2024 in Review - Musings and Gratitude!

I'm not sure how many years it's been now, but a while back I started a private tradition of going through my calendar and photo reels each New Year as a launching point for personal reflection. These two sources certainly don't catch everything that goes on throughout the year, but I find it to be a helpful barometer - or reminder - of the singular events that held significance for me "in the moment," or those appointments which I deemed worthy of my time. Admittedly, sometimes I can't even remember why a specific photo or event was so important... and I sort of love that, in a way. This is generally something I do purely for myself - an exercise, a reminder of both the tremendous and the mundane that each year brings, and I mean those words in the most beautiful sense. While I imagine that many folks do something in this vein (cue New Year's Resolutions), this has become my rhythm, and what works for me.

I am always interested to see others' perceptions and experiences of a given calendar year; some opinions seem more unanimous than others (2020... the so-called "pandemic year"), and yet there are always outliers. For Casey and I, the calendar year of 2024 has perhaps brought more opportunities for challenge and growth than any other thus far. The sheer amount of change alone has brought many moments of joy and struggle; leisure and challenge; excitement and fear; relationships gained, and relationships that have grown distant or strained with distance. Reflecting on it all, the prevailing emotion that I feel is gratitude. I am exceedingly proud of the choices we've made, and how we've handled challenging situations. At the same time, I am proud to celebrate the growth and lessons learned from "hard things," sitting with the messiness and unpredictability of life.

If you're one of the folks interested enough in our lives to have read this far, we are grateful for you! With that, here's some of my stand-out moments from 2024 - those that brought me the greatest joy, taught me the most, and challenged my perspective:

January: 

• After participating in a program at Wright State on how to promote equity in the classroom for all students during the fall, I was honored to be invited to serve as an Equity Champions Facilitator and lead my own cohort in the spring semester. I learned SO much from the weekly meetings with folks in our cohort, and from practicing these strategies with my Trumpet Studio at Wright State.

• Casey and I took a multi-day "staycation" in Dayton while I performed with the Dayton Philharmonic. We've learned over the years how fun it can be to travel with your spouse, even when they are working. It was fun to break up our routine and explore the city I worked in - but less frequently spent time in.

February:

• We made our first two trips to Atlanta in this month, as a couple. While we did not know during the first trip that we would officially be moving to the "A," this was our chance to determine whether we could envision ourselves living in this city. The 2nd trip took place over my Spring Break, and by then, we had decided that Casey would be accepting her new job... but we weren't sure about me yet. Those trips stand out to me as a time of great excitement, but also uncertainty, in the midst of balancing the busiest semester I'd ever had at Wright State and simultaneously taking a full course load at the University of Kentucky, with the goal of becoming ABD.

• A month of GREAT music and music-making! I had so much fun hosting my friend and former classmate Sarah Herbert at WSU for our Jazz Honor Band... I adjudicated Beavercreek's jazz festival and got to sit next to Matt Harris of jazz piano and composition stardom. We reunited with longtime Wyoming pal Sean McKay, who invited me down into the pit for a production of Book of Mormon... and the list goes on.

• I threw a surprise party for Casey to celebrate her new job, which was EXTREMELY hard to keep secret from her! Pulling it off - and knowing that she absolutely suspected nothing - is still one of the major accomplishments of the year, if not my life! It was really fun to see various social groups from our lives converge... church, work, CCM friends, musician colleagues, Norwood neighbors, etc.

• A great month for fly fishing activity as well. I tied my first flies with my dear friend, Dan Grantham, and also solo fished the Chattahoochee River. Caught my first GA fish!

March:

• Seemingly always one of the busier months, this one was no exception. I traveled to TX as an adjudicator for the National Trumpet Competition, and also paid a surprise visit to my grandmother as part of a 90th birthday celebration.

• I performed as a solo recitalist on a local chamber music series, and programmed arguably the toughest recital I've ever played. Thanks to my friend Ryan Beach for your coaching and advice that helped me feel incredibly well-prepared!

