Clearly neither Julius Caesar nor Pope Gregory XIII ever had to start school in the fall, lest they would have opted for the calendar year to begin Sept. 1 rather than January 1. To celebrate the new year in January always feels a little insincere as nothing is actually new. Just a return to the same old post holiday season.
Surely I'm not the only person who feels eternally tied to the academic year. It's hard to ignore the sense of newness that comes with the cooling fall weather. New students, new classes, new concert series, new TV show seasons, new football season, new fall drinks at coffee shops! New goals to occupy the 10 months until the return of summer (the season that is too hot to be productive!). No more vacations- back to work, out of the hammock, nose to the grind! And of course, reflections of the last year and revisions for the next.
This last year was a flurry for me, not so much for this blog. Leaving NYC last summer was both traumatic and relieving. Rome was... amazing. Leaving Rome was heartbreaking. Winter in DC was frustrating, but returning to NYC in the spring was, well, like coming home. Gaining perspective is so ridiculously necessary, especially when you live in a place like NYC.
It's never been more clear to me now that NYC is where I belong. It doesn't capture my heart quite like Rome does, but it is where my heart belongs. And so I approach this new year with great enthusiasm! I'll be returning to the classroom, which is something I've been needing since my departure a few years back. (speaking of perspective- nothing like working with kids to gain that!)
I'm also very excited to be launching a new Bottomless Cup Music site! So while this entry is about beginnings, it is also a goodbye to this blog. Time for the next chapter for BCM, one that trades in my Carrie Bradshaw-like posts for resources and discussion that focus more on the readers than my inner thoughts. The site is not quite ready, but as soon as it is, this blog will see its final post announcing the new BCM!
This past year has done a number on me personally which is to say musically and therefore compositionally. No need to dig into this now, but I see this next year dissolving or rather morphing the BCJO into something better and more refined. I also have my sights (and sounds) focused on a secondary ensemble, but again… no spoilers!
With promises of more to come, I wish everyone out there a Happy New Year! Here's to music, coffee, family & friends, and productivity!
