I hereby award Sergio Bosi the Mr. Nice Guy Award! When I arrived at my dorm at CalState Northridge for ClarinetFest 2011, I had a heavy suitcase (full of CDs, music, etc…,) my clarinet case, and the usual carry-on with laptop, purse, etc…. My assigned room was on the second floor and there were no elevators, so I decided to leave the big bag at the bottom of the steep stairs while I went up, found my room and dropped off everything else. When I returned to deal with the big bag, to my surprise and delight, it was at the top of the stairs! There was no one to be seen. I decided that either I was in Hogwarts, or there was a nice person in the vicinity. I checked out both alternatives, and a couple days later when I asked Sergio Bosi if he might have been the person who did that lovely deed, he blushed. Aha! He gets the Mr. Nice Guy Award—for helping out when no one is looking.
I made sure I went to hear him play, and his Thursday, August 4th recital was beautiful! The phrasing was elegant, technique impeccable, and the musical intention clear and heartfelt. Molto bene, Signor Bosi, y grazi!!
On July 12, 2011, during summer travels, I stopped in Klamath Falls, Oregon to see our dear friend June Kirlin, composer, pianist and organist.
This amazing woman wrote four beautiful works for Camerata Caribe (see my Annotated Bibliography in Writings) and is now 101 years old!!!!! Our visit was so wonderful—among her imparted wisdom was that really great musicians know how much they don’t know, and are therefore humble.
Here she is with me, and her darling little dog, Jackie.
So how does a family that lives on a beautiful tropical island spend the Christmas holidays?
Here we are on December 27, 2010, at my father-in-law’s house in Connecticut, digging out our rental car from some of the snow drifts that blanketed the east coast.
¡Felicidades, from Kathy, Patrick, Paul and Shannon Cleary!
The Centro Empresarial para Músicos CulturArte (CEMCA) is a two-year-old office in the CMPR, funded by a donation from Guillermo Martinez’s CulturArte, for the benefit of students and other musicians who want to learn more about business opportunities in the field. Ably staffed by Jorge Flynn and Taviana Nevares, the office has been very successful in implementing its mission.
CEMCA’s opening conference was given a year and a half ago by Michael Drapkin, who graciously also gave the clarinet studio a master class.
The Clarineteros, after the Michael Drapkin master class, April 2, 2009. From left to right, front row: Elizabeth Cintrón, Edanette Tirado, Viangi Sanabria, Krystle Torres, Yurina Berrios, Maria Ivelisse Ortiz, Erika Silva; back row: Jubal Rosado, René Santos, Eric Flores, Kathleen Jones, Jesuet González, Michael Drapkin, Freddie Ramos, Luis Flores. Thanks for the photo, Yurina!)
Among Michael’s memorable comments were: “If you don’t know where you’re going, every road will take you there,” relating Henry Kissinger’s remark about Jimmy Carter’s foreign policy to musical phrasing. And, “In the orchestra, you play louder until told to play softer.” It was a great class, and included bass clarinet excerpts—a first for the CMPR! Thanks, again, Michael!
Kathy and Elias Lopez Soba, March 7, 2010, after the Casals Festival concert. Elias Lopez, a former music director of the Festival, was the person who called Kathy on August 7, 1975, offering her a “one-year-job”. Kathy is telling him “It’s been a long year!”
My sister Evelyn Williams, President of Annuities West, Inc., with me at New York, New York Hotel in Las Vegas, ready to head over to the Tenth Latin Grammy Awards ceremony on November 5, 2009. Around my neck is a sash knitted in the colors of the Puerto Rican flag, which my other sister, Donna Onat, a fine oboist, made for me. My sisters have always been there for me!!
Evie has just opened a website with some of her writings (like “The Blessings of Dementia”, about our mom) and would welcome your visit at www.wiseelder.com.