• Hosted the incredible Jason Bergman at WSU, someone whose outlook and positivity I greatly admire. Hosted Daniel Lewis from the ISO one week later, whose determination and dedication to the trumpet are equally inspiring.

• More fishing! Sneaking away from work for a day to experience Opening Day in Cincinnati... an experience like no other!

• Interviewed for the first time with the search committee at KSU. Started to wrestle with the challenging possibility of saying goodbye to my incredible WSU students.

April:

• Completed the most difficult three weeks of performances and solo engagements that I've ever faced (and asked myself many times why I said "yes" to all of it in such a short span of time!!!). This experience taught me that I am capable of more than I often tell myself. It also reminded me of the importance of balance.

• To name a few: a two-week tour with the WSU Wind Symphony as a trumpet soloist, playing a showpiece written for Jens Lindemann; joint recital with my friend Dan Honaker; performing at the CBDNA North Central Division conference; performing the Peskin Concerto with the WSU Chamber Orchestra; and performing with my friend Ashley Hall-Tighe on her recital at the Ohio ITG Conference (while also co-hosting the conference itself!). Plus, some gigs with my jazz combo in Dayton and hosting my former jazz teacher, Ben Markley, as a guest artist-in-residence with my band at WSU.

• To keep myself sane, there were also some down days. A highlight has to be fly fishing for white bass with Dan and José during the solar eclipse - a communal experience with Nature that I will never forget.

• Finished my final semester at WSU (although I didn't know it yet).

May:

• This was a month of transition. I visited KSU for my final round interview and job audition. I completed my degree coursework and officially became ABD. I played awesome gigs with the RSO (Mahler 1) and CSO as a Herald Trumpeter. I had lots of study sessions with my friend Victor, many of which (...most?) involved bourbon.

• I started my dissertation and got a new tattoo!

• Officially received my offer to join the faculty at KSU as the new Assistant Professor of Trumpet and Brass Area Coordinator. Cried a lot. Felt overwhelming gratitude. Processed how hard it is to say goodbye to amazing opportunities and people.

June:

• More fishing trips with Dan. I treasure these memories so much!

• My final gigs in Cincinnati. Lots of goodbyes and "see you laters".

• In an insane whirlwind: flew to Greece with Casey; picked up by a stranger in Athens, who is now a dear friend and a key contributor to my dissertation research; explored the back alleyways of Athens looking for craft beer; traveled across Greece via car; spent an incredible week on Corfu; performed as a soloist with Mantzaros and felt REALLY proud of my amazing WSU students in our final "hurrah"; gave my lecture recital; and finished my dissertation!

• Spent three extra-special days with Casey in a private beach house on the Peloponnese, to celebrate the absolute insanity of the past six months and escape for some solitude.

July:

• This month was tough... Successfully defended, submitted, and published my dissertation only days after returning from Greece - officially Dr. Wadsack!

• A final fishing trip with Dan and some family.

• Dinner with our amazing friends Ashley, Nate, Morgan, and Kevin at Maple Rise!

• Fulfilling a longtime dream for Casey: getting to meet REDZILLA!!!

• A whirlwind trip to NYC, where I presented at an international conference (HBS) and performed at the MET Museum! Some super meaningful reunions with dear friends. Tons of insanely good food with Victor and new friends (Jared, Dovas, Emma, Mason, Noah, and the rest of the Old Guard crew).

• A very memorable birthday dinner with Casey and Pepp & Dolores.

• Attending a Foo Fighters concert at Great American Ballpark.

• Hosting an EPIC farewell party at our house, where I was completely blown away by how many folks dropped through.

• Taught my final lessons to Cincinnati students... more tears.

• Drove to Illinois and celebrated the 75th anniversary of Smith Walbridge Clinics with some of my dearest friends.

