Another experience, another door

So, I am always praying for more opportunities that can enhance my music experience. The Lord sure does answer prayers. 

Over the past three days, I have gotten to know William Joseph, a well-known LDS contemporary pianist. I had seen posters all over campus that he was coming to BYU-Idaho to perform with the Teton Chamber Orchestra. I bought tickets about a week before to attend the concert. A few days later, I received an email saying that the orchestra was short on violinists and could use an extra player during the concert. I replied immediately, seizing the opportunity. The conductor emailed me the sheet music, which printed about probably over one hundred pages of music. At first I felt a little overwhelmed, but luckily all of the music was pretty straightforward. 

On Thursday night, I had a symphony orchestra concert, so I missed the first rehearsal for WJ's concert. After I finished, though, I walked over to the auditorium where rehearsal was being held, just in case the rehearsal wasn't over yet. They had just finished, but I introduced myself to the conductor and then to William Joseph himself. I felt very welcomed. I thanked them for the opportunity and told William about my goals and dreams as a violinist and invited to him to listen to my CD, which I gave to him the next day. 

The following morning, William came to the music building to talk about his career and to answer questions we had for him. For those of you who don't know much about him, he started piano at age 4 (similar to me). He heard piano music on his favorite tv show and ran and grabbed a toy keyboard and started playing the theme song along with the show. His parents decided to get him lessons. He was classically trained for about sixteen years. I can't remember all the specific details, unfortunately. In 2003 when he was playing at a charity event, he just happened to bump into David Foster (producer/composer with I believe 17 Grammy awards?), who heard him play. He ended up working with Foster and creating some albums and his career went from there. I flipped out when I realized he toured with Josh Groban on his Closer Tour. (omgomgomgomgomg)

Anyways, William also served an LDS mission in Australia, where he also had many performing opportunities (which also created missionary opportunities!). He is still active in the church and has a wife (one wife, not five) and two sons and a daughter. What I respect a lot about him is that he has had huge opportunities where he could have made a lot of profit, but those opportunities did not fit his morals. For instance, he was supposed to compose the music for Desperate Housewives, but he turned it down for the sake of being a good influence on his young kids. (Sorry, nothing against the show, but it ain't exactly kid friendly). 

William talked a lot to us about how the modern music world works and all the politics involved, as well as some composition and practice tips. He also mentioned that he was offering a composition/songwriting masterclass on Saturday morning. I definitely signed up for that.
When he was done talking to us, I walked up to him and handed him my CD. He complimented me on the neat album cover and title, "Sounds of GUTH," (Thank you, Sister Morales for you amazing photography skills!) and seemed eager to listen to it. 

I saw WJ again at rehearsal that afternoon and then obviously at the concert that night. The concert was spectacular. He is a heck of a lot more talented than I thought. He was great at talking with and involving the audience, and put his heart and soul into his music. He even laid down on the piano bench backwards and switched his hands and played completely upside down, without error. That blew my mind. That was NOT rehearsed. 

 This was my view during the rehearsal and concert!

...someday I'll be in that chick's position. (I shouldn't call her "chick," I apologize. She was very talented and very nice)

Post concert photo before the paparazzi craze

Saturday morning had to be the best. I brought my violin and composition/song ideas to him and got to have a one-on-one session with him. The time was supposed to be divided between however many people showed up. Well, for the first hour, I was the only one who showed up. The first thing he said to me was that he listened to my CD, and he really liked it. (AHH!) One other guy showed up later, but it was still a mostly private class. He gave incredible insight. And, his insight is basically coming from David Foster, since that's who coached him on his compositions. For four hours (yes, from 9am-1pm), we were zoned into songwriting and developing main themes and creating changes in the structure of music while still keeping the basic pattern. He gave me so much inspiration on my current unfinished songs. Later, I got my violin out and played my arrangement of I Know That My Redeemer Lives/I Am A Child Of God. He really liked it, and told me I had a lot of talent and potential (I almost cried), and then gave me more of his ideas on how to improve the arrangement. He even jumped in on the piano and gave the song a "firmer foundation." (only LDS people will understand the pun I just purposefully intended.)

