write melodies for this instrument, the players were placed in an uncomfortable, more difficult register. Therefore, many composers based their writing on the ability and technical possibilities of the available musicians. An example of this is the Mozart horn concertos, written for Joseph Ignaz Leutgeb, a horn virtuoso, who inspired and motivated Mozart to write the horn concertos.
The horn parts in the first works written by Colombian composers were limited to the harmonic series with no melodies and without a leading role. In the operas written by the Colombian composer José María Ponce de León, Esther and Florinda – which were the first Colombian operas presented on stage – the role of the instrument is quite shallow.[10] The same occurs in the compositions of Julio Quevedo Arvelo, son of the Venezuelan musician Nicolás Quevedo Rachadell. When we review his works for orchestra, we find the role of the horn is also limited. We cannot explain the exact reason of this fact, maybe it was due to the limitations of the instrument or the players, however, when the musical meetings were held between 1820 and 1828 in Colombia – where Rossini's Italian overtures were performed – there was neither acknowledgement nor documentation alluding to the solo horns. It is uncertain whether these solos were played by horn players, or if those were just delegated to other instruments while knowing that at that moment European composers already had great knowledge regarding the sonorous, expressive and technical possibilities of the instrument.
When the Philharmonic Society was created in the mid-nineteenth century, there were five horn players that made it up. By now, the horn had taken a great step in its evolution, which included the use of piston valved horns. We cannot deny, however, that acceptance of the modern horn was difficult for many schools. An example of this is the French school, which was one of the most reluctant to use them. It is important to mention that composers were the biggest defenders of this new instrument because of its notable advances, which facilitated both writing and their performance.
Bibliography
Bedoya Serna, Hernán. 2014. Interview with the founder of Caldas department plan of bands. Colombia: via phone.
Bermúdez, Egberto. 2000. Historia de la Música en Santa fe y Bogotá 1538-1938. Bogotá: Fundación de Música.
Caicedo y Rojas, José. 1886. “Estado actual de la Música en Bogotá” El Semanario de Bogotá, n°5.
De Greiff, Hjalmar y Feferbaum, David. 1978. “Textos sobre Música y Folklore.” Boletín de programas de la Radiodifusora Nacional de Colombia. Tomo I.
Domington, Robert. 1994. La Música y sus Instrumentos. España: Alianza Editorial.
Martínez, Andrés. “Reseña Histórica sobre la Música en Colombia, desde la época de la Colonia hasta la fundación de la Academia Nacional de Música”. Anuario de la Academia
de Bellas Artes de Colombia en De Greiff y Feferbaum, 1932.
Miravet Lecha, Juan. “Origen y Evolución de la trompa” Lecture at the First horn week of La Unió Musical de Llirira, April 22dn, 2011. https://sites.google.com/site/juanmiravetlecha/home/investigaciones/origen-y-evolucion-de-la-trompa (accessed on May 14th, 2014)
Osorio, Juan Crisóstomo. 1879. “Breves apuntamientos para la historia de la Música en Colombia.” Repertorio Colombiano.
Pardo, Andrés. 1966. La Cultura Musical en Colombia. Bogotá: Ediciones Lerner.
Perdomo, José Ignacio. 1975. Historia de la Música en Colombia. Bogotá: Editorial ABC.
Price, Jorge. 1935. “Datos sobre la Historia de la Música en Colombia”. Historia y Antigüedades, vol. XXII.
Zarzo, Vicente. 1996. Estudio analítico de la literatura de la trompa. España: Ediciones Seyer.
Zarzo, Vicente. 1994. Compendio sobre las Escuelas Europeas de Trompa. España: Piles Editorial de Música S.A Valencia.
Zarzo, Vicente.1994. La Trompa: historia y desarrollo. España: Ediciones Seyer.
Ramírez, Guillermo. 2014. Interview to the Villamaría Band conductor. Colombia: via phone.
Restrepo Moncada, Alexander. 2014. Interview. Music teacher in the magisterium of
Risaralda. Colombia: via phone.
Zarzo, Vicente. 1995. Una vida para la Música. España: EDICEP C.B.
Luis Fernando Lopez Muñoz holds a Bachelor of Music from the University of Caldas, and a Master of Music from EAFIT University. He is co-author of the book Iniciación al Corno, published by the Ministry of Culture of Colombia. He has performed in the Teresa Carreño Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela. Currently he works as a horn teacher at the University of Caldas and performs with the Caldas Symphony Orchestra.
