What drives you to create something new or different?
[This post was originally posted automatically as a December project, but we have since decided to move this program to January. See the updated dates below. But you can still apply now!] While COVID numbers are getting better and the arts are opening up bit by bit, a lot of performers are still feeling very, … Read more
Are you a big fish in a small pond, or a wee fishy in Lake Michigan? The real question is, what do you want your work to be? If you feel like a small fish, you’re in danger of working (and sounding) like one more often than you’d like to admit. If you believe you’re … Read more
This is not a post about romance. But it might be about loneliness. Don’t worry, dear Listers – I’m fine. No cry for help here. But I’ve been keenly aware lately that the pandemic has left a lot of very creative people adrift, and even now that the light is shining through the clouds, there … Read more
Can a challenge for Indigenous Peoples’ Day give you an excuse to learn something new about our world?
My mother loves owls, which I have always thought rather apt. She is a very wise woman. Of course, she thinks she’s completely ordinary, which just makes her insights into the rest of the world more potent. So here’s a quote — not because I love my mommy (which I do), but because she reminded … Read more
Sometimes a missed opportunity becomes a new challenge on its own. With the recent and sudden death of composer and pianist Frederic Rzewski, those of us in SoCal have proximal reason to mourn, as the titan was scheduled to be part of Piano Spheres’ upcoming season, and it would have been my first chance to … Read more
As we head into what we hope to be the last several months of the arts shutdown, we cross fingers and toes, WEAR OUR MASKS and think of stages and lights and singing together again. But simply waiting can take a toll on creativity, so I offer you a challenge, if you haven’t done it … Read more
I have a sad tale that many musicians share: I once lost ten years’ worth of digital recording files due to the unexpected failure of an external hard drive. I had chosen carefully, protected the drive from the usual threats (heat, surge, virus, etc.), and it was only about three years old, which is about … Read more
Staying up almost involuntarily to binge The Queen’s Gambit on Netflix, and reveling in the beauty of every bit, reminds me of an essential truth for anyone who seeks to create indelible experiences: following a story through twists and turns, and truly committing to every part of it, is one of the most satisfying ways … Read more
