12/9/06
Christmas Family Concert
The whole family was invited to play for an evening Christmas concert service 2 hours south. We included a percussion part for Tristan, age 4 (who plans to play the English Horn but is still a little too small!) in one piece to make it a family affair. Autumn first played Away in the Manger, hesitant in spots but no mistakes; then she and mom played Gymnopedie, which went perfectly. Then the entire family performed Manheim Steamroller's version of Silent Night, which we'd planned to do a year previous until Autumn broke her arm. Mom and dad traded the melody back and forth on flute and horn, with Autumn interjecting some glissandos, harmony notes and melody moments. And Tristan played the rainstick - getting his cues from mom or dad. It was a thrill to perform as a family and the kids were especially proud to have performed together. We loved it.

7/22/06
Big Performance
Today Autumn played Satie's Gymnopedie as a flute/harp duet with mom for an audience of over 8000 people plus live satellite feed! She was nervous beforehand but calm and relaxed on stage. She played flawlessly, which left mom nearly in tears with proud feelings, which of course made it hard for mom to concentrate on her own playing! Everything went wonderfully.

Spring 2006
Health Break
Autumn's harp playing has gone on the back burner for awhile. Once she'd recovered from her broken arm, she had to have surgery to remove a cyst over her eyebrow. She's also been diagnosed with severe amblyopia, which means that one eye (her right) is so nearsighted that her brain has turned off communication with it. We have been having to patch her good eye 8 hours a day to force her brain to use her bad eye. It's been tough but the treatment is slowly working.

12/19/05
Autumn broke her arm today falling off a chair. Luckily it was not a terrible break and the doctors expect her to only be in a cast for three weeks. She's especially disappointed because she was supposed to perform on Christmas Eve. She was going to play a duet with a guitar and we were also going to perform Mannheim Steamroller's "Stille Nacht" as a family. :(

9/7/05
First Audition Experience
Autumn auditioned tonight for the Fresno Little Symphony. She was quite nervous and had to restart one section of her piece but she made it! She is very excited to be able to play with an orchestra. Mom and Dad will be arranging a harp part for her from the piano and/or violin parts of the pieces the orchestra will be playing.

8/6/05
Special Music for Church
Today was Autumn's first time to perform a piece that included chords and both hands. It went very well. She played Amazing Grace- first just the simple melody in one hand, then again with melody plus chords (thirds and fourths) in the other hand. She had a false start with an extra note but it didn't throw her at all- she just dampened her strings and started again, playing smoothly the rest of the way. We're so proud of her! Those chords are difficult to remember because they change depending on the musical line. Again, immediately after her performance everyone was asking when she will be playing again. A few people even told us they only made it to church today because they knew she was playing! She is loving this attention! Also again, she was very fidgety before and after the performance but fully concentrated and sitting still to actually perform.

6/16/05
Great-Grandpa's Funeral
Autumn's performance of Amazing Grace at her Great-Grandpa's funeral was very special. Although it was a very sad event, Autumn understood what the occasion was and was touched to be able to perform a farewell piece for her Grampa. She hasn't played this piece for very long and did forget the music for a moment halfway through the piece but she improvised a bit until she remembered and then picked up where she'd left off.

5/7/05
Mother's Day Performance
Autumn played three songs (Mary Had a Little Lamb, Away in the Manger and Jesus Loves Me) to a packed restaurant hall today (200 people). She played perfectly, was a huge hit and loved it all. What mom marveled at was how Autumn was antsy and fidgety during the lunch, unable to sit still and dancing in circles. But when it came time to play, she was completely focused and not distracted even by babies crying. She was completely concentrated on her performance and played at a steady tempo. Then as soon as she was done, back to the fidgeting and flightiness.

4/26/05
Easter
Today Autumn performed Jesus Loves Me for Easter service at church. The performance went very well. Another successful event that left her wanting to perform even more. She has also perfected her curtsy, which she is very proud of, and she left tears in many eyes when she finished playing and curtsied. She is a huge hit - let's just hope she can remain levelheaded through all the praise!

12/25/04
First Performance Report
Autumn's first public performance, to a well packed church on Christmas morning, went extremely well. Mom and dad were nervous but not Autumn! When she went up on stage and dad carried her harp up, everyone was whispering "No way! She's not going to play that!" She launched straight into Away In the Manger (before dad could even get all the way off stage) and sailed easily through the entire piece. She did re-play the last two notes of her final glissando because she didn't like how they'd first sounded, but that just wound up making for a cute finale anyway. The entire congregation hushed completely while she was playing and everyone was riveted. The applause was hearty and several people even stood up. Autumn just bowed as though it was an everyday occurrence for her. When the service was over, after all the congratulations and thank-you's, Autumn and harp went back on stage so mom could take some pictures. Several people rushed back in and begged for an encore, which Autumn was only too happy to oblige. She is a born performer and already looking for her next venue.