Irving M. Klein International String Competition

I was recently interviewed by Edna Landau, founding Director of IMG management and a consultant for career development at The Colburn School, for her Musical America article entitled "Choosing the Best Competition for YOU". My experience has been very meaningful and educational, as well as something I've wanted to share for awhile now.

Two years ago, I won my first notable competition. The Irving M. Klein International String Competition was initially a personal test to see if I could apply my improvements on the violin to a set of repertoire, prepare it to the highest level possible, and perform to the best of my abilities. Little did I know that my experience of preparing for and participating in the competition would be one of the single-most important periods in my development thus far as a violinist.

After passing the initial recording elimination, I was determined to be as prepared as possible for the competition. In a situation where so much is out of your control, it's best to leave as little to chance as possible. My teacher, Robert Lipsett, was instrumental in guiding me on how to balance my practicing, performing as close to the competition date as possible, rehearsing with piano, instrument maintenance prior to the competition, and planning clothing, food, and transportation details as thoroughly as possible. With still a month to go before the competition, I stayed in Los Angeles for an extra week after the end of the semester for daily lessons with Mr. Lipsett. I will always be grateful for his guidance and dedication.

Upon arriving at the competition, I was continuously amazed at how supportive the directors, staff, and collaborative pianists were. Never once was there a feeling of cut-throat competition or unnecessary pressure. Everyone at the competition wanted the best for each of the participants, something that was evidently clear and reassuring to us as semi-finalists. Not at all the experience I expected after hearing some of my colleagues' competition stories!

I can honestly say that I did not expect to win. Not because I didn't play my best, as I was actually blessed with the beautiful result of preparation meeting opportunity, but because there were other semi-finalists that were seasoned with much more competition experience than I. Before we knew the results, I was simply happy to know that I had accomplished the goal set forth for myself. Hearing my name announced for first place, seeing my father literally cry for joy, and the amazing performance opportunities that ensued? That, in a word, was surreal.

After the awards ceremony with my elated parents 

A big congratulations to the 2012 winner of the Irving M. Klein competition, cellist and fellow PMPer Austin Huntington! For more information on the competition, please visit their website.

Until next time,
Francesca

Some Updates

Please head on over to my website for new videos, pictures, and concert information, as well as an updated biography! The videos include my Colburn Chamber Music Society performance of Haydn Piano Trio in C Major, HOB XV: 27 with Robert Levin and Se-Doo Park. Watch the first movement below and be sure to check out the rest on my videos page!

Until next time,

Francesca

Charlie

Meet Charlie, the youngest of three cats in the dePasquale household. We hold each of our cats in very high regard here, celebrating (and sometimes momentarily denouncing) their quirky behavior. My brothers and I joke that our parents subconsciously replaced us with felines after our respective departures from the nest--Charlie is the baby girl to her two older brothers, Cocoa and Bruno.

Shortly after beginning my freshman year at Colburn, my brother sent me at text informing me that his friend had found a stray cat and that he was planning on bringing her over to the house. I was skeptical that my parents would go for a third cat...

...but she looked like this, so they were pretty smitten. I'm not sure if my mother put up an argument to adding a third, furry friend to the family. If she did, any arguments were surely squashed the minute Charlie climbed into my father's lap and did this:

Not nearly old enough to be separated from her mother, Charlie needed to be bottle-fed and took to sucking on my father's finger as a nursing substitute. Think of it as the cutest, feline equivalent to the toddler's thumb-suck, ever. Charlie instantly bonded with my father, napping on his lap every single day.

I mean, how do you say "no thanks" to that? Charlie isn't all hugs and kisses all the time, though. In fact, when my parents were struggling to come up with a name for her, I suggested the name "Charlie" for its tomboy-ish, mischievous charm.

I mean, "Alice" or "Snowball" or something just doesn't cut it when your girl is this spunky. Since I only saw Charlie during short visits home throughout the last four years, she and I have just only really gotten to know each other well. She loved my father so much and, in the last few weeks, has taken to me seemingly as a surrogate. As our other cat, Bruno (picture above, getting his face clawed off by Charlie), has always been "my" guy, this has spurned a bit of a rivalry between the two of them.

I love how Charlie is the sweetest little girl...who also chomps on her dry cereal so loudly, you can hear it from the other room. Not to mention the fact that she likes to pick up the individual pieces, drop them in her water bowl, and play with them like they're submarine bath-toys. Like I said, these cats are a quirky bunch.

Introductions to the other two coming soon!

Until next time,

Francesca