Leavin' on a jet plane

I can't really believe it's time to fly back to reality!
I’m sat in Calgary airport after an epic 1hour check-in experience... moral of the tale: always expect plenty of fun, games, and confused complexions when travelling with cello!

The last few days in Banff have been just as wonderful as all of the others! There was definitely no shortage of gigs, with a bumper set at The Club on Thursday and another super fun jam with Justine last night back in The Bear's Den Inn.

Back to Thursday… (cue blurred vision and wibbly-wobbly harp glissandi)

Kind of spontaneously (the theme of the residency for me perhaps!?), I ended up playing my cello with three different singer/songwriters in the last Club session of the residency, which made for an intense (for the adaptive ability of my ears!) but really fun evening. Nancy and I had already rehearsed about 4 of her songs, which are really individual and full of personality - just like Nancy herself! We had a couple of ‘hut sessions’ on these, so I knew the songs fairly well and felt confident that I knew the chord changes and the vibe of each song etc. On Wednesday night, the two faculty members for this week, renowned singer/songwriters Sam Baker from Texas and Mary Gauthier from Nashville, asked if I would play for their sets at The Club too, so after having a quick listen to the tracks that night and having brief sound checks on Thurs afternoon, it was time to give it a go for real! Both Sam and Mary are incredible at telling very real stories through their songs, so they have the ability to capture the room and draw the audience in, which was pretty cool to witness. The show went really well, and the singer/songwriter sets were divided up by a beautiful, spellbinding performance from Alex, who played Christopher Cerrone’s Hoyt-Schermerhorn for piano and live electronics. If you don’t know it, check it out – really effective piece, which was played wonderfully by Alex. Back in the greenroom before the show began, Sam and Mary asked if I might like to play with them both at a festival in Glasgow, and perhaps a show or two in London – very exciting and I was flattered to be asked! After the Club show, we all retired to Maclab for drinkies and chats (and maybe a bowl of those sweet potato fries – impossible to resist and definitely one of your 5-a-day..?) I also have to mention Nancy’s side-splitting jokes, which proved to us all that a couple of hours of consistent laughter makes you feel FABULOUS! Thanks Nancy!


Weirdly, I’m finishing this blog entry in one of Manchester’s many Café Neros after a night of serious sleeping in London and more cello carrying and sitting still on public transport… I’m tired, disorientated, and kind of spaced out (!), but still incredibly energised by my adventure!
(More harp sounds…)

On Friday I had a yummy Maclab breakfast in the cracking company of Ernesto and Camilo - who seem to have adopted each other as father and son during the course of the residency! I also cleared out my hut, which felt like leaving home, and I then took a last amble down into Banff, where I explored a bit more and found further beautiful sitting spots to rival all of the other beautiful sitting spots I had already discovered! It was only a couple of days after I’d seen Bow River beginning to defrost, and now I could now hear it flowing fast and making impressive noises… so being a bit of a nature-lover and typical tourist, I took a video.
In the afternoon, Dory and Manuel gave us a really impressive recital of the contemporary vocal/piano works they had been preparing. Wow! Dory even did some epic body/mouth percussion, whilst Manuel found amazing sounds in/on the piano that I had never heard before (all during a 30-minute marathon of a piece written for them both by Lachenmann) – it was another memorable performance!

On Friday evening, Justine and I were able to reunite and we had another really fun jam at The Bear’s Den Inn in Banff! It was so lovely to play together again, and to work our way through some cool covers, as well as a few of Justine’s own beautiful songs. The people at the bar looked after us really well, with yummy food and a constant flow of wine! The two of us went back to Maclab afterwards for some celebratory drinks, as well as some not-so-celebratory goodbyes!

Saturday morning really was the end of the Banff adventure, with a final farewell breakfast for those of us left, and plenty of ‘last looks’ at the breathtaking views. It felt very difficult to say goodbye to the wonderful people who have now become real friends – I would happily spend another 3 weeks/months with them all/I’m hoping we’re all just going gather in Banff at the same time every year… please!?

