...in loving memory: Save the Date!

​For the next several weeks, I will be posting regular updates to my website to document my progress and preparations for my March 22nd benefit concert.  Although a solo recital at its roots, this event will thrive on its unique musical collaborations.  This event is essentially a 2nd senior recital and will be my final featured performance at the University of Arizona before I graduate this spring.
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​So...if you haven't already, please save the date:

Trevor Barroero Presents:
...in loving memory 
A Benefit Concert for the Alzheimer's Association

Wednesday, March 22, 2017
7:30PM in Crowder Hall
University of Arizona Fred Fox School of Music

(Presented in loving memory of Claudette Estelle Maddox and Mark Barroero)

Why the Alzheimer's Association?

My grandmother, Claudette Estelle Maddox, passed away five years ago after a long and difficult struggle with Alzheimer’s disease.  She lived with my family throughout my entire childhood and acted as a third guardian for my sister and me.  When my father died, she worked tirelessly to help my mother take care of us.  From cooking meals, to picking us up from school, to driving us all around town for our various dance, karate, drama, and music lessons, she was one of my biggest supporters.

In the early morning of April 15, 2012, we received the dreaded phone call informing us that my grandmother had passed away in her assisted care home.  That same evening, I was scheduled to perform a marimba transcription of Saint Saens’ Introduction and Rondo Capriciosso with the Tucson Philharmonia Youth Orchestra.  Rather than cancel the performance, I decided to take the stage that evening and use the performance as a dedication and celebration of my grandmother’s life. 

Music was, and always will be, a source of healing for me.  As a passionate and collaborative art form, music can thrive when words fail.  It is the tool with which musicians can heal, empower, and communicate with others.  For my recital on March 22nd, I have been working hard to find repertoire that will wrestle with the realities of grief while still highlighting the beauty of life and its fragility.  

My Previous Fundraising Efforts

​On June 20, 2012, shortly after graduating high school, I participated in the Alzheimer’s Association’s Longest Day fundraising event.  From sunrise to sunset, my team, “The Memory Musicians,” walked 16 miles from Oro Valley to Reid Park, performing concerts at multiple parks along our way.

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The event received coverage in local media outlets and we were able to raise $1,250 in donations for the Alzheimer’s Association.  Now, five years later, as I prepare to graduate from the University of Arizona, I see this recital as the perfect opportunity to once again raise awareness about Alzheimer's and raise funds to assist in the search for a cure.  ​

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Initial Progress...

​The venue is booked, the musicians are confirmed for March 22nd, and all the sheet music has arrived.  The easiest logistical preparations are complete.  These next six weeks, however, will test my time-management skills and my stamina.
 
In addition to learning over 50 minutes of new music, including the world premiere of a new work for solo percussion, I will also be teaching myself how to play a new instrument (more about this in next week’s post!).  With over 11 different musicians performing on my recital, I am juggling multiple individuals' schedules as I find common times to host group rehearsals.  Airfare has been booked for my collaborators traveling from outside of Arizona and I have sent introductory emails to the organizations I hope to get involved in the project.

I have found the most difficulty in realistically analyzing my timeline and making decisions to completely delete certain items from my agenda.  For example, I had planned to personally compose three brand new musical compositions for the recital.  Having never composed and premiered my own piece, however, I have accepted the fact that I may not complete all three before March 22nd.  Over the past week I have been making constant changes and adjustments to my original plan for the fundraising aspect of the event as I attempt to simplify my avenues for raising funds. 
 
Flying out of the state nearly every weekend these past few weeks for graduate school auditions has been difficult, especially when none of my audition repertoire overlaps with the repertoire for my recital.  The simultaneous projects and overlapping deadlines have actually made me more organized, however, and I have discovered new tools for managing my preparations.  I will share a few of these tips in next week’s post!

In other news...

​In addition to preparing for the recital in March, I am also in the heart of my graduate audition trips.  I have already completed my auditions at the University of Georgia, the University of British Columbia, and the University of Maryland. This weekend I will be traveling to New Haven, Connecticut to audition live at Yale University’s School of Music!  

Stay tuned...

​In next week’s post I will discuss the process of learning all the new music for my recital.  If you haven’t yet, make sure to join the mailing list below by entering your email address so you will receive a notification as soon as my next post is live on my website.