The sad passing of cellist and human rights advocate Mstislav Rostropovich made me stop and pause and remember some incredible times in my life.
As as undergraduate at the University of Maryland, College Park, I was a member of the choir there, about 300 voices strong, which was the choir for the National Symphony Orchestra. As such, our opportunities to work with folks, the caliber and status of conductor Rostropovich, were many. My other favorite was Antal Dorati.
Anyway, we worked with maestro Rostropovich from the day he stepped on U.S. soil. We happened to have a Russian-speaking member of the choir (also our secretary) who could translate. How exciting it was, to hear him work with the orchestra, and us. His observations were magical, symbolic, illuminating, always. He was gentle, but you could see the passion rise when something was amiss and you didn't want it to blossom into anger or frustration. He was not large of stature but incredibly huge in impact. His life was passion, for music, for his homeland, for justice. His wife, Galina, sadly, never sang with us on stage, but she was there.
Bravo, Slava. You impacted my life and the world. Music means more because of musicians such as you.
Friday, April 27, 2007
Thursday, April 26, 2007
It is finished
Ahh, the end of another semester.
Bittersweet is the best way to describe the feeling.
Bitter that there was so much more to accomplish, so little time, so many missed opportunities, so many student falters and missteps. Sweet that there is graduation, jobs for some, job hunting for others, some students gone, flying (fleeing) the nest, others returning, and eager to do so.
What a blessing it is to be a part of these young, aspiring lives. It makes me feel young and hopeful too, every spring.
But then, on the other hand, there is my mom. Love her, need her, cry at night when I know she is fading away. Her body is fine at 85, it's her mind...She misplaces the car keys (a blessing actually), because then, she can't remember how to get to the doctor's (she does not drive anymore, sadly). She is afraid of being stung by bees and falling down the front cement steps (she's done so twice). She is confused easily, lonely without her spouse of 54 years (gone just two years now). She is so far away and I want to be there, but I have a job and a spouse and...
Bittersweet. And these young folks think running short on beer money is a tragedy. Ahh, the circle of life.
Bittersweet is the best way to describe the feeling.
Bitter that there was so much more to accomplish, so little time, so many missed opportunities, so many student falters and missteps. Sweet that there is graduation, jobs for some, job hunting for others, some students gone, flying (fleeing) the nest, others returning, and eager to do so.
What a blessing it is to be a part of these young, aspiring lives. It makes me feel young and hopeful too, every spring.
But then, on the other hand, there is my mom. Love her, need her, cry at night when I know she is fading away. Her body is fine at 85, it's her mind...She misplaces the car keys (a blessing actually), because then, she can't remember how to get to the doctor's (she does not drive anymore, sadly). She is afraid of being stung by bees and falling down the front cement steps (she's done so twice). She is confused easily, lonely without her spouse of 54 years (gone just two years now). She is so far away and I want to be there, but I have a job and a spouse and...
Bittersweet. And these young folks think running short on beer money is a tragedy. Ahh, the circle of life.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Imus, Vonnegut and Virginia Tech
Wow, what a week it has been. Thought provoking to say the least.
It's been a great (read intellectual, stimulating, reflective) time to be a media professor. I've been able to engage my students about the First Amendment, inspired writing and news on demand.
First, Imus. My two cents: He yelled fire in a theatre. I am all for free speech, it is my profession, but context is everything. Why degrade women's sports, especially women's collegiate basketball? Women have it tough enough on the court - they get little to no respect in collegiate or professional B-Ball. And to use sexist, racist language to boot? What was he thinking....oh, right, he wasn't (I hope).
Kurt Vonnegut. So it goes. The man who helped me understand the power and beauty of words. The writer who inspired me to write. I actually got to meet him a few years ago, to shake his hand, look into those mischievous eyes and thank him for his gifts to humankind. He just smiled at me (it was in a public, crowded space). Bless you, Mr. Vonnegut.
Virginia Tech. My heart hurts. Being on a college campus should be challenging, not life-threatening or ending. But what an incredible lesson in 24/7 news coverage for media students. And what grace under pressure performed by the Virginia Tech media students. Bravo to all involved on that campus. The campus newspaper editor, a young woman, asked great, penetrating, relevant questions and gave intelligent, unbiased answers on CNN Tuesday night, outshining and classing the so-called professionals. Out of the mouths of the young...
Hopefully, we were all listening and pondering these events. And of course, there are the "usual" suicide bombings, economic challenges, weather disasters. So it goes.
It's been a great (read intellectual, stimulating, reflective) time to be a media professor. I've been able to engage my students about the First Amendment, inspired writing and news on demand.
First, Imus. My two cents: He yelled fire in a theatre. I am all for free speech, it is my profession, but context is everything. Why degrade women's sports, especially women's collegiate basketball? Women have it tough enough on the court - they get little to no respect in collegiate or professional B-Ball. And to use sexist, racist language to boot? What was he thinking....oh, right, he wasn't (I hope).
Kurt Vonnegut. So it goes. The man who helped me understand the power and beauty of words. The writer who inspired me to write. I actually got to meet him a few years ago, to shake his hand, look into those mischievous eyes and thank him for his gifts to humankind. He just smiled at me (it was in a public, crowded space). Bless you, Mr. Vonnegut.
Virginia Tech. My heart hurts. Being on a college campus should be challenging, not life-threatening or ending. But what an incredible lesson in 24/7 news coverage for media students. And what grace under pressure performed by the Virginia Tech media students. Bravo to all involved on that campus. The campus newspaper editor, a young woman, asked great, penetrating, relevant questions and gave intelligent, unbiased answers on CNN Tuesday night, outshining and classing the so-called professionals. Out of the mouths of the young...
Hopefully, we were all listening and pondering these events. And of course, there are the "usual" suicide bombings, economic challenges, weather disasters. So it goes.
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