I simply can’t finish this entry without mentioning Jeff’s bouncy chair. Jeff was the lovely driver of my shuttle bus to Calgary airport on Saturday, and he was very much enjoying the springiest truck driver’s chair I’ve ever seen – perhaps I was over-emotional/tired/not quite functioning properly, but I it was very funny to see his happy face bobbing up and down in the mirror every time we hit a dip in the road (I was alarmingly tempted to video this, but thought better of it/couldn’t achieve it with enough subtlety)!

As well as leaving me with some really special memories of wonderful experiences, new friendships and collaborations, my residency has taught me a lot and has given me a great deal to think about, explore and perhaps change… in terms of music, performance, composition, cello-playing, life, different attitudes and approaches to all of these things, my own ambitions, the significance of place etc, my new-found yoga hobby, a healthy respect for the Canadian cougar (the animal variety!)… I could go on!

If you’ve read this and you are even slightly tempted to spend some time at the Banff Centre – I’d 100% say: “take the plunge and do it!”
P x

Fond Farewells and Wrong Note Night

Today I'm blogging from the Banff branch of Starbucks... a bit like visiting an old friend! When Ella and I embarked on our American backpacking adventure a few years ago, we could always rely on the free wifi in the Starbucks that would inevitably sit in the heart of every town... sad but true! On the walk down to town (down to downtown!) today I discovered a breathtaking viewpoint from a bridge (will try to convey the gorgeousness in pictures later..!) just before town where, as well as the snow-topped mountains, I could see the frozen Bow River beginning to defrost and come back to life.  It sounds amazing! The weather here has apparently been strangely warm this month, so much of the snow is disappearing now... and I have several pairs of unworn thermals, which is a sure sign that we have yet to experience below about -7 ish (TMI?)

On Sunday morning it was time for more farewells, but also an excuse for a leisurely breakfast in Maclab (my first pancakes of this visit... too good!) The sun was absolutely stunning on this morning, which looked incredible over the mountains surrounding the centre. I also spent some productive hours in my hut on Sunday, and finished recording and mastering a track - my first track using the PROPER equipment..! Phew! In the afternoon, I found my most favourite sitting spot yet, which boasts pretty much panoramic mountain views and absolute silence (almost!), which is quite something!

A little aside - I have just heard someone order an "extra hot flat white" - ouch! (and why!?) On the plus side, there is some seriously smooth jazz wafting through these speakers...

At dinner on Sunday, I met the Swedish cellist who played in a beautiful performance called "Re-inventing Bach", in which he played excerpts of the cello suites, whilst an incredible Canadian dancer performed alongside him - I don't think I wrote about it when it happened, but it was really different, creative and emotive. It was interesting to chat to him - also it turns out he is another cellist who has spent time studying at RNCM! He then came along and played with a few of us at Kate's Baroque Party! This was a lovely, informal few hours of reading through all sorts of music in Katelyn's studio.. but, to my relief, as soon as things began to turn a little more serious, we all decided it would be better to go for a drink or two! Phew! ('phew' count = 2)

Monday was our last Roundtable in Bentley... it was really sad to be sitting in a drastically smaller circle than in previous weeks! We had to remove chairs :( There are no new musicians in residence this week, but there are two new faculty members, who are both singer/songwriters from America. There are fewer performances and general events happening this week, which has worked out fairly well for me, as it is meaning many more hours of hut time to work on some music. But I'm realising even more how much I was enjoying seeing and hearing everyone else's projects, and how much this was keeping me motivated and extra-inspired. After the roundtable meeting, I visited Nancy's hut for some collaboration on a few of her songs, which are super cool and full of personality! We're performing these in The Club on Thursday night. I then returned to my new favourite place - the yoga studio - for some much needed stretching. Something I hadn't quite envisioned was the shocking announcement: "Today we will work on our headstands".. oh! Needless to say, my headstand consisted of resting my head on the mat and imagining with the best of my imaginative powers the next part, i.e. legs in the air... I probably looked like I was having a bit of a meltdown.. in fact it was quite relaxing! Pretend headstands aside, the class was great, and with no Justin Bieber interruptions and just Bon Iver on the speakers, it was very therapeutic. I then began a new track in the afternoon, which I have been working on today as well.

