Favorite and Famous Fiddlers UPDATE!!

Introducing: David Garrett, Ann Fontanella, Giora Schmidt, Lucia Micarelli, Jun Sung Ahn

Somebody broke the world record for playing "speed violin". Congratulations to Mr. David Garrett on playing "The Flight of the Bumblebee" in an astoundingly crisp 1:06:56 minutes. He now holds the world record for speed violin in the Guinness Book of World Records.  Let it also be known that he plays an extremely valuable 1716 Stradivarius (original!) violin. Antonio Stradivarius was a master luthier (or maker of instruments), specifically a violin-maker. Some 8 originals still exist in the world and they are worth millions of U.S. dollars. But enough about Strads. Let's talk about David! A child prodigy and virtuoso violinist, David hails from Aachen, Germany (the hometown of other famous persons). He came to America to the Julliard School of Music to further his theoretical studies in musicology and composition (good move, I say). He now tries to make classical music accessible to the masses, by writing rock symphonies and performing around the world with his unique, highly technical and impressive arrangements of popular music. Needless to say, I am impressed.

The next two fiddlers - or violinists, as is the proper term for a classical musician - are also reaching out to a broader community. Ann Fontanella is another young prodigy, though a quite serious and mature young woman who is well studied in music history and exceedingly proficient in her technique. She also branches into composition, with a well-developed structure to her pieces that is faithful to the classical period. Her YouTube Master classes, program notes and demonstrations are quite helpful to the budding virtuosi who scour the Internet looking for how-to's on a difficult passage or inspiration for interpreting a period piece.  Similarly, Giora Schmidt keeps the classical world laughing with his music jokes and rare finds of vintage advertisements for musical instruments and various types of apparatus for improving technique. I follow his Facebook page and find myself doubled over with laughter at each new absurdity and typification. Giora also makes videos to demonstrate to violin students how to produce different sounds, and answers questions about rosin, concert tuning, variations in stylistic expression on a particular piece, and critiques or comparisons of different interpretations of the great masters of violin.

Lucia Micarelli has been a favorite of mine since I heard her gorgeous solo on a Josh Groban song a few years ago. I have tried to learn this solo simply by watching and rewatching the video over and over, and experimenting with my violin. Her expression is exquisite and her affection touching, appropriate to the tenderness of the song.
I heard rumors that she went on tour with rock musicians, playing electric violin. Her classical accomplishments are just as impressive as any great virtuoso who branches out into popular music, fittingly, as it happens.  David Garrett stipulates that any classical musician wanting to play crossover must also be well established in the classical community (so since I began this post with him, I think it only fair to reference his credible opinion), and I think Lucia accomplishes this satisfactorily.

Lastly, I would like to introduce you to Jun Sung Ahn, known online as Jun Curry Ahn [read: Korean]. A violinist from Korea studying at Northwestern University in America, Jun is a talented and creative youngster who likes to make videos of himself covering popular songs on his violin, and blending the parts into the same view, layering his own playing.  He also dances on a team at his University, an outlet also suited to the crossover style, when considered alongside his reputable classical talents.

That's all for now, folks - my next update will tell tales of fiddlers near and far in the folk world. Until then, my friends, keep living well.

Firelight and a Good Book

As the chilly winds start to blow and we'd rather be snuggled up with a cup of hot tea or chocolate when the sun's not shining, "Doctor to the Rescue" is a touching tale to read by firelight.
"Doctor to the Rescue" is another wonderful story from Cheryl Wyatt with something for everyone. Her characters are relatable and each one is dealing with complex emotions and issues, with their own unique personalities that interact in humorous and heartwarming ways.
If you like romance, there are plenty of sigh-worthy moments and little hints along the way to keep the story alive. The romance between Dr. Ian Shupe and Bri Landis feels real, and sometimes raw, as we see the hurts that each person is struggling to overcome and their attraction to each other seems like an obstacle, itself.
Ian's daughter Tia is the key to this piece, not a perfect angel but a little girl struggling just as much if not more than her parents, with real fears, assumptions and insights. Tia truly brings "Doctor to the Rescue" to life in the way that she draws Ian and Bri together and helps each of them to face the toughest struggles of their lives - in a way that only a child can.
Cheryl Wyatt writes military romance, and while that term may sound staid and narrow at first glance, she truly brings the perspective of soldiers to life in the eyes of the women they love and those of their brothers-at-arms. Each story, while interwoven with characters from other books in the series or related series, is a unique snapshot of a couple that come together despite physical, emotional and spiritual battles, and no two stories are remotely the same. I know that I can always expect a great story from her books.

