Right around Christmas 2009, I received a copy of the Mendelssohn violin concerto with my teacher’s bowings and fingers marked. What a wonderful Christmas present it was! It has always been a dream of mine that I get to perform a piece of that scope. Due to the fact that I may have to give up the violin at some point if I continue to have issues with pain, I wanted to get a jump start on that piece. My teacher agreed that the time was right. I have been working on the first three pages extensively, but made an effort to learn later pages at this point. I hope to be able to perform, at least for a masterclass, at some point in the summer when I attend the International Music Academy in Pilsen.

On a side note, I am glad I have finally memorized how to spell Mendelssohn.