To wrap up things, he promised to stay in touch and offered Skype lessons. He talked a little bit about his family and kids and showed me pictures of them. It's amazing how big of a deal this guy actually is, but he is a normal righteous man with a family to support. I am SO, so grateful and blessed that I got to not only perform with, but also learn from this amazing pianist virtuoso. I pray that this experience becomes a bridge to even more wonderful opportunities. 

I kind of stole this from a stranger on Facebook, but you can barely see me on the left! :D

All smiles after an inspirational master class with William Joseph

Sorry it's been so long!

As most of y'all know, I had a great year last year. . . lots of blessings in my life in 2013 for sure. This year has barely started, but it is pretty dang packed and stressful. I definitely have my doubts on a daily basis.
Weather doesn't exactly help either. For those of not living in Rexburg or the general area, it is COOOOLD. Like, deathly cold. I am really craving some warm weather, that's for sure.
However, the people here are so friendly and supportive. I have made many lifelong friends.

I have the opportunity to ski at Grand Targhee Ski Resort every Saturday. It is definitely the relief to my week! It's nice to get out of town and ski my worries away sometimes. 

Grand Targhee, errbody. 

So Grand Targhee Ski Resort was SUPER foggy and powdery last Saturday. Like, blinding white. You literally could not see anything in front of you and it was windy and it really threw off our depth perception. So I got stuck a lot in powder, but I eventually got out usually. This one time though, I didn't see a bump coming and I fell face first into a bunch of powder, and I was all tangled up and literally couldn't tell what direction I was facing and I couldn't breathe because there was so much snow against my whole face. I can't even explain how I stuck I felt. It was so scary. I was probably only stuck for a minute but it felt like forever, and then I felt someone pull on my leg and they completely pulled me out of the snow, like with ONE hand. When I finally could see and breathe, I didn't see anyone, like at all. It makes no sense and I sound like a lunatic but someone or something basically saved my life and they did it in one swift motion. It's so unreal. I honestly feel like an angel saved me. If I had been under that powder any longer I probably would have lost consciousness.

Anyways, I am a witness of a miracle and I am grateful that I am not dead!! Yet. 

In other news, I was recently interviewed on BYUI Radio about the composer Paganini and I performed an excerpt from his caprice no. 24. (The post popular and overplayed one) This will be aired on February 17th, 2014. It was a neat experience! I'm trying to seize any cool opportunity I can grab my hands on. This time of my life is definitely no time to waste!

I am so determined for this to be a great year, just like last year. Great years and success are required to come with trials and doubts. It's the doubts we have and the mistakes we make that help us grow. I have definitely learned to understand that concept intimately. There are times when I know exactly why I am having a problem, so I can plan out how to fix it. Most of the time, though, I have no idea what the heck is wrong with me and I don't understand why I'm having whatever the issue is, and it's just a sucky feeling. I just have to have faith that it'll all work out as long as I keep doing all the right things consistently. Plus, I have realized that thinking about my problems all the time does not solve them. I do need to rely on God and trust that He will help me through things. I can't do everything on my own, even though I think I can sometimes. 

And, when in doubt, just wear a cow suit. 

God bless all y'all!

Stay Classy, 2013

Ya know what? I think I can say that I kicked 2013's butt. This year has been SO epic. I think it was the one of the most accomplished years of my life! I'm honestly not sure if 2014 can beat out this year. Well, that would be pretty wicked awesome if it did. 

January was full of college auditions and then my last year of AllState Orchestra. I sure did miss a lot of school from that! So worth it, though. 
February: I got to participate in a program called the Honors Performance Series that performs in Carnegie Hall. That was probably one of the coolest experiences of my life. I have never felt so much adrenaline during an orchestra performance. That hall is seriously the bomb diggity. 

Picture doesn't really do justice, but that hall is HUMUUUNGO. I felt like an ant on that stage. 

March was a fun month! I had officially decided on attending BYU-Idaho after receiving an amazing scholarship offer, and a few days later I vacationed in Kauai, Hawaii for ten days!

Beautiful Napoli Coast, Kauai. 

Shakalaka, brah. 

In April, I got to experience both Senior prom and LDS prom. Senior year is a PARTY. 