Look for "Doctor to the Rescue" at your local bookstore, Walmart, Target, or shop online at Amazon.com.

Blustery Weather and Being Generous

Just the title of this post evokes images of windblown heather and weathered wooden buildings, cloudy skies and faces red from the cold. It's finally getting chilly in Southern California, and the familiar nostalgia is creeping in along with the cold.  Advent is just beginning, the season of the liturgical year in which we prepare our hearts for the birth of Christ which we will celebrate on December 25th.

Many of us will recall stories of the Christ-Child being born into the world on a cold winter night, in a stable surrounded by simple animals and laid in a manger filled with straw.  Ironic, that a God who is everything and has need of nothing, rich and complete in Himself, would suffer to descend from perfection to our humbled human state, and furthermore to be born into a poor family.  His Love for us is so great that He comes to us as a tiny, vulnerable little baby, in poverty and humility. If this were not enough, he later sacrifices His Life for us on the Cross, and rises from the Dead to secure our salvation. What wondrous love is this, o my soul! 

 I recently watched a film in which a woman's journey with a terminal illness was documented, and I was amazed by her courage and perseverance in the face of such a debilitating disease. She walked, gardened, cooked, and spent hours with her family despite her pain, instead of throwing in the proverbial towel, lying down and waiting to die. Seeing her cheerfulness amid such intense pain, and her determination to do as much as possible, while being honest with her loved ones about her limits, I feel inspired to live in the same spirit.  In the past month, I have seen many wonderful examples of living, even as we are dying, for this world is not forever. There is life beyond the grave, and if we welcome Jesus, our infant King, into our hearts, we can spend it with Him.

This Advent, I am planning on spending more time with God in prayer, and I feel inspired to do more good works, especially since I will not have the obligation of schoolwork in two weeks' time. The usual caroling at nursing homes is always an option, one that I will have the joy of sharing with my choir this year. I also enjoy delivering food to families in the neighborhood who might not be able to afford a Christmas dinner.

However, I feel like doing more this year - when I see advertisements for warm clothing, I think of those who are dressed in rags; those who have no shoes, or shoes too thin to keep out the cold. When I think of what I might like to buy for myself because it would be helpful, I ask myself if I really need it, or if I can give something out of what I already have and buy that item to give to someone who has nothing.  Even if I only have a couple hundred dollars in the bank, I have a place to sleep, clothes to wear and food to eat. Some people do not have these basic luxuries, to say nothing of a loving family. I want to give until it hurts.
Wait a minute, where does it say in the rules of life that I should take care of all my own needs before helping another? You know, I don't think there is such a requirement. Even in my relative poverty, there are incredible numbers of people with far less than I have. I feel that I should share with them, in the spirit of poverty. Our Lord said,"Whatever you do for the least of these brothers of mine, you do it for Me."

So this Christmas, I am going to give baby Jesus a special present. Not something shiny and generic that I bought in a store, but something that I can give, from my heart. First and foremost, that means honoring Him in my life by worship and practice of virtue/avoidance of sin, and next that means loving the poorest of the poor, those who feel unwanted, unloved and alone.  The world may scorn our simple actions, and there may be social norms regarding giving to charities and other public practices of giving "to the less fortunate," but I propose that we be more like a "secret Santa" this Christmas and do something quietly to help someone else, with no reward (not even a tax deduction!) and no strings attached . This will be my Advent mission.