Have pandemic, make website?

Music is rooted in connection. When I perform, I strive to connect deeply with the audience, with my colleagues onstage, with the music on the stand, with the historical world of the composer, with the physical space around me, and with my own self. In my greatest moments of musical performance, I have felt the most grounded and connected all at once. It is an incredible binding force. The orchestra, conductor, audience, and even the air itself can become so intertwined, it is as if an entire rainforest’s ecosystem of symbiosis and interconnectedness suddenly takes shape in the concert hall. It is the most presence-inducing experience I have ever known.

And thus, I feel deeply disconnected during these months of social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Disconnected from my PSO family, from the composers who challenge me, from the conductors and soloists who inspire me, and from my musical voice.

I’m challenged now to see if I can bridge that gap, even just a little, through digital means. After a month of denial, I realized I had no other choice. I bought the Mac computer I’m using right now. I acquired a Neumann compressor microphone and a UA Apollo audio interface. I rearranged my trumpet studio in the basement so that I can best teach online lessons and masterclasses, and so I can have a makeshift home recording studio. I started giving regular 5 pm concerts on my back deck for the neighbors. I made a professional Facebook account and this website. Many of these things I thought I would never do, but now, like all of us, I find myself desperate for connection, now forged through fiberoptic wire instead of Heinz Hall acoustics.

My virtual door is open. If yours is, too, then reach out and perhaps we can build something vital.