Yesterday evening, Manuel and Dory hosted 'Wrong Note Night', which was the biggest hoot. Actually quite literally, as we ended up singing Bach Chorales and Monteverdi madrigals! I whacked out my beefiest tenor notes, and four of us girls even considered marketing ourselves as "The Madri-gals"... yeah! The pianists did some really lovely Mozart, and Cathy and Dory joined for Shepherd on the Rock, which was simply too good for wrong note night! Ernesto even showed off his best nose-recorder playing... impressive stuff, and we tried a recorder/cello duo. We were jamming until the early hours, so this morning was a slow start, but after a morning Earl Grey and Lavender tea and chats with Alex, order was soon restored..!

Here are some pics to keep you in the loop.
Hope everyone's having a flipping fantastic (punny) pancake evening back home!

P x

Road Trippin'

Having a mellow Jono McCleery kind of morning in my hut today, nursing my sore feet after some serious shape-throwing at D.J. A. Ball's killer dance party last night... so many funky favourites I forgot I knew!

On Thursday I ventured outside of the Banff bubble to play a set with Justine at a very cool venue in Calgary (about 2 hours away) called the Ironwood. It felt strange to drive back on the same route to Calgary airport that I travelled a couple of weeks ago to arrive at the Centre for the first time! Amazing to see the drive in the daylight though - some incredible mountain views, towering trees and frozen rivers, all complimented by regular housekeeping announcements and time updates every ten minutes of so from a very friendly shuttle driver..! After meeting Justine at the airport, we travelled to the Ironwood, which is one of the best live music venues in Calgary! It was quite a large pub/bar with wooden floors, a nice stage, and pictures of some familiar musical faces on the walls. It had a really cool vibe about it, so it was exciting to be performing there. We were supporting the band Joe Nolan and The Dogs, who have formed relatively recently, but sound like they've been playing together since birth..! They were really tight and had written some awesome songs, and were also very down-to-earth, friendly guys. After some sound checking and a tasty salad (a token attempt to reverse the Banff buffet body...), Justine and I were on! We played about 8 songs - all Justine's own writing, apart from a cover of MJ's I Want You Back (got that bass line!) - and had a lot of fun... definitely fresh for me, and another test for my ever-adapting ears! It was then really great to be able to sit back with a drink and enjoy the band's set, and with the venue filling up, the atmosphere was super happy.

After the show, I ended up chatting to some of Justine's friends/fellow Calgary musicians and other friendly punters. Among others, I met a lady who has a passion for dance, an established country singer/writer and an army bassist! I'm still loving how easy it is to strike up really cool conversations with complete strangers here in Canada - which is something that seems so much more alien/challenging back in the UK. Everyone is very open, generous... and fun!
It was time to make the drive back on the highway to Banff, which included a delicious donut initiation for me (thank you Justine!) and some cracking convos.

Friday - another day in Banff, another gig! It was the last Rolston concert, so I spent some of the day sound checking for Paul's wicked jazz pieces and the group piece (Piece of Sky), and the rest of the day in my hut. As of Friday morning, I have finally figured out what I'm doing in terms of my solo project..! I'm now using an audio interface and my DPA microphone to record much better sound-quality tracks. So for the remainder of my time here I'm hoping to re-record some of my previously written music, and record the new tracks that I've written whilst in Banff. I have learnt such a lot about the tech I'm using and that I need/want to use in the future - which is fab! I also now know what I need to do to get these tracks to a live-performance stage, which I can practise at home and begin gigging! The Rolston concert was a hefty programme of largely contemporary music - it was interesting to hear lots of music I'd never come across before. There was a fabulous piece written by a Venezuelan composer for a voice/piano duo here, called Franz Liszt, and it used just the letters/sounds of that name in the vocal writing!

