• Sunday in Paris

    Ah, Sundays in Paris – there’s nothing like them (all two that I’ve experienced). Today was no exception, with a walk down Canal St. Martin and a stroll through Parc des Buttes Chaumont. Word of advice: hope you’re using a Stairmaster regularly, because it is a STEEP hill walking up through the Belleville street/neighborhood, and it gets steeper in the park! I copied the locals and sat on the grass while enjoying the talented accordion player nearby. Paris is full of “free concerts” if you just stop and listen. Speaking of concerts, I attended my first one tonight at Eglise St. Eustache, where they were having organ auditions via live…

  • Croissants and Culture

    So far, this week has been an incredible blur of Parisian beauty and sightseeing.  I’m enjoying my schedule of sleeping in, practicing new music, and wandering around the city.  Everything feels more leisurely in Paris, and the days seem much longer without a strict schedule to follow (which will change when I start at the Versailles Conservatoire in a few weeks!).  I spend my mornings practicing pieces for upcoming projects and collaborations (more info coming soon!), then I choose an arrondissement at random to explore.  Highlights from this week include: Les Halles Forum, Eglise Saint-Eustache, Pantheon, Palais Garnier, Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, Palais of Justice, Jardin des Plantes, Arenes des…

  • First Week in Paris

    I’ve been MIA the past week – my apologies! My itinerary over here was hectic (Atlanta-Toronto-Reykjavik-Paris), but I enjoyed having a layover in Iceland, a country I never would have had a chance to visit otherwise. I enjoyed listening to music by Icelandic artists on the plane, along with learning facts about Iceland (apparently the majority of the population believes in elves!).  My brother has always wanted to visit Iceland, so I made sure to take lots of pictures to send to him. The worst part of such a long travel day is that I have trouble sleeping on planes, so I am still getting over the jet lag a…

  • Bon Voyage!

      Hello Paris, here I come! I’m writing this during my 7.5 hour layover in Canada (ughhh). After this, Iceland, then finally Paris! I’m so excited and thankful for this opportunity, and I still can’t believe this is really happening! It’s amazing watching hundreds of people from around the world in this giant airport! Hopefully I will be writing on this blog more regularly once I get settled in to my new Parisian digs, so be on the lookout! You can also find near-daily snippets of my life on Instagram @clarinetistinparis au revoir!

  • One month to go! (and my visa story)

    This time exactly one month from now, I will be aboard an airplane en route to Paris! (with a few inconvenient and long layovers; at least I can say I’ve visited Iceland!) It seems so surreal that it’s finally happening. The past few months have been a whirlwind of planning and organizing every detail, which included a super last-minute visa appointment in Atlanta. Word of advice for any visa-hopefuls: START EARLY! I know that you’ve probably read that in every visa guide, but I cannot stress this enough (pun intended). I had my documents together for my consulate appointment, and when my Campus France application was FINALLY processed, I checked…

  • Da capo

    For those of you that don’t know me, my name is Jenny Maclay, or Jenny Clarinet, as my friends call me.  As you might have guessed, I’m a clarinetist. I’ve been playing clarinet for about sixteen years now, and it is the most all-consuming, incredible, stressful, exciting, daunting, frustrating, enjoyable element of my life. Ever since I began playing when I was ten, it’s hard to remember my life without music – friends I made in band, school band trips, All State auditions, late-night practice sessions, recitals/performances/competitions – it always seems like my memories are centered around clarinet.  My clarinet and I have grown together in a symbiotic way, and…