My wife and I run a small Early Music ensemble... its really nice to be able to do something at a high level together with your partner in life, and even better when you are both passionate about the work as well! So, many times blessed on that front...

... anyway, we both do still play a bit of modern Classical instruments in the symphony orchestra and around the place. Not our main thing, but we can still hold our own... even though the main Classical outlook on music is quite fundamentally different from our own, we are still capable musicians from a musical and technical point of view, enough to play chameleons when we need to. However, it is quite difficult to do as it often means playing and reading music in a manner that is quite different to what we want in our hearts to do!

Anyway, we were recently asked at short notice to put on a concert introducing Early Music instruments and repertoire for the symphony orchestra donors. And we generally are more than happy to help out around the city that is our home... but it is a strange sort of thing, as the symphony is definitely NOT Early Music... and it would be their donors that we are playing for!

Well, it is a sort of opportunity for us to show more people what we are capable of... and hopefully interest a few them to perhaps look into our concerts as well... except that I also know that a few of them are already regulars, and also our own donors and supporters!

So, this afternoon, my wife and I put together a quick programme of interesting music that the symphony would never think of programming (out of their area of music) from our back catalogue of recent concerts over the last few years. Things that we can easily bring up to speed in less than two weeks.

I will be travelling on tour for most of those two weeks, so we will just have a quick rehearsal the day before... then move the harpsichord into place, and then jump straight into it the next day for the donor's morning tea and concert.

It will be a bit of an informal affair, and they want us to stay and chat with the people afterwards... which is a bit of a dangerous affair due to the possible conflict of interests... in that we are there fronting for the symphony, for the symphony orchestra donors... but we are in reality, Early Music people... with our own seperate group and ensemble!

The people that have invited us are pretty casual about it... but I know that we should be upfront about what we can and can't talk about... rules of engagement with the donors. I mean, I would LOVE to talk about Early Music and our passion ensemble project... but that is sort of bad form and the wrong place!

But I did double check, and it was okay... but I was told to double check again with the donor liaison who would be at the actual event.

Of course, we wouldn't be blithely promoting ourselves and our ensemble... that would be HORRIBLE form! But it is easy to accidentally have things slip... especially when we don't play often with the symphony, and are almost completely involved in Early Music with our own and other groups!

So... got to be careful, and walk that fine line of talking about things that excite me... without overstepping... and also to promote the symphony orchestra as well to their own donors!

Eeeep... I think we will be most at ease when we are doing the concert and not have informal chats with the supporters!

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