[1] José Ignacio Perdomo Escobar, Historia de la música en Colombia (Bogotá: Editorial ABC, 1975). Egberto Bermúdez, Historia de la música en Santa Fe y Bogotá 1538-1938, (Bogotá: Fundación de Música, 2000). Textos sobre música y Folklore: Serie “Las Revistas”, Jorge W. Price, “Datos sobre la historia de la música en Colombia”, Boletín de historia y antigüedades, 1935. Andrés Pardo Tovar, La cultura musical en Colombia (Editorial Lerner, 1966).
[2] José Ignacio Perdomo Escobar, Historia de la música en Colombia (Bogotá: Editorial ABC, 1975).
[3] Egberto Bermúdez, Historia de la música en Santafé y Bogotá, 1538-1938, Vol. 1 (Bogotá: Fundación de Música, 2000), 70.
[4] Juan Crisóstomo Osorio, Breves apuntamientos para la historia de la Música en Colombia,
(Bogotá: Repertorio Colombiano, 1879).
[5] Ibid.
[6] Ibid.
[7] José Ignacio Perdomo Escobar, Historia de la música en Colombia (Bogotá: Editorial ABC, 1975), 44.
[8] Egberto Bermúdez, Historia de la música en Santafé y Bogotá, 1538-1938, Vol. 1 (Bogotá: Fundación de Música, 2000), 200.
[9]Antoine Joseph Sax, born in Belgium November 6, 1814 and died in Paris February 4, 1894. He was a manufacturer of musical instruments and is best known for his invention of the saxophone.
[10] Egberto Bermúdez, Historia de la música en Santafé y Bogotá, 1538-1938, Vol. 1 (Bogotá: Fundación de Música, 2000), 58
La llegada de la trompa francesa a Colombia y por qué le llamamos “Corno”
Luis Fernando López Muñoz
Profesor de Corno de la Universidad de Caldas (Manizales, Colombia)
English version
Resumen
El siguiente artículo es el resultado de una investigación histórica que se basa en hechos, bibliografías y documentos para trazar el hilo conector del corno francés desde Europa hasta su llegada a Colombia. A partir de este documento, el autor presenta el proceso que vivió este instrumento musical en Colombia desde el tiempo de la Colonia hasta el Siglo XX, tomando en cuenta los aspectos históricos, geográficos y culturales que permitieron la introducción del corno en estas tierras a través de las orquestas sinfónicas y bandas de la época.
El Corno Europeo y su llegada a Colombia.
Como parte de los procesos de colonización que vivió el continente Americano, la Corona española y sus nobles trataron de replicar la cultura y las costumbres de su madre patria en los nuevos territorios americanos. Tras la conquista y con la imposición de la iglesia cristiana, la música española llegó a Nueva Granada de la mano de nobles y ricos terratenientes, que pagaban a los directores para organizar conciertos, bailes y fiestas, no solo con fines religiosos, sino también sociales. El corno para ese momento fue llamado por su nombre español “Trompa”. Llegó a Colombia en 1783 aunque muchos músicos piensan que su aparición ocurrió en el siglo anterior. Al contrario de lo que cabría esperar, el corno en Colombia tiene una historia bastante extensa. Su primer uso fue documentado durante el período colonial en el siglo XVIII.
Los libros de historia de la música colombiana confirman que el corno apareció en el país por primera vez en 1783 como parte de una orquesta española. Esta orquesta solía interpretar “Tonadillas” (piezas cortas con diálogos, representaciones teatrales y algo de música y bailes), que generalmente duraban unos 30 minutos. Estas representaciones fueron el género musical/teatral más importante de España, alcanzando su punto máximo en el siglo XVIII, al tiempo que comenzaron a recibir una fuerte influencia italiana. Las actuaciones de esta orquesta se realizaron en el primer teatro denominado "Coliseo Ramírez", el cual fue fundado con la aprobación de la autoridad virreinal, un militar de la época que se llamaba José Tomás Ramírez. Con los años, ese teatro se conoció como “Teatro Colón”.
Esta orquesta sinfónica española actuó durante una temporada en 1795, con conciertos programados regularmente, incluyendo la participación de los primeros cornistas españoles encontrados en documentos: Diego García y José Garzón. Asimismo, como punto relevante en el libro “Historia de la Música en Santa Fe y Bogotá” de Bermúdez, encontramos un año después a los mismos cornistas -Diego y José María García- formando parte del grupo “José María Garzón”. Como referencia para los siguientes datos y para evitar ambigüedades u otras aclaraciones excesivas, elegimos el libro de historia de la música de Perdomo Escobar, porque es el antecesor de ambos y aporta mayor documentación.
