I have a message for hopeful superstars stepping onto the Seattle scene: wannabes turn into hasbeens around here. The clever ones pack their bags and leave before it’s too late. Oboist nonpareil Alex Klein fled from the University of Washington’s environment of self-satisfied mediocrity to become Principal of Chicago Symphony under Daniel Barenboim. Alex now teaches at Oberlin. Paul Coletti, the prominent viola soloist and chamber musician, departed from the ADS (Artistic Dustbin Seattle) and is currently a faculty member of the Colburn School at University of Southern California. Los Angeles seems to attract geniuses and hold onto them. Joshua Roman, young cellist extraordinaire, caught on in the nick of time, stepping out of you-know-where: the kindergarten sandbox.
The Springfield News-Sun wrote a funny story about an Urbana, Ohio, man who had been convicted of playing his car stereo too loud. At sentencing, the judge sentenced 24 year old Andrew Vactor to a $150 fine but gave an incentive of listening to classical music for 20 hours and having the fee reduced to only $35 if he sat through it. Vactor, a fan of rap music, tried and failed at the experiment.
The Ohio newspaper wrote:
“He only made it through about 15 minutes” of one of three classical disks the probation department keeps on hand, said Chief Probation Officer Glenda Runkle.
Well … if I had been forced to listen to a type of music I didn’t like I suspect I just might pay the fine too.
I’m really tired of classical music being turned into punishment, and if someone thinks that by forcing someone to listen to it they’ll wind up liking it, I think they will, for the most part, fail.
I read it here.
I think the majority of musicians don’t like to get up in the early morning. There are, of course, the abnormal few who don’t mind, but most of the time we are up late so early morning isn’t our cuppa.
But here I am. I’m awake. But that’s not a big deal since I’m once again not sleeping! So now I don’t think I can blame it on reed making (although I worked on reeds yesterday, it wasn’t as extensive as the day before) or chocolate (had that early enough in the day it should make no diff.). Am I moving backwards into anemia land, is this just the joy of my age, or is it something else entirely? I wonder. But I guess the good news is I hopped out of bed and I’m already dressed and having my latté.
You know me … always looking on the bright side. 😉
