Les Questions
Play the question game! (At long last), following are my responses to Joel's five personalized questions. (I believe this was started by that girl who was on american idol.) Ask me for questions, too! It's only fair after reading about the inner workings of my mind.
Read on, you know you want to...
1. What was your most fulfilling musical experience? (or 2 - 1 performing, 1 listening)
Tough call. My recital was very fulfilling, but more in terms of a personal experience, not musical. Because I had worked so hard and was able to really let go, pace, be expressive and relate to the audience, it was a personal acheivement. But I'd have to say that the Faure requiem wins in the performance department, because it was so epic and beautiful. This was before I was privy to *unnamed french conductor*'s (for lack of a better term) sneaky ways, and still enjoyed being conducted by her =P (oh, I suppose I still enjoy it despite her sneaky ways)
In terms of listening, Randy Schwarz's recital stands out in my mind. It was the first time I've experienced what I would call 'aural hallucination'; I was hearing bells and voices the whole time. It was a truly intimate experience in terms of audience involvement, and it was all about the music, the love of music, instead of any particular person's ego. It was like hearing my secret soul music brought to life; I still remember the chills at the beginning of "Love Supreme". mmmmmm. (Joel's recital comes in a very close second. Also, Very Honorable mention: new music works' reading of "Great River". Lots of chills then, too.)
2. Who is this God person anyway?
Besides being the title of a not-as-popular-as-Hitchhiker's-Guide book... ;-)
Rob Brezny (local astrologist) recently told me to let go of any pre-conceived notions I have about God, and if I do so, I will receive some kind of direct communication from Her/Him. This has come to pass more than I could have imagined. Now I only maintain that yes, God exists, She/He is merciful and loving, and can manifest Her/Himself in limitless incarnations. Also, we really have no freakin' clue. (Note: I have more ideas on the nature of "spiritual physics" and such, which I choose not to impart at the moment. If you're interested, ask me.)
3. Describe your feelings on Turtles. People want to know what's up.
*smiles* Well, the first time I came in close contact with a turtle, I hung out with him for over an hour. This was at a somewhat-wild college party, and I opted for communing with a turtle over my drunk friends. I was simply fascinated by the creature's awareness and meditative qualities. Since then, I started collecting turtle figurines and images, and was the proud owner of a beautiful box turtle for about a year, before his untimely death. =( We won't go into that. I guess I'm just impressed by turtles' sentience and steadfast nature; they represent qualities that I admire. Also, have you ever seen a turtle eat?? (not worms, fruit or something) Cutest thing EVer.
4. What is the or one of the fundamental breakdowns in human society today?
Hmmm. Well, we are currently in the "Age of Exploitation" during which our value system has been turned around - I'd say that that is the fundamental breakdown that spawns other breakdowns. What do I mean by that... the focus of our society is consumption, our attention is on buying/selling, taking on more "weight". Karmic weight, actual-mass weight, weight in pounds, in dollars. Consuming at all costs; by exploiting our planet, our fellow human beings. The message is - "Hurry up and buy things, secure your belongings for the future, stake out a place for yourself so that you and your family can be somewhat comfortable until you die, that's all you can hope for" Things like education, the arts, and spiritual paths are devalued, if not shut-out alltogether. This just all seems backwards to me. I think it's completely possible to have a self-sustainable "functioning economy" society without exploitation of others, or of the environment. We're just stuck in this pattern, in this addiction, and there's too much inertia (or not enough) at the moment to drag ourselves out of it. Anyway, I'm not sure if that's really what the question was asking, but there are my thoughts...
5. Describe your ideal life.
Wow. What kind of life? Human life? This lifetime? I'll just go with that...
I'm a dreamer and an idealist, so my idealized vision of the future is constantly changing. At the moment, I would want to live in a relatively small community of family and friends, with a garden, a siamese cat, and some turtles. I'd like a family, I'd like to have time for my children, but I'd still like to work; "work" being music of some kind. Bringing new music to life, and bringing music to the lives of children in some way, is my ideal job. Starting a music school, teaching at a university, conducting local ensembles, or singing/performing are all ideal options. I'd love to have the time and resources to travel often, for "business" and pleasure. "Business" meaning performing in new areas and/or serving the people of that region in some way. Pleasure meaning possibly those same things, but also exposing myself to new cultures, spending time with those I love in new settings, sharing new experiences with them. My ideal life includes devotion, time set aside for spiritual practice. This can be inextricably connected with musical devotion, as well. Serving humanity in some way, babies, ice-cream, vegetable gardens, late-night jam sessions, dancing, chocolate, composition, love...all essential elements!
phew! Allright, no fun if I don't get to ask questions now, too. Comment and I'll ask you five personalized questions which you can, in turn, post in your own journal. posty posty!