Un año después de la llegada del corno a Colombia (1784), se fundó la “Banda de la Corona”. Fue una de las primeras bandas musicales en Colombia dirigida por el maestro Pedro Carricarte, quien también dirigía la orquesta sinfónica proveniente de España. Según textos del cronista José M. Caballero ...“los músicos a cargo del mencionado maestro trajeron la música de trompas y clarines” (Bermúdez 2000,70), instrumentos que no habían sido escuchados hasta entonces. Luego con músicos de esta banda y otros residenciados en Santa fé (de Bogotá), se trató de experimentar con una nueva orquesta sinfónica, asunto que resulta novedoso para la época. En 1792, esta orquesta experimental interpretó para la llegada del nuevo arzobispo de Bogotá: Baltasar Jaime Martínez Compañón, obras orquestales de Michael Haydn y Johann Christian Cannabich.
Los hechos anteriores describen la llegada del corno a Colombia, la cual posiblemente se tocaba sin la conocida técnica de mano de Anton Joseph Hampel, pues desde el año 1791 no se sabe con certeza si los cornistas incorporaron esta técnica en particular debido a las habilidades específicas requeridas para su implementación. Es posible que los músicos europeos en Colombia se hubieran enterado de este nuevo descubrimiento sin embargo, en la investigación no se pudo identificar si lo incorporaron o no en sus actuaciones.
En 1809 había dos bandas organizadas: “Artillería” y “Milicias”. Existía una gran rivalidad entre ambas y resultaba evidente en cada concierto al aire libre que realizaban. Un ejemplo de esto era cuando las bandas intentaban interpretar lo que la otra había tocado el día anterior. Además, cada una solía improvisar cosas nuevas para llamar la atención del público sin importar que estas improvisaciones no tuvieran nada que ver con el arte ni con la correcta ejecución de los instrumentos. En una anécdota particular se narra lo siguiente: “Se dice que un tocador de trompa, en un paseo al Salto perdió la boquilla, y que siguió tocando sirviéndose de una carta de naipe” (repertorio colombiano No XV, 1879).
La introducción de cornos y otros instrumentos en las bandas fue un gran acontecimiento y causó un gran impacto en la ciudad de Santa Fe (Bogotá). Según el cronista José M. Caballero “estos instrumentos e instrumentistas mejoraron el pobre instrumental de los músicos de la Catedral de Santa fé” (Bermúdez 2000,70). Según apuntes del mismo cronista, al parecer los músicos de la Catedral y los nuevos que integraron la agrupación se diferenciaban por su nivel. Como dato importante que complementa el anterior comunicado, en 1810 se realizó una velada musical frente a la casa del presidente de la Junta Suprema, José Miguel Pey. Para ese evento, y por pedido del director y de los músicos, se adaptó un escenario con muchas luces para que los músicos pudieran leer sus partituras, lo que significó que la música se interpretara con la ayuda del papel. Hasta ese momento la música que se tocaba al aire libre, generalmente por bandas, no usaba partituras (Bermudez 2000,70).
Entre 1820-1828 Don Juan Antonio Velasco (organista de la Catedral de Bogotá) celebró reuniones semanales en su casa acompañado de una pequeña orquesta que interpretó obras maestras de grandes compositores clásicos. Algunos de estos conciertos se realizaron como eventos especiales u homenajes a los héroes de Colombia, como Simón Bolívar y Francisco de Paula Santander. Por primera vez se escucharon las oberturas de Gioachino Rossini (Tancredi, L'Italiana in Algieri, La Gazza Ladra, entre otras). Estas obras tienen dos o cuatro cornos en su orquestación, una clara demostración del avance y del lugar que iba ganando el instrumento en Colombia.
En 1838 (diez años después de los hechos mencionados anteriormente) artistas españoles representaron en Bogotá las siguientes obras de Gioacchino Rossini y Gaetano Donizetti, “La Gazza Ladra”, “L'Italiana in Algeri”, “Il Barbiere di Siviglia” y “Lucia di Lammermoor ”. En 1846 se creó la Sociedad Filarmónica, que contaba con cinco cornistas: Félix Rey, Bernardo Dourde, Ignacio Otalora, Mariano Castillo y Mr. E. Jossup (Perdomo 1975,44). La información anterior representa un paso más hacia la introducción de la música sinfónica en Colombia así como también con la evolución del corno, ya que el uso de los cornos fue fundamental en este género.
El 20 de julio de 1875 se realizó una fiesta pública de celebración del Día de la Independencia de Colombia en la Plaza Bolívar con una banda militar. La banda tenía cornos como parte de su instrumentación. Posteriormente, en el año de 1882, se crea la Academia Nacional de Música en la cual se abre la cátedra de trompa, el profesor de dicho instrumento fue Jorge W. Price, el cual no solo enseñaba corno, sino también, trombón y trompeta.
