Catching Up With Adam LaMotte

Boy what a year, eh? I’m sure that many of you have been wondering “What are all those musicians doing now that there are no performances?” And we appreciate the concern, very much.

Sometime in late March, I started to think about broadcasting a livestream concert from our music room, as both Janet and I suddenly had no reason to practice (panic!). But, as they say, easier said than done. I found out very quickly that HD webcams were in serious demand, and quite expensive. And then there’s the sound issue, which I eventually figured out through tons of online research and trials. On Wednesday, April 8th, we launched our weekly series “Humpday House Concerts” which featured Janet and me, and many guests, like Monica, Joe Powers, and Greg Ewer, all playing from the opposite end of our room, with their own mic and camera. We did 16 in total, all of which you can see on the Amadeus Chamber Orchestra’s YouTube channel. It was a great distraction and a great place to put my energy.

To sit by and see all of our summer festivals, one by one, drop like flies was kind of a blow. I had a snafu in my unemployment application that created a backlog that was finally cleared one magical day in mid-summer when I got around 25 checks in the mail. WEEEE!! But we’re okay, much better off than many folks out there, so we’re quite grateful. All of the summer downtime allowed me to focus more on my side business of “baroque-ing” instruments (lamotteviolins.com), something I’m sure glad I started back in 2015! I’ve found a couple of great violin makers in China, who make violins, violas, and cellos for me “in the white”, which means unvarnished. I then take them apart a bit, fix them to my liking, and varnish them. So far, musicians really like them, which makes me happy.

I’m also happy that I have a wife that’s not only a great musician, but a fabulous cook. We’ve been eating well, and enjoying a few glasses of wine while watching the year unfold.

Janet and I (and our dog, Misha) started a morning ritual back in late March of walking a couple miles with her sister and her dog, Dino. It’s been nice to keep something regular and active, and the dogs love it.

Playing concerts seems like quite a distance away, but we’ll get there, somehow. I certainly miss it, but it’s also been nice to step away from everything and recognize some of the important things in life that get sidelined in the “normal” rat race of a virus-free 21st-century life.

Tonight we’ll light a fire (in the fireplace, of course!), probably have some pasta and red wine, and watch a movie. Cheers to 2021, and seeing you all once again from the stage!