Down to the Wire

After months of practice, my audition with the Wausau Symphony is less than 48 hours away. I'm feeling great about my progress, but not confident that it will have been enough. I never audition well, but I hope this will be an exception. I'm preparing myself mentally for failure, yet hoping for the best. I am finding potential ways to keep motivated if I do not get the chair. I think I will have to sign up for a municipal group or a flute choir if I don't make it - otherwise, it will be too easy to set it aside when life becomes busy in the fall, as it inevitably does. In Chicago, I strolled past the Chicago Symphony Hall and browsed in the Symphony Store, purchasing a tote bag for my flute and music that I'll use on Monday for good luck. In the past, I loved the Thursday night rehearsals, the music community, and the charged up feeling when the conductor raised his baton on performance night - the release at the after party, and the sense of belonging I once knew. I am almost afraid to admit how much I crave having it all again.