Cambio del corno natural al "saxhorn" en las bandas militares de Colombia.
Archivos documentados en el libro de Egberto Bermúdez (2000), señalan que hacia el año 1865, el encargado del Parque Nacional escribió una carta al Ministerio de Hacienda describiendo los instrumentos de las bandas Artillería, Zapadores y Ayacucho y en referencia a los instrumentos describe ...“se encuentran las trompas, las cuales poseían aros de tubos adicionales para sus tonos” (Bermúdez 2000, 200). Eso significa que incluso ese año, las bandas colombianas todavía usaban cornos naturales. Además, se menciona un “saxhorn” requinto -o como se conoce en Colombia fliscorno alto en mi bemol- como el instrumento que reemplazó a los cornos naturales en la segunda mitad del siglo XIX. Esto se debía a que se trataba de un instrumento con un sonido nuevo (según el texto descrito por el encargado del inventario de instrumentos) además, había sido inventado recientemente por Antoine Joseph Sax, más conocido como Adolphe Sax. Fue importado al país entre 1869-1874 por Importadoras Mompox, que abasteció al mercado nacional, principalmente a Bogotá en la segunda mitad del siglo XIX.
Las bandas de armonía o bandas de música, como se les llamaba en ese momento, jugaron un papel muy importante en las presentaciones en lugares públicos y al aire libre, conocidas también como retretas. Con la llegada del maestro José Rozo Contreras como director de la Banda Nacional en los años de 1930 y el crecimiento de la plantilla de músicos, llegaron a Colombia, a mediados del siglo XIX, dos cornistas italianos. Uno de ellos fue Sergio Cremaschi, quien fue un maestro de corno muy conocido en el panorama académico y musical de Colombia. Ya para esta época, y basándose en fotos de la banda nacional, existían en esta agrupación cuatro cornos, dos de los cuales eran cornos de pistones, o mejor conocidos como trompas altos en Mib.
Con la llegada de los músicos italianos y aquellos Colombianos formados en estas escuelas, el término “trompa”, que utilizamos con los españoles, fue cambiado por corno que es como se conoce en Italia como la traducción de “cuerno”, refiriéndose a la prolongación ósea de algunos animales como las cabras, antílopes etc., que nos remite a los antecedentes del corno. Por esta razón es que en Colombia se empieza a emplear este término para adoptarlo como propio, uso que trasciende en el tiempo y llega hasta la actualidad.
Evolución y avance en la escritura para el corno francés en Colombia.
En el año 1783, año en que se mencionó por primera vez la llegada del corno a Colombia, la literatura para el instrumento era muy limitada ya que eran pocos los sonidos que el instrumento producía dada su naturaleza física regida por las series armónicas. Además, para poder escribirle melodías a este instrumento el registro resultaba un tanto incómodo para los ejecutantes. Por lo tanto, muchos de los compositores basaron su escritura en la habilidad y las posibilidades técnicas de los músicos disponibles. Un ejemplo de esto son los conciertos de Mozart para corno, pensados y escritos para el cornista Joseph Ignaz Leutgeb, un virtuoso y también fabricante de quesos, que inspiró y motivó a Mozart a escribir los conciertos para corno.
En Colombia, las primeras obras escritas por compositores colombianos, la trompa cumplía con un papel armónico en donde escaseaban las melodías y el protagonismo era mínimo. En las óperas escritas por el compositor colombiano José María Ponce de León “Esther” y “Florinda” -que fueron las primeras óperas colombianas presentadas en escena (Bermúdez 2000, 58) - el papel del instrumento es bastante superficial. Lo mismo ocurre en las composiciones de Julio Quevedo Arvelo, hijo del músico venezolano Nicolás Quevedo Rachadell. Cuando repasamos sus obras para orquesta notamos que el papel de la trompa también es limitado. No podemos explicar la razón exacta de este hecho, tal vez pudo haber sido por las limitaciones del instrumento o de los intérpretes, sin embargo, cuando los encuentros musicales se realizaron entre 1820 y 1828 en Colombia -donde se interpretaron las nombradas oberturas italianas de Rossini- no se tiene conocimiento ni registro de la ejecución de los solos escritos para corno, es decir, si realmente existían cornistas que los interpretaran, o eran delegados a otros instrumentos de la orquesta, y más aún teniendo en cuenta que en este momento, los compositores europeos tenían un gran conocimiento sobre las posibilidades sonoras, expresivas y técnicas del instrumento.
