[laughs] So let's shift from your educational background maybe now into your career in music a little bit, and I'm wondering if you can tell us how you found your way into this, um, folk-classical fusion that you did on your most recent album, and who or what influenced that musical process for you.

So when I was doing the performance education, I, I think I got an amazing education.

I don't wanna say anything that would hint otherwise that I am not aware of the wonderful education I got.

I will say, though, that at the time, the trend of what felt like was necessary to be taught was to, um, specialize on one thing, dedicate your all to this one thing.

This is how you win an audition.

The career path is either join a military band, teach at the college, or play in an orchestra.

And your path to those things is very specific, and especially go to grad school right after undergrad.

Yeah, and play it the same way that it's been played for ever and ever, and recreate and recreate and recreate.

piano plays softly The entire synthesis of how I came to this was very much born from feeling

as uncreative as possible in the standard orchestral life, especially as a freelancer.

And I was working a lot with music theater and working with students that were workshopping so much solo literature, working on authenticity and truth and honesty and performing.

And they were doing these incredibly exciting things.

And I'm like, man, I don't even know who I am as an artist.

And Who I am is someone that was heavily influenced by Chopin, Beethoven, Rachmaninoff.

I mean, I was very, as a young girl, very obsessed with all of the really biggest, darkest romantic composers, you know, for piano and for horn.

So if you had like audition or career advice from a horn playing perspective, or just as a woman, just as a person.