Putting on a recital is a ton of work. In all honesty, I didn't realize how much work it was going to be. I thought it would be easy-peasy. Little did I know that it would be a huge undertaking...

First, you have to pick repertoire. This is one of the most fun parts of having a recital. You get to pick the music you want to play! I had a huge say in what I was going to be playing, and I'm so glad I did. I got to work on pieces I've wanted to work on for a long time, and it was actually fun working on those pieces. I truly enjoyed them and didn't dread practicing them every day.

Second, you have to work on that repertoire. Getting together with an accompanist, working on all the technical spots, and figuring out all of the phrasing are only some of the things you can do when you work on repertoire. One of the hardest parts of this is working with an accompanist. Sometimes, on your own, things make a lot of sense, but putting it together can be hard. I luckily had a great and patient accompanist who worked with me until the very end.

Third, you have a hearing. At Fredonia, we have hearings. This is to make sure that you have been working on your recital rep and that you are going to be prepared to put on the recital. I was really nervous for my hearing, but it was really no big deal. It was maybe 20 minutes and was very relaxed.

Next, you can do a few things. Make your posters, work on programs and program notes, and continue working on your rep. I personally had a friend of mine take fantastic pictures of me to make posters with. I loved my photos - they're the only professional photos I have of myself - and made fantastic posters out of them. I also worked on my program and program notes. My program notes were quite an undertaking, but they turned out interesting and informative. My program was very meticulously put together - I spent at least a minute folding each one to make sure they were even. I wrote thank yous on the back and had them all folded and ready to go about a week before my recital.

Credit to Erik Rasmussen for this beautiful photo.

THEN - the recital. The big day. When my recital day rolled around, I felt pretty indifferent about it. I wasn't nervous or excited. I think I was trying to make sure I didn't freak out. People kept asking me how I felt and I told them I was excited - even though I wasn't sure how I was feeling. I didn't feel nervous until I walked out onto the stage of Rosch and bowed before my first piece. That was when I felt nervous. I played the first piece, then the second, then the third...and soon it was over.

An hour later, all of the hard work I had put in the past few months was done and gone. It went extremely well and I'm so proud of myself. It was a huge undertaking, especially after having my appendix taken out, and I was nervous that it wouldn't be that great. Little did I know that it would be an amazing experience. I've grown so much as a musician because of this - and I'm so happy with how it turned out.