Cuando se creó la Sociedad Filarmónica a mediados del siglo XIX, había cinco cornistas que la componían. A estas alturas, el corno había dado un gran paso en su evolución, que incluyó el uso del corno de pistón. Sin embargo, no podemos negar que para muchas escuelas fue difícil la aceptación del corno moderno, un claro ejemplo de esto es la escuela francesa, quien fue una de las más renuentes a utilizarlo. Es importante mencionar que los compositores eran los mayores defensores de este nuevo instrumento ya que gracias a sus notables avances, les facilitaba tanto la escritura como la ejecución.
Bibliografía
Bedoya Serna, Hernán. 2014. Interview with the founder of Caldas department plan of bands. Colombia: via phone.
Bermúdez, Egberto. 2000. ˆ. Bogotá: Fundación de Música.
Caicedo y Rojas, José. 1886. “Estado actual de la Música en Bogotá” El Semanario de Bogotá, n°5.
De Greiff, Hjalmar y Feferbaum, David. 1978. “Textos sobre Música y Folklore”. Boletín de programas de la Radiodifusora Nacional de Colombia. Tomo I.
Domington, Robert. 1994. La Música y sus Instrumentos. España: Alianza Editorial.
Martínez, Andrés. “Reseña Histórica sobre la Música en Colombia, desde la época de la Colonia hasta la fundación de la Academia Nacional de Música”. Anuario de la Academia de Bellas Artes de Colombia en De Greiff y Feferbaum, 1932.
Miravet Lecha, Juan. Origen y Evolución de la trompa. Lecture at the First horn week of La Unió Musical de Llirira, April 22dn, 2011. https://sites.google.com/site/juanmiravetlecha/home/investigaciones/origen y- evolucion-de-la-trompa (reviewed on May 14th, 2014)
Osorio, Juan Crisóstomo. 1879. “Breves apuntamientos para la historia de la Música en Colombia”. Repertorio Colombiano.
Pardo, Andrés. 1966. La Cultura Musical en Colombia. Bogotá: Ediciones Lerner.
Perdomo, José Ignacio. 1975. Historia de la Música en Colombia. Bogotá: Editorial ABC.
Price, Jorge. 1935. “Datos sobre la Historia de la Música en Colombia”. Historia y Antigüedades, vol. XXII.
Zarzo, Vicente. 1996. Estudio analítico de la literatura de la trompa. España: Ediciones Seyer, .
Zarzo, Vicente. 1994. Compendio sobre las Escuelas Europeas de Trompa. España: Piles Editorial de Música S.A Valencia.
Zarzo, Vicente.1994. La Trompa: historia y desarrollo. España: Ediciones Seyer, .
Ramírez, Guillermo. 2014. Interview to the Villamaría Band conductor. Colombia: via phone.
Restrepo Moncada, Alexander. 2014. Interview. Music teacher in the magisterium of Risaralda. Colombia: via phone.
Zarzo, Vicente. 1995. Una vida para la Música. España: EDICEP C.B
Pedagogy Column — Annie Bosler
Getting creative with your digital content.
by: Annie Bosler, D.M.A.
In today’s world of online lessons, acapella-style horn choirs, and more screen time, the demand for high quality and engaging online content is greater than ever. Have you thought of creating an online course? What would you teach? How would you present the material? Who is your target audience?
Over the last six years, I have produced close to 50+ hours of content for online courses and virtual programs. In my most recent online program, College Prep for Musicians™, I teamed up with famous peak performance psychologist Don Greene, PhD, and college admissions expert Kathleen Tesar, EdD, to present everything students and parents need to know about applying to college as a musician. The course is divided into six-modules and covers organizational tools, preparation assessments, career options, and more. Useful aids such as repertoire spreadsheets, an audition matrix, and many PDF guides are also included. This information is delivered through seventeen lectures where each of the three course creators brings a different perspective and background to the subject, from top conservatory admissions experience, to years of teaching and professional performing, to Olympic coaching and audition preparation.
Creating online content merges my love for teaching, passion for music, and desire to create user-friendly, self-study interfaces. Having easily accessible online educational products has led to an overall larger reach than I possibly could have experienced while teaching individual lessons and group classes. If you are interested, here are the steps to take to create online course content:
Step 1: Determine the topic of your online course.
Step 2: Outline your material and how you want to structure your program.
|Step 3: Make handouts or a workbook to go with your course.
Step 4: Film and edit your content.
Step 5: Choose your online platform (i.e. Udemy, Thinkific, Teachable, etc.).
Step 6: Market your course.
