Hi Guys!

Wow – it’s been awhile since I’ve logged on.  Way too long!  The last few months have been particularly chaotic for me because I’ve moved TWICE.  Yes, twice.  Thankfully, now I’m a little more settled and hopefully will be for a lot longer than a couple of months this time!  So, needless to say, time for updating and refreshing the website has been at a minimum.  Today I am working at uploading some photos from our release back in November.  And hopefully, in a couple of weeks I will have the album available for download through CD Baby, as well as right here on the site!

So, aside from moving TONS has been happening around here.  We played to a very packed Gate 403 earlier this month, and everyone was sounding fantastic.  If you were there, thanks a million for showing your support!  I’ve been making very close friends with my piano these days as I’m working towards my Grade 10 RCM exam in June.  Eep.  It’s coming along though, and short of another disaster (which better not me having to move again!!) I feel like I’ll be in good shape.  The pieces I’m working on are beautiful and I can only hope to do them justice myself!  My favourite right now is Debussy’s “La plus que lente” so if you have a minute definitely check out a version of that piece.

I also have a new teaching gig through Kaleidoscope Kids.  This is amazing organization that provides programs and day camps for kids in Toronto.  Currently, I’m in charge of the “Glee Club” which is a brilliant group of kids that get together once a week to sing all of their favourite songs.  We’ve been working on pop hits, old classics, and lots of musical theatre – especially “The Sound of Music”.  We also have a couple of jazz standards in the works, which I am super excited about.  I think we’re going to tackle “Fly Me to the Moon” first.  Anyway, if you have kids, or know of any who love to sing send them to: http://www.beakaleidoscopekid.com in order to find more information.  No musical background/talent necessary, all anyone needs to join is a love of singing!

So, as March Break is winding down (I am so lucky because I took a second week off after the official break), and the weather outside is more like July than March…I’m planning ahead and have lots of tricks up my sleeve!  I’ve always been known to bite off more than I can chew, but I promise, I have lots of big dreams/plans for the year ahead!  I hope you’re all able to spend some time out there catching up on your vitamin D requirements and are working a little less hard than I am!!  No complaints though – I always feel lucky that I can wake up each day going to a job I love and working in the arts.  There’s nothing better than spreading the love of music! <3

I’ll leave you guys with one of my favourite photos of the CD Release, and once again thank Ben Lariviere for capturing the night on film! http://www.benlariviere.com

I will update again VERY soon, check back for the album online shortly!

-Courtney

Last night was so fantastic, I couldn’t be happier with how the show went. First of all I must thank Dana Yehudaiff for her beautiful opening set! Definitely looking forward to hearing more from her in the future. Thanks to Chalkers for hosting us, and for having such a beautiful piano – I had a blast getting to know that piece of art! BIG thank you to Martin, Ken and Simon – you guys rock, as usual. Thanks to Ben Lariviere for capturing the night on film – I’ll be updating the website with tons of pictures once they’re all ready!

Most importantly, I have to thank everyone who came out to support live jazz. Working in jazz is a funny thing – you end up playing a lot of gigs in many different genres at many different venues and types of events. It’s definitely never boring, and it’s always a good time. However, a lot of the time I spend playing ends up in situations where music is the background instead of the main event. To play to a room full of people who were all paying attention and engaged in the music is very special. The energy of the audience feeds breath into the music, and it changes the entire experience for the performers. We were all honoured to have so many people out to support the band, and we really had a blast playing for you!

Stay tuned for photos and more exciting news. I will have the album up for sale online in a very short while too! We’re already planning ahead to play more in the months ahead – so check back in I will be updating my calendar with any upcoming performances.

Thanks again – and I hope you liked the show!

So I ran in the Toronto Half-Marathon on Sunday, no big deal.  …Actually, it was definitely a slightly big deal.  A big deal I wasn’t exactly prepared for!  Not that excuses are worth anything but with moving and the CD and everything that’s going on I slacked on my training during the months leading up to the race.  More specifically, I didn’t train, at all.   Unless a run every second week or so and a couple of pilates classes count.  I chose to run the race anyway – I guess I’m either delusional about my own fitness level or just a sucker for punishment – and it was harrrrrrrd!  (I know, what was I expecting, a walk in the park?)

Anyway, the nice thing, and the reason I wanted to recap my experience into words, is that it was easier than last year, albeit less training and preparation.  I attribute this fully to the attitude and mental state I was in the morning of the race.  I was thinking of it like this: although I felt less than well-prepared, 90% of things you encounter in life you end up feeling that way about anyway!  If you wait until you feel ready to do something it will simply not get done.  So, I figured I know my body and if I wanted a walking break I would take one, and I would focus less on my time than on just finishing in general.

So, that’s what I did.  I ran and ran, taking a walk break every 15 min or so.  I took two complete breaks where I left the course and took a stretch break (this was very crucial to my success!) and I just did my best.  Last year when I hit 17km or so I felt like my legs were going to literally fall off and this time I made it through to the end.  The final sprint, which I usually have a little gust of energy left for, was probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done because along with my legs, my lungs were feeling pretty angry at the same time.  But I did it.

It felt so good to accomplish one more of life’s little challenges, it felt like an impossible mountain to climb, and for what it’s worth it went by pretty quickly by, quite literally, just taking it one step at a time!  I feel like if we could all approach our personal and work lives with the same attitude and mentality the world would be a very different place.   In the end my time was only 4 minutes slower than last year.  It’s not a time I’m proud of, but let’s just say I did it in less than 3 hours.  And of course, I will finish off by saying the same thing I do every time I run one of these things, next time I’ll do it right, train harder (or, ahem, at all), and blow my own personal best out of the water!  But I guess we’ll just have to wait until next time to find out…

The month of September has always felt like the beginning of a new year for me. This is probably because I have been in school for as long as I can remember. This year, however, is the first year I’m not diving back into the world of academia. Although I have always liked school, I can’t say I’ll miss the late nights and mounds of assignments always around every corner! Still, this September feels like a brand new year. I just moved into a new apartment, I’m teaching a whole bunch more, and most importantly I just finished my very first album, “I Hear Colours”. Even though I’m not going back to school, this Fall still feels as chaotic and crazy as ever!

Having extra time because I’m not at York means I’ve been able to take on some brand new students. I’m also still teaching music classes at Rainbow Songs, which I love, and it’s great being able to focus way more of my energy into work rather than spending late nights on campus at the library! Of course, I’m starting to get excited for my CD Release concert, which is set for November 6th, 2011 at Chalker’s Pub. The show is at 7pm and will be featuring a special opening set by guest vocalist Dana Yehudaiff. With my new album, I decided it was time to refresh the website, and I had it redesigned to match the album artwork. Simon Dennis created the album cover, and he’s also the drummer in the band. Annie Tung is responsible for getting this site up and running.

This is where you’ll find personal updates by me, and I’ll be posting about upcoming gigs, shows I’m checking out, albums I’m into and life in general. Hope you have fun browsing around, and don’t hesitate to drop me an e-mail if you have any questions!

Hope you’re having a cozy fall!