Back On Track - Alison Fujito

First of all, I want to give my heartfelt thanks to those of you who have sent good wishes, prayers, etc.  Your support meant such a great deal to me during a very, very difficult year and a half for me.

I am so happy to be able to play these opening concerts this week! 

I still go to physical therapy three times a week, as my shoulders are not quite "there" yet, but playing the violin is much, much easier than a few months ago, when just holding the violin under my chin felt like it took every bit of strength I had.  I'm sure those of you who have had shoulder surgery know exactly what I'm talking about.

I was thinking that we could start the Pittsburgh Symphony Shoulder Club--please write in or e-mail me if you are interested!

I guess my experience  shows how much sheer physical strength and endurance is required to play the violin.  I was able to do many of the basic shoulder rehabilitation exercises months ago--but external rotation of the shoulder isn't really part of the standard shoulder rehabilitation protocol, especially to the extent that we violinists need!

Apparently, I will need to do my shoulder/arm exercises daily for the rest of my life, unless I want to lose the strength and range of motion I have worked so hard to regain.  But that seems like a small price to pay for "getting my arms back."

In the meantime, I am just loving being back in the orchestra.  This week, Maestro Tortelier is conducting.  He has been here several times in the last few years, but this is only my second time playing under his direction (I missed so MUCH during the last year-and-a-half!).  He has a marvelous ability to find subtle nuances in the phrasing of the music--and to communicate this to us, both with his baton and verbally.  He is very precise about balance between the instruments, and gets us to achieve an amazing array of colors, especially in Berlioz'  "Symphonie Fantastique."

And wait til you see what a great sense of humor he has in the Corigliano!  But I don't want to spoil any surprises, so--

See you at the Symphony!

Comments

[Ling Wong]

Alison,

Thanks for sharing your experiences. My son recently suffered a Type II separation. He does not seem to have suffered some of the other issues you sustained - though it is going to be a challenging recovery for him since he is a baseball player. I hope that all is still well with you. Be well.