Springtime in DC & Personal Growth
I love springtime.
Washington, DC is a feast for the senses. The intoxicating sweet aroma of hyacinths and wisteria fill my nose as my eyes take in the happy yellow of daffodils and tulips in countless colors crowded into little row house gardens. The magnificent magnolia and cherry trees blossoming everywhere, particularly around DC’s famous Tidal Basin, create an outdoor spectacle of senses that is greeted with joy every year - especially this year.
Beyond the outdoors, spring is an opportunity for spring cleaning in our mental and professional lives, to reset, reevaluate and proceed only with what is truly meaningful. I am entering this new season with excitement for what the future holds, as I prepare for the arrival of my second child, but this change has forced me to ask myself many hard questions. How will I balance a bigger family with the work that I love? What will I have to let go of to have time and energy for what truly matters? Will I need to learn to say no more often, in a field that encourages musicians to say yes to any opportunity? One thing is for sure: I want to be an inspiration to my children, and that means continuing to do the work that brings me joy and purpose.
As glimmers of a post-pandemic life begin to emerge along with spring, it also means renewing my artistic commitment to projects that I find impactful and valuable to society. This includes commissioning rising composers, continuing to program great works by male and female composers in my coming concerts, and finally dusting off my plans to build a concert series to add new artistic life for both performers and listeners in the post-covid era, one that hopefully draws a new audience into classical music. I want to grow my curiosity to discover new artists, which has recently resulted in my newly developed passion for the artwork of abstract expressionist Helen Frankenthaler. I found her work through Rothko, and both draw me into their work by creating a strong, direct emotional effect on me. I will share more about her soon. Meanwhile, as I sit in my little garden and plant new blooms, I feel inspired by the idea of planting seeds for something beautiful to come.
