Travel Journal à la Mendelssohn
In October of last year I finally made my musician's pilgrimage to Leipzig to visit the Mendelssohn and Schumann houses. Walking the few blocks between the apartments of these legends, seeing the differences in the way they lived, imagining all the people who visited before me, was so meaningful.
My favorite exhibit was a series of watercolors painted by Mendelssohn while traveling through Switzerland in 1847. Having some insight into what he found beautiful and imagining him observing these sights for hours made him feel like my friend.
The logistics of traveling with my cello often leave me feeling like an organizational disaster, but I feel so grateful for the chance to explore while doing what I love. It's hard to share all these new experiences through words and iPhone pictures...somehow sharing through paintings and music feels more real. With that in mind, I've started keeping my own painting journal in the spirit of Mendelssohn. Here are some of my favorite recent adventures!
Leipzig, October 2022
A still life taken from this trip to Leipzig to visit the Mendelssohnhaus
In my friend's Wohngemeinschaft cooking lunch and making apple butter from a neighbor's apple tree
Turin, Italy October 2022
The view at 5 in the morning (after waking up for a 4 am online German class) from my hotel room at the EstOvest Festival
Bergen, the Netherlands December 2022
The morning coffee view out my host's window while playing a recital for the Holland Music Sessions
Austin, Texas December 2022
View from my run on the Colorado River after auditioning for the Austin Chamber Music Center's Artist-in-Residence job
Meñakoz, Spain December 2022
A trip to the beach in Meñakoz, Spain
Helsinki, Finland March 2023
In Helsinki after a week in Jyväskylä, Finland with Trio Brontë for the Ilmari Hannikainen International Chamber Music Competition
London, England May 2023
I tried to draw a beautiful street of apartment buildings while in London for the Pierre Fournier Award, but turns out buildings are way harder than landscapes...I lost patience
Los Angeles, May 2023
View of La Loma Bridge in Pasadena while in LA to play a concert with Delirium Musicum
Somewhere between Tulsa, Oklahoma and Fayetville, Arkansas May 2023
A picture from the drive from TUL to Fayetteville to play with the Artosphere Festival Orchestra
Hudson, Quebec May 2023
Turns out the best way to get from Fayetteville, Arkansas to Paris is via Montreal. From a 36-hour layover spent meeting my newest nephew, Robin, at his home outside of Montreal (a sleeping 5-month-old was on my back while this picture was taken)
Schlachtensee Berlin, Germany May 2023
A moment of calm at home in Berlin painting my favorite Berlin lake with my roommate
Whites Bay, Henderson, New York August 2023
One thing I took for granted about upstate New York is the Great Lakes (they hold 21% of the world's fresh water). I love how many different moods these fresh water oceans have. Painted on the dock with my nephew Charlie during a week of vacation with my family.
Krzyżowa, Poland September 2023
A view of the Field Marshal's oak stand and the Berghaus while at Krzyżowa chamber music festival in Poland
Whites Bay, Henderson, NY September 2023
Last sail of the season for Wind Song with a strong north wind. Same lake, same place as the previous painting of Whites Bay--paintings only a month apart.