There are many companies that specialize in course creation, but they can charge upwards of $50,000 to create a course for you. Since I self-produce most of my content, the overall cost is drastically reduced. If you can afford it, I recommend hiring someone to edit your film and design your handouts. However, if you are on a tight budget, checkout the programs Adobe Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro X for your video editing and software such as Canva or Adobe Spark for your handouts. It is important to note that if you are an educator or student, there might be discounts for the software.
Often course creators will design a flagship course that contains the majority of their content. This course is often the main marketed product. If you decide to add additional material on a separate topic, you can then make mini courses. These would take less work but could also draw a unique audience.
Before taking the plunge into the land of online content creation, make sure to do your homework and see what you like and do not like with other course creator’s content. You may be able to sign-up for a few free trials so you can get a feel for how different platforms work. Many people have made a substantial living, even into six figures, off online courses, so this could be a good source of passive income.
Dr. Annie Bosler, co-author of the book College Prep for Musicians, has licensed online programs to organizations around the world, including the Colburn School, Melbourne Conservatorium, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. She wears many hats in her career as a Los Angeles freelance horn player. Annie has performed with Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney on CBS's The Beatles: The Night That Changed America, Ariana Grande and Chance the Rapper at The Grammy’s, P-Diddy at The American Music Awards, and Wu-Tang Clan at Coachella. Annie can be heard on many motion pictures, video games, theme park rides, and TV shows as well as seen playing horn on Fox's TV show Glee. Named a TED Educator in 2017, Dr. Bosler co-wrote How to practice…for just about anything. The video went viral receiving over 35 million views on social media. She is currently the secretary/treasurer of the IHS. For more information, visit anniebosler.com, 1M1hollywoodhorns.com, and CollegePrepforMusicians.com. IG: @CollegePrepforMusicians
Area Rep Corner - Brenda Luchsinger
When I was asked to write about the recent horn activity in Alabama, I thought, “Sure! Absolutely!” Then I paused for a moment and thought some more: “What am I going to write about?! Literally nothing has happened or is happening!” Then this little streamer in my mind started taking off, scrolling nonstop, with many of my to-do list reminders for the upcoming week, “this student needs to record Mozart, that one needs to send in their competition video, she needs a letter of recommendation, oh - midterms are coming up, oops - I need to make sure I remembered to upload that pdf for theory, contact this person about coming to studio next month, don’t forget to listen to those recordings, and you need to make your handout for your presentation Tuesday…”
It quickly dawned on me that even though most performances aren’t happening yet, a lot of activity WAS still happening. I began to think about how my teaching has changed during the year, and all of the creative ways teachers everywhere have been handling the pandemic…in whatever virtual, hybrid, or bell-covered reality we are currently in.
Deciding to focus this segment on teaching seemed obvious when I thought about the past year. Reflecting back to exactly one year ago this week, one of the things I am most grateful for is the generosity and collaborative effort of so many wonderful people. As schools shut down, concerts and trips were cancelled, the panic that some of us initially felt about the looming pandemic in general suddenly multiplied. It shifted to overwhelming chaos as we realized that we would need to QUICKLY (within a week) figure out a way to adapt, plunging head first into the virtual world…not just for one class, but with everything.
Many companies quickly began to offer free subscriptions for students and teachers to their virtual content for history, theory and aural skills courses. Groups were quickly popping up on social media where educators would brainstorm and everyone would generously create and share resources with each other.
Horn Hangouts with Sarah Willis became a part of many of our daily schedules (thank you, Sarah!!). These were not only just a fun addition to our afternoons, many of them were incredibly informative and gave us so many ideas and topics to discuss in our Zoom lessons. My students don’t know this (shh!), but seeing their interactions in the live chat was also a great way for me to check up on them since I was no longer seeing them at school every day!
Another thing I have been reflecting on is the heightened creative spirit that has been truly inspiring. As I’ve been connecting with university professors around not only the state, but the country, I have seen so many innovative solutions to our current reality.
One of the great benefits we have here in Alabama is that during the school year, the weather is beautiful (with the exception of an occasional hurricane day). On most days, students can practice outside, lessons can be taught outside, and ensembles can rehearse outside. We have all been taking advantage of our beautiful weather. (Having grown up in Wisconsin, the concept of going outside for a lesson in December is still fascinating to me!)
At Auburn University in Auburn, AL, the faculty have recorded two showcase concerts for students that were streamed online. Bill Schaffer and the Auburn brass faculty are currently preparing to host a virtual solo clinic for students where high school students can register, work with the professors, and receive feedback on their solo performances.
Due to indoor rehearsal restrictions, the AU horn ensemble has had outdoor rehearsals and socially distanced outdoor gatherings. The Auburn community orchestra has also had outdoor performances during the year. Recently the AU horn ensemble has been giving back to the community by performing for the Empty Bowls charity event held at Kiesel Park, which benefits the Food Bank of East Alabama.
