Recently Shaina and Eclecta Quartet got a unique assignment: To score and perform in a keynote presentation with an IBM executive at the upcoming #think2019 Conference in San Francisco. Shaina worked on the vision and music with their team for about a month, and the we had a day of rehearsals with the execs before performing it to a live (and huge broadcast) audience. We were really happy with the result! Thanks to IBM for having the vision to use music as a metaphor and for bringing us onboard to help drive it home! Watch the full presentation here!
iPads: Joining the Digital Age
We’ve finally joined the modern world and put all our music on iPads! Now our audiences can enjoy a sleeker look and feel, and we won’t be stressing about our music getting lost, stolen, damaged by food or beverage, or blowing away in the wind. Hooray!
Making the switch to iPads was a (worthwhile) process. We first organized our digital music collection and created individual folders for different instruments. Then we uploaded all our music to an application called Forscore, and ordered Donner pedals to turn pages.
Et voila! We’ve been working with the new setup for the past couple months and are loving it!
When we hit bumps in the road
At Eclecta, we pride ourselves on giving seamless performances to our audiences. However, this doesn’t always mean things run 100% smoothly behind the scenes. Inevitable, we’ll run into the occasional bump in the road that requires a lot of teamwork, grit, and tenacity, like last night in Carmel Valley.
We had the opportunity to play a gorgeous evening at the Bernardus Lodge and Spa in Carmel Valley. We stayed extra late for the performance, meaning that by the time we arrived at our cars, it was around 11PM…and Shaina had a flat tire.
After five hours of playing, the thought of changing the tire and then driving home on a spare was enough to make everyone want to cry. Instead, we started problem solving. Sarah and Christy ran back to the lodge to recruit two strangers to help us switch the tire, who leapt into action (below).
We brought out trail mix, chocolate, and all other food at our side. We found flashlights, figured out different arrangements for all our equipment and gear, and stuck by each other until we could all drive home safely. It was a great reminder that we work with amazingly intelligent and compassionate women, and that good teamwork makes all the difference in the world!
ECLECTA QUARTET 