Sadly there are quite a few people coming to the end of their residencies and leaving this weekend, which seems so soon and just as we're all really getting to know one another... but I reckon a few of us will bump into each other somewhere down the line, as is often the way with musicians!? I feel like I want to collaborate with everyone all over again and that there's so much more to learn from the guys here! I'm really grateful to have one more week in which I hope to write/record some cello tracks that I'll be happy to take home!

Today, as well as catching up on some zzzzzs, I'm looking forward to seeing the Flute/Harp duo's recital, and then getting my Baroque bass lines on with Kate and Ernesto as part of his showing this evening! "Variety really is the spice of life" - learning that fast!

Happy Weekend!
P x

(Pics to follow, don't panic Dad!)

Banana & Blueberry Bagels etc

^^ That tastes as good as it feels to say!

Monday Roundtable came round scarily quickly, marking 1 week of my residency here! There have been a few people leave over the weekend, as well as a few new musicians joining the jam, so it was super cool to hear about their projects and to hear how others are getting on. I spent some time working on the new tracks I've been writing/recording before having a really interesting chat/lesson with the new visiting artist, cellist Simon Fryer. It was great to pick his brains on starting out as a freelancer after college, as well as how to keep the cellist in me in good shape..! As a result of this, I am now on day 2 of a very satisfying cello 'exercise regime', which takes about an hour and tackles one key a day - I can already tell it's going to become kind of addictive! I'm very grateful for this pointer though, as I have been feeling a mild panic about losing the cello muscles/skills/abilities that I've spent a long time building up, now that I'm not immersed in the music college bubble/having lessons etc.

Later that afternoon, we had a small workshop, exploring a work called "A Piece of Sky", which can work for any size ensemble and combination of instruments/voices... and it's formed of about 8 different musical cells, each of the same duration. On our second try, I thought it sounded very effective - and we'll maybe perform this in Friday's Rolston concert.
On Monday evening, it was our chance to hear Artemis' research on Nationalism/the origins of Greek Music and many other super interesting aspects of the chapter she is writing - it was again really cool for us all to hear what each other have been working on. Monday night also heard an exchange of 'bedtime stories' in room 2413, in which Alex and I exchanged accents whilst reading whatever we could find - we're nearly there with a convincing Parent Trap-style swap..!

Tuesday was a quieter day, as there wasn't much scheduled in the music department, which meant some quality hut time. I also skipped back into the lunchtime yoga studio for a 'third time lucky' attempt at my new favourite/most painful sport! There was yet another instructor this time, but she was also really good - although I'm not sure I can forgive the playing of Justin Bieber on the speakers during a particularly peaceful pose of a child (she did apologise to us all for the rude interruption!) The instructor this time seemed to enjoy prodding me at the hips whilst I balanced precariously on one leg, which almost saw my new-found yoga career come crashing down - literally! I came away feeling amazing again, and with a renewed focus for the afternoon (and jelly-legs!).

I decided to amble down into Banff for a couple of hours in the afternoon, which also meant my first face-hurty (technical term) experience of the cold here - and it's apparently still quite mild for the Winter in Banff, but I can feel it getting colder. I also did my best Bambi on ice impression on the way down, but luckily I think only the squirrels witnessed this embarrassment... I had a mooch around some of the shops and a good explore in the supermarket (I think other countries' food shops are too interesting! Dad - you'd love it!). Once back on campus, I had some more hut time, some yummy dins (I'm still finding the naughty desserts a novelty!), before this week's Bentley Circle. Just before it started, I had a good chat with one of the new musicians, a singer/songwriter called Nancy and the next thing we knew, we were playing one of her songs together for everyone - another good aural test for me! I think we'll do some more collaborating next week. I also played in Paul's jazz composition, and listened to all the other really varied and wonderful offerings. There was a beautiful flute/harp duo playing Debussy, some sparkly Scarlatti on piano, as well as awesome Bach fugues and a South American influenced piano work - so much variety!! It was definitely time for some chats/wine in Maclab before bed.

Today's another fairly independent day - so a chance to sit at the piano and get creative...
P x