7 days, 1 extraordinary city.

We were entranced (shocked? dazed?) from the moment we landed - on the bus from the airport into the city, crossing bridges from island to island, barely able to soak in everything this completely new universe has to offer; on the trek over beautiful pedestrian walkway to our hotel; right to the first rambunctious/hot/humid dinner we had, squeezed into a corner table shared with 2 other couples, barely able to fit all our hot-pots and claypots and clams and pork rib broth and giant Blue Girl beers. It was an experience. To say the least.

Hello, Hong Kong. What a welcome.

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What brings me to tears, are still the ordinary magics, tiny moments. Ingrained in my heart. That big Alberta sky, even when you can’t see it. It’s ‘ever changing moods’. The camaraderie of this Windwood family, my own family and their tireless support, welcoming us home after long exhausting impossible days with a table full of steaming hot food. The music, still brings me to tears. The smiles of every individual who might have never made their way to a concert hall. These seeds, necessary to plant, for all beings - at the beginning of life, or end of life, or anywhere in between. The stories that grow. The proof we get to feel in our bones, that through time and perseverance, this musical ecosystem is making some kind of meaning.

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Hello, friends.

Happy New Year.

I hope you have all had some time to rest, to ease back into yourselves, to rediscover the many ordinary extraordinaries that ground you, that bring you peace, joy, warmth. I hope you are still practicing, whatever kindness, patience, forgiveness you most need in this moment. Perhaps, trust. Perhaps, belief. Perhaps, emptiness.

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My first doctoral recital was centered on the words: hope and courage. I think this time around, it’s courage and acceptance.  It’s a personal, vulnerable deep-dive into some of my own darkest moments, and a testament to my growth from acknowledging those pasts.  This concert is about life and death. The dualities. Of suffering and hope. Grief and joy. The extraordinary intensity and dignity of the human pathos, transfused with pain. Courage. And acceptance. The demons that come back. The cyclical nature of pain and grief.”

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