The day before the recital, Portia played (unaccompanied) at Summerhay's Fiddle Fair as a "practice" since it's been a while since she's performed in public. She got lost a little in the middle (and that's why we did it) and she didn't have to have the same problem for the next time. And look how they arranged those harps behind her—amazing! The girls were having a blast because afterward, they got to try out the other instruments at Summerhays. Bianca played an electric viola and thought that was the best thing ever. Now she's wants one of those (but it's not going to happen—it's time for her first "real" full-size bow and it's making me sick that we have to pay almost as much for that as for her last viola).
The recital was two weeks ago. Bianca accompanied her (I paid her $20 to do it). Portia's first piece was Lully's Gavotte:
I love her little vibrato! And here's her second piece, Livie's Blues (Cheney). I just have to add that this song drove me absolutely mad. (The middle part with the chords was really hard for her to get the rhythm just right, and I begged Richard Hoyt several times to let us do something different to no avail.) Still, I'm so glad I'll never have to hear this one again, although the glissando on the piano part always cracks me up a little.
The next weekend, we had to go up to the University of Utah and do it all again as it was Federation. When we walked into the room, it was filled with older kids (Portia's in book 3 now but only six, so she looks like she should be in the Twinkle room). It was a little intimidating for her but good experience to rise up to a challenge. Two years of superiors down, one more to go! Portia's ready for her gold cup (that her teacher told her she'll get after three years of superiors). Actually, I felt that Portia played better at Federation than she did at her recital (she didn't run out of bow on the trill as she did in Lully's Gavotte).
Is it bad to admit I'm kind of glad it's over?
