Happy 2016 to all!

Posted on January 2, 2016

Wow! Can’t believe we are already in 2016! The fall in NY has flown by.. I didn’t write much here because I was overwhelmed with all the jobs, gigs, concerts…even ushering on Broadway! I said yes to everything that came my way, some things turned out great, some less.. but yeah it’s been scary, crazy and amazing.

To illustrate a bit more, here is the list of jobs I do part time at the moment:
-teach kids piano through The Piano School of NY. one on one and class. And when I say kids, I mean kids – the youngest is 3 year old!
-teach voice lessons in my private studio
-sound and video technician at International House where I still live
-resident assistant at International House too
-Croatian church – choir conducting, accompanying.. musical director & organist (!!), I guess that’s what it’s called
-ushering
-running a sing along at Seniors Center (which is wonderful except if you start the set with Sinatra’s My Way..check the lyrics)
-volunteering at Chhandayan which is Indian Classical Music centre

Apart from that, the concerts and projects and most of all the people I was able to make music with is purely amazing:
– still a part of Indian Ensemble at Manhattan School – thanks to Samir Chatterjee for this opportunity
– Rosa Vocal Ensemble – traditional female Serbian music
– Asaran Trio with a native Brazilian Anne Boccato and Hungarian Artemisz Polonyi
– Artemis of Asaran Trio made a world music and improvising vocal choir
– got to sing Polish carols too in a trio started by Joanna Misz… I still can’t spell her last name
– croatian music, solo and with Lana
– Klazz-ma-tazz guest singer – a mixture of klezmer, jazz and Balkan music
– duo with Billy Test (piano)
– duo with Mat Muntz (double bass)
– sing background for Anne Boccato Grupo
– became a part of Continentals – the band formed of International House residents
– solo live electronic stuff….
… but the most exciting one was playing with my band my music at Gramercy Theatre! I am beyond excited to share the stage with Billy, Mat, and a very very special guest Rogerio Boccato, together with his daughter Anne and my MSM girl Ruby Choi. I will have some recordings from that on youtube, but omg that was something!!!!

So now that I did a small (yeah right) retrospective, I guess it’s time to look into the future!

I wish you all the best, lovely people, let the new year be even better than the last one!

Love
Astrid