During July 22-23, 2018, I played timpani with the University of Illinois Bands Sesquicentennial Concert, on the Great Hall stage at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. It was a reunion band to celebrate 150 years of bands at the University of Illinois.
Timpani has been a huge part of my musical life and the thing I was best at for a long time. Playing came back quickly, but my rest-counting skills were a little rusty! In any case, it was very rewarding to put together an hour of music in 24 hours, and though I hadn't played this instrument in years, I've continued to grow as a musician, and that felt evident, and I think it sounded that way.
This school and hall was so important to me in my training as a musician and audio engineer. I rehearsed and performed there for hundreds of hours, and the same is true working as a recording engineer there during grad school. It was a wonderful homecoming.
Photo credit: Craig Pessman @cpessman www.craigpessman.com