• Said goodbye to WSU and my family in the College of Liberal Arts. As a parting gift, found out that I was named the Outstanding Faculty Member of the entire College for the 2024-2025 academic year... more tears.

• Drove away from Cincinnati after a restful evening at Casa de Siebert (thank you, friends)... more tears, again.

August:

• Woke up in Georgia. Moved into a new home. Attended New Employee Orientation at KSU. Celebrated our wedding anniversary.

• Gave my first official performance as the trumpet professor at KSU!

• Started getting to know my students. Lots of chats, coffees, helping them jump start their cars... and more!

September:

• Made trips to Red Top Mountain State Park and explored Marietta.

• Snuck back up to Cincinnati for a killer program with the RSO!

• Hosted my parents in ATL for the first time, did more exploring, and caught some fish!

• Amazing getaway to Pittsburgh with Casey for Jenna and Mason's wedding! Reconnected with some awesome people and good friends from CCM days.

October:

• Lots more bonding with the Trumpet Studio... deep chats, Ellsworth Smith watch parties, pizza...

• Hosted Casey's family in ATL for the first time: aquarium visits, Marietta Chalk Art Festival, etc...

• Watched a student give his first recital - congrats, Ben!

• SOLD OUR HOUSE in CINCINNATI. Stressful, also sad. More tears, and definitely champagne!

• Visited a new friend/colleague I made in Greece at nearby Columbus State University, and was a guest artist for the day. During that visit, I thought a lot about my friend Ben Gallogly, who did a master's there and died earlier this year. Love you, Ben!

• Conducted a week-long Guest Artist-in-Residence in Salt Lake City! It had been a while since I did one of these, and I was reminded how much I profoundly enjoy this type of work. While challenging with long hours (6:30am to 7pm or 8pm most days) and extreme demands with regard to versatility in teaching and performance, it's SO rewarding to work alongside some incredibly motivated students. It was awesome to reconnect with my great friend Austin, and we had some treasured hang time as well. I was also honored to present masterclasses at both the University of Utah and Utah State University during this trip!

• More fly fishing - this time on the Provo River in the mountains above SLC. Really fun to try new styles and approaches. A fun visit to High West!

• SO MUCH amazing beer, coffee, and food.

November:

• Hosted my first on-campus event at KSU, and it was a massive success!

• More masterclasses, and hosted my friends Aaron and Madison at KSU for masterclasses of their own - thank you, friends!!

• Went on tour with the KSU Wind Ensemble and two of my amazing brass colleagues!

• Opportunities to reconnect with Casey after we both made it through a very hectic season of travel.

• A visit to CO/WY over Thanksgiving. The chance to walk down Memory Lane in Laramie again (priceless and treasured time). An impromptu chance to see our incredible friends Jordan and Dakota (and Bosler!). An unexpected gift of fly fishing the "Big T" up in the CO Rockies after my family all got Covid, and we had to cancel our travel plans to Gillette!

December:

• GIGS. Georgia Ballet (Nutcrackers), LexPhil (Cathedral Christmas), RSO (Holiday Brass). A really fun week back in NKY/Cincy/Indiana seeing lots of dear friends... More fishing!!

• A new tattoo - thanks, Is!

• A much-needed break in ATL and time to catch up with Casey.

• My body breaking down after non-stop "go" for months. Two sinus infections.

• Christmas Eve at St. Luke's - thanks, Paul!

• A spontaneous and last-minute trip to see my family, after not getting to see them at Thanksgiving.

• A magical evening with Casey at the Atlanta Botanical Gardens.

I think the above photo sums this year up well: Casey and I both look exhausted after loading our entire life into a box truck and minivan. We're sweaty, tired, and have swollen cheeks after many tears shed throughout what was an emotional day. The year 2024 has felt a lot like that: sweat, hard work, and a few tears... but also a promise of new adventures, opportunities, and memories to be made.

Wishing you and those close to you a safe, fulfilling, and transformative 2025.

With Love,

-Stephen