If there is anything that is true about life it is that it seems like everything in it wants to take you away from your art, the one thing that is you. We have to earn a living, help our family and friends, jump through the social hoops of clubs,…
Competitions in Music: What are they really about?
Probably one of the biggest misconceptions I had during the early years of my quest to become a professional musician was my general disdain of competitions. Back in those days there weren’t nearly as many as there are now and after having had a career in opera I feel the…
Get in front and stand for something…
I have always wondered what the difference between success and failure is. What is that “one thing” that makes it possible for one person to succeed and the other to fail? Over the course of my life as a performer I was given the leading roles in operas. It is…
The Power of Now: What I ''thought'' the book was about.
Years ago, I don’t even remember what year it was, maybe around 2000 or so, I recall walking into a bookstore and seeing the new bestsellers on the shelves. Prominently positioned on these shelves was a new book by Eckhart Tolle called ”The Power of Now”. Many of the books…
Who Needs Who?
Who Needs Who? Throughout my life I have been very fortunate to have people who helped me along the way. When I look back on it, I realize I could not have done many of the things I did without the help of many people, people who believed in…
Time Moves Forward: What moving the clock forward every spring does.
Last week the dark days of winter ended and the bright days of spring and summer began. Did this happen because of the astronomical dance the Earth plays in it’s relationship to the sun? Well, yes, partially. But, that is gradual. The moment we turn our clocks forward one hour…
The Sacred Commission: What were you sent to do?
The world needs you, people need you but most of all you need to attach yourself to your own sacred commission and share it generously with others, because nothing else will fulfill you or bring you happiness.
Fear: The secret reason for boredom in life.
Like all writing, this post is more of a self-portrait or confession than it is a piece of ”valuable content” in the self-help or motivational ocean of advice. The point of writing is to mine out the nuggets of truth that we learn from examining our own experience in life….
Bach, Mozart and Beethoven: A class of their own.
I have been around music now for a good 35 years. The first 20 years of my life I wasn’t really that much involved in it. An amazing 35 years it has been. What has changed in the 35 years? What have I learned in those 35 years? What is…
The Luxury of Writing Inside Your Own Ivory Towers of Thoughts
What good is living if you aren’t going to build your own inner ivory tower that has it’s own independent set of values not derived from the fads of common life?