Dowogiac, MI

This week is another typical gig week. I received the music in the mail last week and looked at it--what little I could considering the trip to Chicago/Wisconsin. (See previous post.)  Tuesday and Wednesday are both rehearsal nights from 6:30-8:30pm in Southwest Michigan College in Dowogiac. Friday night is the concert at 7:30pm.

Admittedly it's not a long drive but it is outside the immediate vicinity that I live in. One way to Dowogiac is about 15 minutes. If there was no gas to put in the car or oil changes to take care of these little gigs could actually turn a decent profit. They are interesting and can be fun with the right people in charge, but they do not, by any means, serve as a long term career plan for me.

If you are interested we are playing some music by the Baroque composer Martini and Ola Gjeilo. It's for choir and orchestra. With a name like Martini it might be enough to create some curiosity in some....?

Battle Creek

This week on the Traveling Cello blog is another concert. This time the distance is not as far as Traverse City. Or is it farther? Yes, the actually distance between my place and Battle Creek may be less than between my place and Traverse City, but I drive to Battle Creek a total of three times. Let's do the calculations. My place to Kellogg Auditorium in Battle Creek, door to door is 81 miles. A round trip makes that 162 miles. Multiply 162 by 3 and the total miles traveled for Battle Creek Symphony Orchestra rehearsals and concert equals 486 miles.

The Traverse Symphony Orchestra mileage begins like this, the distance between my place and Interlochen  Center for the Arts (the orchestra performs in Corson Auditorium) is 241 miles. Make that a round trip and it becomes 482 miles. Oh yeah, travel is more for Battle Creek.

Wait!!!!!!! I forgot to calculate the times I went from my lodging to the rehearsals and concert for Traverse Symphony. Let me add that mileage to the total. Kingsley to Interlochen is 19 miles and a round trip equals 38 miles. I made that round trip two and a half times. I can tack on another 95 miles to my TSO trip. Therefore I get 482 plus 95 equalling 577 miles.

I actually thought that the Battle Creek cycle would beat out Traverse City cycle before I calculated it. And it does for those trips that go straight from home to venue. I will put the map on here for the visual comparison to last weeks TSO post.