We’re smiling underneath these masks! Here I am with violinist Joseph Peleg and cellist Igor Gefter recording the Kol Nidrei service for Temple Sinai.
This morning I put together a list of all the professional activities I’ve been up to since the start of the pandemic in March:
teaching my entire studio online from March through July.
12 weeks of examining students remotely for The Royal Conservatory (nearly 500 exams in total).
a livestreamed recital with mezzo soprano Krisztina Szabó for Tapestry Opera.
created a split-screen video of Poulenc’s Hôtel with mezzo-soprano Alia Amad as part of The Suleika Project. Alia and I were featured at an Aspen Music Festival webinar last month to talk about the creation and production process for split-screen videos.
webinar appearances for the Frances Clark Center for Keyboard Pedagogy, CollabFest, the Millionaire Musician, and Tom Lee Music Canada.
recording High Holy Days music in person for Temple Sinai in Toronto.
recording High Holy Days music remotely for Temple B’nai Israel in Clearwater, Florida.
co-writing with Natasha Fransblow an online teaching manual for an institutional client.
finishing up my duties as Past President of ORMTA Hamilton Halton.
Since the start of quarantine, there have been moments of energy, exhaustion, hope, despair, and everything in between. I’ve been fortunate to work with some of the most inspiring people you could ever meet.
Some of the musical world’s most seasoned veterans have risen to the occasion to deal with the most difficult circumstances imaginable. Young professionals have moved quickly with vision and insight that bodes well for our ability to grow with an uncertain future.
But we also need to remember those whose livelihoods have been forever changed by the pandemic. Many people in the arts have lost all their work, with little hope of regaining it unless things revert back to the way they were, if that is even possible.
I want this blog to be part of the discussion on how to create genuine solutions and help people to find a way to earn a living in the arts despite continual change and uncertainty.