At the University of South Alabama in Mobile, the campus was in hybrid mode for the fall semester. Jason Rinehart’s horn students would meet for lessons in-person once a month, and then the other three weeks over Zoom. So far this spring, lessons have been in-person. During the fall, the bands studied full wind band literature, but rehearsed in sectionals, with occasional outdoor full-band rehearsals. Their concert was recorded outside in front of the music building on campus and live-streamed. This spring, large ensembles have been broken into chamber ensembles who performed a concert on March 4. Horn choir has started to meet again, indoors and as safely as possible – meaning 6-foot spacing between players, bell covers on the horns, and with a time limit of 40-minutes in the room.
At the University of North Alabama in Florence, David McCullough reported that the pandemic hit his studio particularly hard. The student horn quartet was set to attend and compete at the 2020 Southeast Horn Workshop. After the workshop was cancelled, more cancellations followed, including a performance of the Hübler Konzertstück for Horn Quartet.
Currently, a younger quartet is now rehearsing for a performance at an upcoming brass ensemble concert. Last semester students who play in the Shoals Symphony Orchestra (the UNA orchestra), performed chamber works by Karen Gorton, Alexander Artunian, and Gwyneth Walker. The faculty woodwind quintet performed Malcolm Arnold’s Sea Chanties and the brass quintet performed Scott Joplin: Portrait in Brass.
Another large even that is currently underway is the annual live movie concert with the Shoals Symphony Orchestra performing Raiders of the Lost Ark. The movie concerts have been a highly anticipated annual event since 2016, and they are very motivating for the UNA horn students!
In my studio at Alabama State University in Montgomery, we were entirely online during the fall semester and mostly online (some classes hybrid) this spring. The music faculty presented a virtual showcase concert, including my performance of Margaret Brouwer’s SCHerZOid. We have been hosting guests on Zoom for studio classes, and having a wonderful time learning about everything from natural horn playing to didgeridoos, and everything in between! The students have also had a virtual guest lecture series in their performance class, focusing on diversity and equity in the arts with a variety of speakers, ranging from alumni, faculty, and artists from Lincoln Center Jazz, the Longy School of Music, Indiana University, and the Pershing’s Own Army Chorus.
Two of the ASU horn students, Wanja Ng’ang’a and Vitalis Wagome, are international students from Nairobi, Kenya. Since they could not travel home last summer or during the holidays, they have been living in the campus dorms since August 2019. They have made the most out of their situation, attending many of the virtual events that have been held, including the live Horn Hangouts, IHS 52, the online Kendall Betts Horn Camp, the Florida French Horn Festival, and the upcoming Southeast Horn Workshop. Being isolated in the dorms had its advantages though, in terms of being able to practice in their rooms early in the morning and late at night! They have also met for virtual lessons twice a week during school breaks. In addition, they have been participating in a variety of virtual ensemble recordings with K-NYO, the National Youth Orchestra of Kenya.
The students at Huntingdon College, also in Montgomery, meet for in-person lessons outside under a large tent, which was strategically placed under a giant pecan tree! The students had outdoor rehearsals in the fall using bell covers and masks, and performed an outdoor band concert which was live-streamed. This spring the concert band is meeting indoors, while maintaining social distancing and using bell covers. They join the ASU horns for horn studio via Zoom, and are also planning to attend the Southeast Horn Workshop.
Skip Snead and the University of Alabama horns in Tuscaloosa have also had many positive experiences during the past year. Over the summer they instituted a weekly horn studio meeting where they invited distinguished guests from around the world to address the horn studio about a variety of topics. It was highly beneficial, a lot of fun, and it was great to engage with one another at least once a week and learn from great presenters.
Beginning in the fall semester 2020, they have held applied lessons in a face-to-face format in larger spaces with significant distancing. The lessons were limited to 30 minutes, but afforded the studio the opportunity to remain engaged and continue to encourage and realize a substantial amount of student improvement. As a result of the timing, each student took a minimum of two lessons per week.
They also instituted horn studio class every weekday morning at 7:00am. This was enthusiastically received by the horn students and it was set up in a format where all freshmen would attend one morning, all sophomores on another morning, all juniors on another morning, and seniors on another, and the entire studio would come together on the remaining day. The graduate students floated amongst the various sessions. As the meeting pattern evolved, more and more students were attending multiple sessions every week (beyond their own scheduled times) because they were getting so much out of the masterclass opportunities each morning.
