As the newest member of BTPM Classical, I have been working hard to establish my niche. Will I be the funny one, the serious hard worker, or - horror of horrors - myself? Fortunately, I have been welcomed with open arms to my new job, and back to my hometown.
My husband and I just moved back to Buffalo after 3 years in Kansas City. We had found an amazing group of people there, and it was incredibly difficult to leave them. I had one friend try to put in an official request for the station to be moved to Kansas! It couldn’t be that big of an ask, right? Eventually we said our long, Midwest-style goodbyes, and our promises to see each other again and left.
Upon arriving in Western New York, we were greeted by the flood of my family, overjoyed to have us back in the area. Being able to tell my mom we’ll see each other in a couple weeks rather than several months is a LOT easier. We also reconnected with our friends from college, still working in the area. After seeing them for our wedding last year, we didn’t know how long the goodbye would last. Both my husband and I are beyond grateful to have these people back in our lives as regular guest stars, rather than occasional cameos.
The past 3 months have been some of the most bittersweet of my life. The pain of leaving people we love, the joy of reconnecting with others, the stress of new jobs and financials and address changes and moving and what if our apartment isn’t ready after 16 hours on the road? But somehow, we have landed gracefully.
I won’t say that I don’t miss Kansas City. The food scene, the jazz, the plaza lit up at night, had all become familiar and comforting to me. I’ve never lived in Buffalo proper - I’m more familiar with corn fields and the canal - so KC was the first real city I’ve actually lived in. But coming to Buffalo, seeing my favorite local staples (shoutout Mighty Taco), and being with family, has made it all worth it. This is where we belong. And I couldn’t take another Missouri summer! It is difficult to know we left so many amazing people behind in the Midwest. It is also difficult to reconnect and find our places amidst family and friends back here on the east coast. But it is our mutual passions that bind us despite it all. It’s my husband helping to create our friend’s wedding playlist. It’s texting a song clip and saying “remember when we performed this together?” It’s choosing the perfect playlist for the hangout with our college friends, who feel more like siblings. It’s “have you seen that movie yet? The score is incredible!” and “I can’t wait to see you at the concert!” This is what music does for us. So, yes, the move was scary and intense and expensive, but it was so worth it to be part of this world. I am incredibly honored to be a piece of the puzzle that brings Classical music to my home city, and beyond. All of my families, found and inherited, old and new, are thrilled for me, and I intend to make them proud. Thanks for taking me back, Buffalo.