April was also full of friends coming and going. My dear friend Danielle Fox left for Her mission to Las Vegas. I felt so lonely after she left. She is doing AMAZING things, though. 

BUT THEN, I met Madi Bass and wasn't lonely anymore. I have come to realize she is basically my female soulmate. It feels like we've been best friends forever but I actually only met her this year, and now we literally talk every single day. We were both the only LDS kids in our high school so we had many things in common. I LOVE YOU BASSY. 

May? I GRADUATED FROM FLIPPIN HIGH SCHOOL!

I was glad to be done, but I do not regret one minute of my time at All Saints Episcopal School. I love every single one of my teachers. They really helped me go where I wanted and needed to go. 

Since BYUI didn't start until the middle of September, I had a looong summer. I did get to go visit the beautiful campus in June. Then, I vacationed in Florida for a week and experienced something called sunburn. A photo is not necessary here. 

I also attended Music in the Mountains in Durango, CO in July and enjoyed lovely summer mountain weather and the magnificent music.

I got super bored in August aside from my 19th birthday in Port Aransus, TX with my dad. At that point I was REALLY ready to get out of Texas and go to college already! Plus, Texas during August isn't exactly. . . dry. Blegh. 

September-December: COLLEGE. First semester. Success. I survived with a decent GPA, improved a lot as a musician and person, and made life-long friends. 

Dr. Hansen, my violin professor. One of the best teachers I have ever had! Yes, I'm in a cow suit, and he's in a knight suit here. 

This just about sums up my college weekends. 

Ok, now I gotta gush on all the famous people I met this year. I can't help myself. Did I mention this year was like the definition of STARSTRUCK?!

Joshua Bell-world class violinist. He came to Bass Hall in Fort Worth and I got his autograph after! He knows my violinmaker, Jan van Rooyen because he has actually made a few violins for him! The current chin rest on my violin actually used to belong to Joshua Bell. Fun fact. 

Rachel Barton-Pine, world class violinist. This inspring woman performed at Music in the Mountains. She was in a terrible subway accident several years ago and lost her legs. Luckily it did not affect her playing!

Mark O'Connor, world class fiddler. I got to meet Mark O'Connor after my college audition at Utah State. He was so awesome and chill. 

Josh Groban- singer. Ok, most of you know this one. It's a long, but amazing story. Read the experience here: http://cristaguthrie.blogspot.com/2013/10/adventure-groban-mission-possible.html

Jenny Oaks Baker- world class, LDS violinist. Jenny came to BYUI and did a concert. She played absolutely beautifully and I was so touched when she had a girl who had lost some fingers on her left hand and was able to still play violin with a special violin made BACKWARDS for her. It was incredible! Anything is possible!!!!

This year would have been a failure without my savior. I seriously can't thank The Lord enough for all the blessings in my life. I have a wonderf family, great friends, and I have been blessed gifts and talents and high quality education. Brownie points to JC for getting me through all the bumps this year! (I know I just listed off the awesome parts, but there were definitely stressful times as well.) 

Let's hope 2014 treats us all nicely. Happy New Year. 

I'm late, but I AM grateful!

This is kind of a late thanksgiving post. That's how crazy busy life has been lately! However, I had a great thanksgiving.

I spent thanksgiving this year with my cousin Megan in Pocatello, ID. I'm so thankful to be loved by them and that they always welcome me to their lovely cozy home. I was SO ready to get out of my apartment! It's those little things such as nicer facilities that I REALLY miss and appreciate. I took a legitimate bubble bath twice while I was there and I think it was one of the most pleasurable things ever. I got to go see Catching Fire (again), which was super fun. And, of course, watching Snoopy movies on the comfy couch with Taylor, Ashton, and peri, was probably my favorite. The simple PEANUTS cartoons make me feel so happy and make me thankful for the cute, little things in life. 

I am thankful for the amazing HUGE thanksgiving meal I had. I think this is the fullest thanksgiving I've experienced. I could NOT stop eating! When I woke up on Friday morning I was STILL full. 

After hearing some amazing, traumatic stories from a man who served an lds mission on the Ivory Coast, I really don't think I will ever complain again. I'm grateful for the mostly safe town of Fort Worth, my home, and the safer town of rexburg, Idaho. 