Read on, you know you want to...
1. What was your most fulfilling musical experience? (or 2 - 1 performing, 1 listening)
Tough call. My recital was very fulfilling, but more in terms of a personal experience, not musical. Because I had worked so hard and was able to really let go, pace, be expressive and relate to the audience, it was a personal acheivement. But I'd have to say that the Faure requiem wins in the performance department, because it was so epic and beautiful. This was before I was privy to *unnamed french conductor*'s (for lack of a better term) sneaky ways, and still enjoyed being conducted by her =P (oh, I suppose I still enjoy it despite her sneaky ways)
In terms of listening, Randy Schwarz's recital stands out in my mind. It was the first time I've experienced what I would call 'aural hallucination'; I was hearing bells and voices the whole time. It was a truly intimate experience in terms of audience involvement, and it was all about the music, the love of music, instead of any particular person's ego. It was like hearing my secret soul music brought to life; I still remember the chills at the beginning of "Love Supreme". mmmmmm. (Joel's recital comes in a very close second. Also, Very Honorable mention: new music works' reading of "Great River". Lots of chills then, too.)
2. Who is this God person anyway?
Besides being the title of a not-as-popular-as-Hitchhiker's-Guide book... ;-)
Rob Brezny (local astrologist) recently told me to let go of any pre-conceived notions I have about God, and if I do so, I will receive some kind of direct communication from Her/Him. This has come to pass more than I could have imagined. Now I only maintain that yes, God exists, She/He is merciful and loving, and can manifest Her/Himself in limitless incarnations. Also, we really have no freakin' clue. (Note: I have more ideas on the nature of "spiritual physics" and such, which I choose not to impart at the moment. If you're interested, ask me.)
3. Describe your feelings on Turtles. People want to know what's up.
*smiles* Well, the first time I came in close contact with a turtle, I hung out with him for over an hour. This was at a somewhat-wild college party, and I opted for communing with a turtle over my drunk friends. I was simply fascinated by the creature's awareness and meditative qualities. Since then, I started collecting turtle figurines and images, and was the proud owner of a beautiful box turtle for about a year, before his untimely death. =( We won't go into that. I guess I'm just impressed by turtles' sentience and steadfast nature; they represent qualities that I admire. Also, have you ever seen a turtle eat?? (not worms, fruit or something) Cutest thing EVer.
4. What is the or one of the fundamental breakdowns in human society today?
Hmmm. Well, we are currently in the "Age of Exploitation" during which our value system has been turned around - I'd say that that is the fundamental breakdown that spawns other breakdowns. What do I mean by that... the focus of our society is consumption, our attention is on buying/selling, taking on more "weight". Karmic weight, actual-mass weight, weight in pounds, in dollars. Consuming at all costs; by exploiting our planet, our fellow human beings. The message is - "Hurry up and buy things, secure your belongings for the future, stake out a place for yourself so that you and your family can be somewhat comfortable until you die, that's all you can hope for" Things like education, the arts, and spiritual paths are devalued, if not shut-out alltogether. This just all seems backwards to me. I think it's completely possible to have a self-sustainable "functioning economy" society without exploitation of others, or of the environment. We're just stuck in this pattern, in this addiction, and there's too much inertia (or not enough) at the moment to drag ourselves out of it. Anyway, I'm not sure if that's really what the question was asking, but there are my thoughts...
5. Describe your ideal life.
Wow. What kind of life? Human life? This lifetime? I'll just go with that...
I'm a dreamer and an idealist, so my idealized vision of the future is constantly changing. At the moment, I would want to live in a relatively small community of family and friends, with a garden, a siamese cat, and some turtles. I'd like a family, I'd like to have time for my children, but I'd still like to work; "work" being music of some kind. Bringing new music to life, and bringing music to the lives of children in some way, is my ideal job. Starting a music school, teaching at a university, conducting local ensembles, or singing/performing are all ideal options. I'd love to have the time and resources to travel often, for "business" and pleasure. "Business" meaning performing in new areas and/or serving the people of that region in some way. Pleasure meaning possibly those same things, but also exposing myself to new cultures, spending time with those I love in new settings, sharing new experiences with them. My ideal life includes devotion, time set aside for spiritual practice. This can be inextricably connected with musical devotion, as well. Serving humanity in some way, babies, ice-cream, vegetable gardens, late-night jam sessions, dancing, chocolate, composition, love...all essential elements!
phew! Allright, no fun if I don't get to ask questions now, too. Comment and I'll ask you five personalized questions which you can, in turn, post in your own journal. posty posty!