So we had opening night, and I’m just home. It went, as far as I could tell, very, very well! I think, in fact, it was one of our smoothest openings. But maybe that’s just because I was content with my reed and, well, things do revolve around a reed … right?

Funny story, though:
The principal violist was struggling with the amount of space she had, so she suggested we try to reset things tomorrow. Well, it was just as easy to reset between the first and second acts. No prob! (We like happy and comfortable musicians, yes?) So I put my oboe on my chair and went to move a stair that was in front of me (which enables the flutist to go up to the next level so she can see Lucia when they play their “mad music”). Can you guess what happened next? I hope not! I hope I’m not so goofy that readers know what I did without my having to ‘fess up.

I sat on my oboe!

Now I didn’t sit down hard, and I’m sure I barely put any pressure on it, but of course one still worries. By the time I picked it up and put a reed in it I had to tune the orchestra, so I could barely check it out. I managed, too, to put the reed in the wrong direction so my first A just felt odd. I think the flutes thought I was just terribly nervous about the “big” (for this opera) oboe solo that comes up shortly into the second act. Not so! Who has time to be nervous when one is checking her oboe to be sure she didn’t bend keys. Heh.

Anyway, the solo went very well (if I’m allowed to say that), and I can tell no harm was done to the oboe. (I did have my second instrument with me tonight, so at least I could have pulled that out for the remainder of the opera if necessary, but I would have been quite ticked at myself if I ruined my solo!)

And now I’m home and so darn hungry and mad that I can’t eat this late at night. Ah well. Life!