Overall, I'm grateful for family, food, shelter, and my savior Jesus Christ! Cheesy but true. 

Aaaand now it's Christmas season! Happiest time of year for me!! I love everything about Christmas. I am so excite and thankful to go home. I did not think I would get homesick here but I definitely did. I miss Texas and everyone in it. I hope that ice storm goes away before I get there, though!

In the meantime, our baroque ensemble got to do a day tour in Utah and we got to walk around Temple square. This was my first time ever in temple square and oh man, it is BEAUTIFUL! And we didn't even see the Christmas lights since it was daytime. But, just look how breathtaking that Salt Lake Temple is!! It is a castle. I felt so much peace around it.

My first semester of college is coming to an end. I must say it has been an incredible one. Well I still have finals so hopefully I don't completely bomb those and ruin my GPA, but I think I will be okay. 
I have never met so many incredible people in such a short time, and I know I am making lifelong friendships. 

By the way, Rexburg has finally his the negative degree weather. It is INSANE. I have never lived in this much snow. My dear friend Alex and I decided to embrace the snow one day and Pixar-ize all the cars in a parking lot, and we made a snow shark! I do love snow, hehe. Ski weather has arrived!

OMG IT SMELLS LIKE CHRISTMAS AND I HEAR THE MUSIC EVERYWHERE AND I JUST LOVE THE SPIRIT AKDFGJHALDKFJGHALDKJFGHALDKFJGHALDKFJGHADLKFHGADJFKG. 

happiness galoooore

Walking on A Tight Rope, literally

It's that mid semester stress I'm sure. 

I have had tests to study for and concerts to perform in with extra rehearsals and the daily practicing and homework on top of that! My emotions have been all over the place. I keep telling myself "balance! Balance and time management is key!" I guess it's one thing to manage your time and plan out your days/weeks, but it's another thing to manage your thoughts. Sure, maybe I planned on doing my science homework right now, but my mind is totally not focused on it. Why can't my focus coordinate with the plan?! AGH. 

Tonight I attended a slack lining activity, which is walking a tight rope. I generally have pretty good physical balance (thanks to surfing those Hawaiian waves!) and I picked it up pretty fast. There were different lengths and tightnesses of ropes. The looser ones were harder, especially as you moved toward the middle. Once you get past that middle part, though, the end becomes tighter again and it's easier to walk. I feel like this semester is like that tightrope....right now I'm right in the middle and it's wobbling back and forth and if I don't control my balance with my core and keep my eyes focused on one spot, I will fall off. Of course I can always get back on, though! Luckily there's not lava underneath this rope. It's just the gym floor. (Also, it's not that high off the ground at all. No worries!) 

I noticed tonight that I always fell off just about instantly when someone was talking to me as I tried to walk, or if my mind was racing and thinking too hard. I had to really zone out and completely empty my mind in order to walk across the whole length of the rope. When it comes to things like this, sometimes I just have to tell myself "Don't think, just do." (This does NOT apply to everything so be careful with that phrase, haha!) what I mean, though, is to not think of every complicated detail... think simply. 

Reaching the end of the longest length of the longest tightrope felt so fulfilling. It was the perfect way to end this crazy week (tests, concerts, Halloween craze). I wasn't leaving that gym until I did it, either. The feeling of relief is one of the best feelings after so much hard work, and you realize that the hard work really is worth it in the end. 

This semester does not end until mid-December, but I am determined that it will end nicely! And, in the long run, I hope all this hard work somehow leads me onstage with Josh Groban! :D

On the bright side, I am LOVING the fall leaves here in Rexburg! 

Happy Fall, everyone! But, don't fall. 

People, People, People!

What a crazy week it's been! 

I am still pretty starstruck from meeting Josh Groban and his violinist, and I probably always will be. However, life must go on. If I wanna actually PLAY with him one day, I can't just sit on my butt and retweet his tweets all the time. I gotta WORK. 

