In my free time, which is more abundant now that my daughter (1998) and two sons (2000, 2002) are independent, I play soccer and violin, both at a high amateur level. I also enjoy reading and playing the games of bridge and go.
In 1995 I tried out for Major League Soccer. I made it past two cuts, but wasn't invited to the national training camp. My career in academia was sealed.
I currently play on Waterloo FC in the O-40 Premier Division of the Austin Municipal Soccer Association.
When I lived in New Jersey, I played on Livingston United in the Semi-Pro division of the Garden State Soccer League.
Definitions of common soccer terms and governing bodies.
Ever wonder why it's called soccer?
I started playing in the Buffalo Suzuki Strings when I was 4. At the end of high school I performed Nigun by Bloch, and Tambourin Chinois by Krysler. While at Carnegie Mellon, I played with the CMU Philharmonic in Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, and Boston's Symphony Hall.
I play periodically as a part of Echo at UT Austin.
On December 5th, 2021, I performed a quartet concert of Beethoven Op. 18#6, Prokoviev Quartet #2, and short Glazunov pieece with Mary Brown, Alan Chen, and Shu-Yi Scott: Facebook live stream
On November 14th, 2020, I performed an outdoor quartet concert with Mary Brown, Gerald Liu, and Shu-Yi Scott:
On July 4th, 2020, as part of Raphael's Senior cello recital, he and I played 4 short duets by Reinhold Gliere:
On April 19th, 2020, Raphael and I played "Schindler's List" by John Williams in a holocaust memorial ceremony.
On May 4th, 2011 I played violin at the AAMAS 2011 banquet in the
Grand Hotel in Taipei.
On April 12th, 2008 I played a solo violin recital with Brett Bachus
on piano.
The program,
with links to quicktime videos of the performance (may take a while to
load), was as follows:
Kol Nidrei, Max Bruch
Sonata No. 14, W.A. Mozart
Sonata No. 3, 1st movement (Allegro), Johannes Brahms3 impressions and a waltz, Leopold Godowsky
Roumanian Folk Dances, Bela Bartok (the tape ended before the last 2 movements)