Author Archives: Angela

For those of you following the story of Baset, the young Afghan trumpet player that my husband has been mentoring, it has been a whirlwind of activity for him recently. Baset graduated from Interlochen Academy of the Arts in May, … Continue reading →

“It is not a requiem to console the living. Sometimes it does not even help the dead to sleep soundly.” – The Times There are some pieces in the classical repertoire that are truly monumental, and the chances to perform … Continue reading →

While flipping through my most recent issue of Ploughshares (a journal I subscribe to), I saw the word “Breath” flash past. As someone who uses her breath for a living, I had to see what this was all about. In … Continue reading →

Their lives and circumstances were complex, messy, and wildly imperfect, but their art served as a way to keep going forward, to try to express the fullness of existence. Continue reading →

For those of you who have been following my husband’s work with Baset, a young trumpet player from Afghanistan, I wanted to share the link to the story which aired nationally this past week. We’ve been amazed again and again at the persistence … Continue reading →

I have read a fair amount of musicians’ biographies and memoirs over the years, though not so many recently, as my curiosities and interests often take me far from music. A couple months ago, however, someone recommended to me a … Continue reading →

I just wanted to give my readers a quick update regarding my last post about Baset, a young trumpet player from Afghanistan. His story hit the front page of the Philadelphia Inquirer today, and will be featured on WHYY soon. … Continue reading →

A few years ago, I posted about the helplessness I often feel as a musician in the face of world events. I remember feeling it keenly for the first time as a student in New York.  I don’t remember the … Continue reading →

Sidobre, France is the location of Europe’s largest granite plateau and the site of Peyro Clabado – a place where a large boulder seems to defy gravity in the way it is perched atop a smaller stone. Sidobre was also … Continue reading →

Passion is work/ that retrieves us/ lost stitches. It makes a pattern of us,/ it fastens us/ to sturdier stuff/ no doubt. – Jorie Graham There are some lines of poetry that stop me in my tracks. They feel shot … Continue reading →