The homework and practicing is definitely loading up now and the amount of sleep is decreasing. Tuesdays are my longest days. I am busy back-to-back from 9 am to 5:30pm! 
Last Tuesday, I was planning on waking up early to get some things done before my long day, but I overslept and missed my morning practice. I felt so unfulfilled. :( Luckily, devotional is at 2:00 pm and I felt better after that, since my day felt so long already. However, as I rode my scooter to my violin lesson, I totally wiped out, in a skirt, and in front of an attractive human being who kindly helped me. I skinned my hand a little and was late to my lesson. WHY?! That day I really faced the reality of balance and managing time in college. You really cannot do everything. I had meetings to attend and homework to do and still needed to eat, and of course practice (I am NEVER done)!

Thank goodness for weekends, though! Even though I have an essay due Monday. . . 

I actually felt like Superwoman this weekend. 
On Friday night, I ran the Glow Run 5K. Don't ask me when I last ran, but I ran the entire time and it felt amazing! I felt so alive and free and crazy when people threw paint at me as I ran by. I finished this race, and continued my night at a crazy 80's dance party. 

That feeling after a run covered in glow paint >>>

I was so sore the next morning. Sure, I guess I can go randomly run a 5K without dying, but I totally forgot to stretch. My left leg is PAINFULLY sore. And, I had another performance at BYUI's Got Talent that night! A performance involving some dance moves, something I have never done before. I was actually a little nervous for this one because it involved some coordination. But, I did it!

Here's a video of part of my performance. Just an iPhone recording. I think I can access a better recording sometime later. 

In the middle of my performance, my track stopped playing! AHH WHAT THE HECK! There was some sort of technical difficulty, but I kept playing. No choice! It's unexpected times like these that we MUST keep going! Plus, it's not like I messed up (or maybe I did, shhh. No one shall know). As long as I don't react to the mistake or problem, all is well! In-the-moment trials like this are to be faced later! (when there is NO audience!)

 Luckily I had some great inspiration beforehand. 

So, yeah. I've met another famous violinist this week. Her name is Jenny Oaks Baker. If y'all haven't heard of her you NEED to look up her music. She is beautiful and talented and has spectacular arrangements of our favorite songs and hymns. She performed here at BYUI and I got a picture with her afterwards!

Not too satisfied with my awkward smile here but JENNY IS GORGEOUS!!!

I experienced two incredible performances on Saturday.
There was one very moving part of Jenny's concert. Jenny herself actually got choked up about it. A girl named Claire had lost some of her fingers on her left hand in a car accident when she was young, and was so sad she could not play her violin. Jenny was able to meet her and told her that she could still play, and that she would. Now, her violin was readjusted, and she plays the violin BACKWARDS. As in, she sets the violin on her RIGHT shoulder instead of left! It was one of the most incredible things I have ever seen. Together, she and Jenny played a duet of "I Know My Redeemer Lives." I was in tears. That one got a standing ovation for sure. 

During BYUI's Got Talent, a girl who talked kind of funny played the piano and sang. This girl was deaf, and she sang BEAUTIFULLY. Perfectly in tune! She may not articulate well, but the fact that she played piano and sang with such passion without being able to hear just took my breath away. 
I wish I had pictures!!! Sorry about that!

I am SO grateful to meet so many amazing people, especially those who kick their trials in the face and come out stronger than ever! These people have taught me that ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE! It just takes WORK. 

Speaking of, I have homework to do now. *Deuces*

Adventure Groban: Mission POSSIBLE

BEST. NIGHT. EVER. 

Here are the series if events of October 2nd, 2013. BEST day of the year so far:

Macie and I left Rexburg for Boise via salt lake express bus. We almost missed it! What an adventure haha! The ride was long but a beautiful scenic drive. Macie socialized with some Chinese people where we learned how to say Guthrie in Chinese, and later we met a kind LDS woman named Pam who was also attending the Josh Groban concert. 

We met my aunt Debbie and uncle Jim at Boise airport and they dropped me off at Taco Bell arena. In case y'all didn't know already, I won a Meet and greet with josh. I was SO excited. I had to be there an hour early. I got my tickets and VIP pass for the meet and greet at the will call office. They did NOT let me bring in my violin, which I was gonna have Groban autograph. I was so disappointed! I guess a bow can stab someone. They kept it safe in the security office for me though. Don't worry, though. It gets better.