In the spring semester, the UA horn studio has also resumed horn ensemble rehearsals with groups currently limited to eight players. Their quartets are also functioning and each group is rehearsing once or twice a week for a maximum of 30 minutes each time. Horn History class is another new addition to the spring semester, where a variety of topics including history, design, and pedagogy are discussed.
The UA students have continued to work hard and be successful, winning many virtual competitions. These include Alex Franck and Joan Warner, 1st and 2nd place winners of the virtual solo competition at the 2020 Midsouth Horn Workshop, and Matt Meadows winning 1st prize in the national brass division of the MTNA Collegiate Artist Competition. Many UA horn students are currently preparing recordings and submissions for virtual workshop competitions for both the 2021 Northeast and Southeast Horn Workshops.
Skip Snead perfectly summed up what I think we all feel here in Alabama: “We look forward to returning to normal next year, but have learned from many successes experienced during the pandemic. We will undoubtedly carry many of these new approaches forward even when we return to a normalized environment.”
Emma Gregan
Hello to the members of the International Horn Society! My name is Emma Gregan – I’m 27 years old and I play Tutti Horn with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra in South Australia.
I grew up in Brisbane and was very fortunate to have access to fantastic horn and brass teachers from a young age, both through private lessons with my teacher Ysolt Clark, and through the public school system. I joined the International Horn Society in 2010 when the Symposium came to the Queensland Conservatorium, where I was in my first year of my undergraduate degree at the time. I completed my bachelor’s degree with honours and spent several years freelancing with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra and touring shows (most notably The Lion King), as well as in Perth with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra. I also started writing and recording my own compositions around that time, which has led to a number of them being performed, particularly across the USA, and several commissions and awards.
I won my job with the ASO at the end of 2015 and have been here ever since. We are the largest arts organisation in South Australia with a strength of 75 players, and I feel very privileged to work in a first-class horn section in such a beautiful part of the world. I love the variety of music we play in the orchestra and enjoy playing just about anything they throw at us: from early music, Strauss and Bruckner, and modern opera, through to disco and other contemporary things. I must admit that I try my best to get out of anything by Bizet, though. If I ever get fired from my job it will almost definitely be for misbehaving during one of his operas.
I never thought I would be a low horn player: my low register as a student was subpar and I always preferred being picked for the high flashy parts. These days I find it a very rewarding experience to sit in the second and fourth chairs. I like playing the ‘mind-reading game’ with my section, because you start to develop a sixth sense for what they’re about to do before they’ve done it. Sometimes I even know what they’ll feel like getting for lunch, so I think my psychic powers are really sharpening up. For me, the two most important things to bring with me to work every day (other than my horn… yes, it’s happened) are a good sense of humour and a willingness to be open-minded to new or different ways of doing things. That’s my personal formula for keeping you and your section happy and giving yourself the opportunity to keep learning throughout your career.
Settling in Adelaide has given me the chance to establish a little teaching studio and get involved in local community music groups: both deeply rewarding aspects of my musical life. One of my great joys is in my role as the Artistic Director of the Adelaide Horn Jam, our local community horn ensemble. We are the only incorporated horn ensemble in Australian history and have enjoyed a wonderful five years of bringing just about every horn player in town together to make music –hopefully we have many more years to come!
I played Alexander horns for about fifteen years, until 2018 when I switched to a Paxman 20L. I must admit I’m not fanatical about gear, or particular brands – I’m pretty content just playing something that works and feels good. I also have a Paxman natural horn and a Woodhead baroque horn – I love them both, so I think they’ll stay with me for life. One day I’d like to commission an Australian-made horn. I think it would be an amazing experience as a performer to collaborate with a craftsman in that way. Fortuitously we have a fabulous repairman and instrument maker in Adelaide, so I’m thinking he might be the person for the job.
In 2019 I commenced my PhD at the University of Adelaide’s Elder Conservatorium. I’m researching the history of horn ensembles in Australia and our national repertoire, with the aim of developing recommendations towards building and sustaining local horn communities here. Australia has a very vibrant population of horn players so I hope that my work will go some way towards celebrating the Australian voice in horn playing.
I am very grateful for all the things I already have in my life as a horn player, but I do still have some goals to tick off. As a performer I’d love to get involved in more chamber music. There are also many international horn players I would love to meet, learn from, and work with, especially in the early music scene. I definitely want to make sure composing remains a big part of my life too, despite it being put on hold the last year or two because of my studies. Locally, I’d like to help put a real dent in the enormous task of improving the quality and administration of school-aged instrumental music education in South Australia, particularly for children in the public education system. And one day I’d like to take our community horn ensemble to the Symposium, or maybe even host it here in Adelaide. But before all that, my most immediate plan is to finish my thesis and spend a month swimming at the beach!
