Listen to this short excerpt from one of my recent messages in the Dunedin Music Society's "Weekend Preludes," a new program that keeps communities connected to live music and other fans of music during isolation. http://DunedinMusicSociety.org

Topics include: + Not being an economist + A passion for geology + Composing music based on a passion + Communicating emotions throughout the world Jeffrey Nytch enjoys a diverse career as a composer, educator, performer, and consultant. He is an Associate Professor at The University of Colorado-Boulder, where he has served as Director of the Entrepreneurship Center for Music since 2009, and continues to maintain an active composition career with performances at leading venues throughout the U.S. Nytch is in wide demand as a speaker and scholar, having delivered papers at numerous national and international meetings of artists and entrepreneurs, and is a frequent guest clinician at schools and conservatories nationwide. His book, The Entrepreneurial Muse: Inspiring Your Career in Classical Music was released by Oxford University Press in 2018.

Topics include: * Identity lock down * Metamorphosis for introverts * Music therapy is like a healing ointment * Be aware of the why * Failure is like a commercial before the main event * "The Perfect Wrong Note (https://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Wrong-Note-Learning-Musical/dp/1574671456)" by William Westney   From an early age, Anjoli took up the violin due to her love of listening to Tchaikovsky’s “The Nutcracker.'' Anjoli’s passion for music and the arts led her to be accepted at the prestigious Meadowmount School of Music and study at Shenandoah Conservatory. Throughout her career, she has performed at venues such as: Sandler Center for The Performing Arts, The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and The Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. Most recently in 2020, she participated in the largest online virtual orchestral recording of Mozart's Magic Flute Overture with L.O.V.E. Project 2020. She currently plays First Violin with Symphonicity and has a leadership position on their Board of Directors and Education/Outreach Committee. In addition to music, she has an affinity for music business, law, and hypnosis. She is furthering her education by studying Music Business at Berklee College of Music and with her husband who has his own Hypnotherapy Practice in Virginia Beach, VA.

Topics include: * Pen pals and friends from 6th Grade orchestra * Struggles with an external identity * Photography as a passion * Music is the fabric of our souls * Getting exposed to music through family * Getting through a conversation with the vet * Lyrics or no lyrics? * Hate your job? Quit! http://laurathorneconsulting.com (http://laurathorneconsulting.com) Laura Thorne is the go-to for taking action to achieve Vision. She is a big-picture person with abundant technical ability. She has 25 years of experience in management, executive leadership, creating programs, and helping others navigate goals and achieve more. With a background in science, arts, and business performance, Laura helps business owners and future leaders implement strategies to break free of the status quo and get beyond expectations by focusing on implementation of logic, systems, and processes. It is Laura’s mission to cultivate and promote Role Model Leaders. She uses The Role Model Way™, a framework and philosophy, to deliver highly actionable consulting, facilitation, workshops, and leadership development programs for those who want to make positive impacts in their communities.

Topics include: * Too much time in the mud * Definition of "identity" has changed * Words are too limiting * "You are my sunshine" * Why you should do what scares you * The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch “Music should always be an adventure.” -Coleman Hawkins Mari Hashimoto is a violinist and violist extraordinaire based in Western North Carolina and Upstate South Carolina who lives by C. Hawkins’ famous words. She holds a Master of Music in violin performance and is always seeking adventure in her career through travelling. She has travelled along the American East Coast breathing new life into Classical Music at several venues. She has also performed internationally, her most notable contribution was in the Festwoche Klassischer Musik in Oppenau, Germany. Though Mari mostly performs Classical Music, she continuously pushes her musical bounds by exploring additional instruments and styles into fun, adventurous avenues such as city busking and videos. She is also generous with her knowledge; often devoting her time to teach children how to harness their musical prowess.

Topics include: * Going to see music * Physiological changes through music * "1/10th of 1% of what I studied" * Pursue what you find fascinating * Take what you do seriously, not yourself * Working on a project the FBI took away Jason Heath is the Double Bass Product Manager for Eastman Strings. He also serves on the advisory board of Be Part of the Music, and he is internationally active as a clinician and consultant. Jason is a former of the Board of Directors for the International Society of Bassists and past president of the Illinois chapter of the American String Teachers Association and past orchestra representative for District VII of the Illinois Music Educators Association. Jason is a past faculty member at DePaul University and the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. His former students hold positions in the Lyric Opera of Chicago, Baltimore Symphony, and Philharmonie Sudwestfalen.

Bob Lord is a producer, composer, bassist, and CEO based in Portsmouth NH. In 2015 Bob was named one of Musical America’s “30 Professionals of the Year: Key Influencers," and as CEO of PARMA Recordings his work was nominated in two categories for the 2020 GRAMMY Awards. With Pete Townshend of The Who, Bob co-produced the double album METHOD MUSIC by Lawrence Ball, released in 2012 on Navona Records and hailed by Pitchfork for its “wondrous, rippling, and startlingly tactile music.” Lord is the music producer of WILD SYMPHONY, a symphonic suite composed by the #1 NY Times bestselling author Dan Brown ("The Da Vinci Code") which accompanies the illustrated children's book of the same title. In 1996 Bob co-founded the award-winning group Dreadnaught, described by Relix Magazine as “the country's best 'pure' prog-rock combo." His first full-length album as a solo artist, entitled PLAYLAND ARCADE, will be released in 2020.

Sangeetha Ekambaram is a classical soprano who has performed in both operas and concerts across North America and Europe. She recently sang on a couple of recordings to be released in the Fall of 2020. With a love of local community-building, she enjoys the process of producing collaborative concerts wherever she finds herself. In addition, Sangeetha has studied and performed various multicultural genres of dance and song. These days, she dreams of using her diverse skills to start an ensemble of vocal artists who will create innovative performances and engage the community in sustainable ways. Stay tuned! And for more information, visit www.Sangeetha-ekambaram.com or watch & listen on YouTube at https://spb.buzz/sangeetha

Sean Perrin is the founder of Clarineat.com and the host of the internationally-acclaimed Clarineat Podcast and OK Podcast internet radio shows. He is also an active performer, recording artist, and music educator who lives in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Sean has performed as a substitute clarinetist with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, The Red Deer Symphony, The Bow Valley Chorus, and many other local ensembles. In 2015 he recorded his first solo album called "Dreamsongs" with support from the Alberta Foundation of the Arts, Jazz YYC, and Kickstarter campaign that reached 137% of its funding goal. The project reached #5 on the Canadian Jazz charts on Apple iTunes. Also an accomplished teacher, Sean is on faculty at The Mount Royal University Conservatory, and has worked as a clinician for The Banff Centre, The University of Calgary, the Department of National Defence, and numerous other organizations. In addition to his creative, performing, and teaching work, Sean is the Online Sales and Marketing Coordinator for the world-renowned clarinet manufacturer Backun Musical Services. Sean obtained his Bachelor of Music Performance Degree (BMus) in 2009 from The University of Calgary, where he studied with Steve Amsel.

Sir Edward Elgar wrote a beautiful composition for mezzo-soprano, choir and orchestra that premiered in 1912. It's a setting of the poem "Ode" by Arthur O'Shaughnessy. While in a rare recitation state of mind, I thought you'd enjoy this poem...