There were actually lots of winners for meet and greet. Some were from the FOJG fan club, like me, and some others won through radio and stuff. Before meeting josh, a professional photographer person interviewed me about my love for Josh's music and excitement for this "in the round" concert. It may be posted on the fan club page or on Josh's YouTube soon! 

The actual meet and greet was brief, but it went smoothly! Since he couldn't autograph my violin case, he signed my violin arm (never washing it again) and I gave him a copy of my cd along with my twitter name. Hehe. 

Our conversation:

"hi I'm Crista! I am your future violinist!

J: Sweet! I'm pumped! 

C: (Hands him cd) Here's my cd. I did my own version of Brave so you should check it out. 

J: Wow! Really! yeah I'll listen to it on the bus! (And he's serious!)

C: Awesome! Will you sign my violin arm?

J: Of course. You're not gonna tattoo it are you?

C: Well isn't that what you're doing? I mean it's a Sharpie. 

(Takes photo)

C: Look for my poster! Thank you!

Thank YOU!"

He's so CHILL. 

Yup. He's awesome. I actually cried afterwards I was so happy. (Fan girl mode) The concert hadn't even started yet! I met up with my roommate Macie and we found our seats. Floor 8 BB. That's SECOND row. We were in spitting distance. Amazing. I had my poster ready: Josh~MAY I BE YOUR VIOLINIST? Bright neon yellow, glitter glue. Can't miss it! 

Before josh, Judith Hill from the Voice sang. She's also AMAZING. She used to be Michael Jackson's back up singer! She also did The Prayer with josh in the concert. 

Many times through the concert, josh would come around to our side and he totally gave me the head nod to my poster, basically answering "hey, yeah! I remember you!"  Basically saying yes to the question on my poster. And, later when both he and Christian Hebel his solo violinist came to our area, josh POINTED at me and to Christian, basically hiring me and firing him right there haha! It was hilariously amazing. Christian walked by me many times and nodded with a "heck yeah!" grin as he played. He's an incredible violinist. 

Not only is josh an amazing singer in all sorts of languages, he has the best sense of humor. If you don't follow him on twitter yet DO IT. Don't have a twitter? Make one and follow him. He is absolutely hilarious. He interacts with his fans so well. 

After the concert I got many comments and "good luck, hope to see you on stage with him!" comments on my poster. Such supportive fans! Most people there were middle aged or older haha, but they were all so nice and hope to see me with josh one day! (Praying!!!) Now, I wanted to go meet this violinist! 

Josh sings The Prayer with Judith Hill. 

The photographer from earlier found me and wanted to do a post concert interview (sure why not?!) so we did that. Oh also this photographer took many pictures of me with my sign throughout the concert. What a nice dude. 

THEN, I saw Christian! Turns out he was actually looking for ME! What the?! He was just walking around eating a fudgesicle bar like whatever. I chatted with him for like 20 minutes. He used to be the concertmaster of the orchestra of the broadway show Wicked! He's from michigan and attended MSU and later got his masters somewhere in NYC (can't remember the conservatory name). He asked about my violin history and stuff and I got some pictures with him and my sign! While we were backstage, we also met Josh's pianist (can't remember his name AHH!) but he had some WILD hair and he was totally bro. He recognized me as well. That neon yellow poster wasn't hard to miss!

Friend or foe? Or coworker?

Christian led Macie and I out the "VIP" exit and we passed by Josh's tour bus, which he was in, and all the fans by the gate around the bus. He gave Macie and I a goodbye hug and I went and fetched my violin. I actually pulled it out and played some of Josh's songs! It was chilly out , but it was so fun. The fans loved it and Christian heard me! Macie actually yelled out to Christian and pointed me out to him. According to Macie, Christian stopped whatever conversation he was having and watche me for a sec and said something like "That is SO cool!" Everyone loved it. It was incredible. I hope josh heard me from the bus...surely he did, i was like RIGHT there. I played as passionately as I could! 

Tonight was definitely a milestone. I think I got some connections. Maybe I WILL be up there with him one day. I just gotta keep working at it! And obviously I can't stop practicing. Ever. 

Thank you Josh, Christian, and crew for a MEMORABLE night! It was LEGEN.... DARY!!!!