Archive
Last Sunday, Robert and I went to the McNay Art Museum to see the Andy Warhol exhibit. The weather was beautiful and we were looking forward to being back at the McNay. What a charming museum we have! The grounds were well-groomed and modern sculptures completed the idyllic picture of a beautiful garden. Did you […]
Imagine… You type San Antonio Symphony into a search window, and…WOW! An international world of music opens in front of you! Recordings on world famous labels! A busy touring schedule under the button of the brilliant Sebastian Lang-Lessing! Performances with premier soloists like Martha Argerich, Eugene Kissin, Lang Lang, Joshua Bell… all possible concert halls…Vienna Musikverein! […]
My 50th birthday present exceeded my wildest expectations…I got a Giraffe!!! No, Robert didn’t give me a real one – but an abstract one instead. He is tall and handsome and borne out of the tree root that was stuck in the way of the sewer line in the artist’s backyard. When I look at […]
“Marik… go practice your violin” ….engraved in my childhood memory. He was born on a calm, summer night with the sounds of Paganini concerto No. 1 on the radio. His fate was decided – he will be a great violinist! I was at summer camp and met this new addition to our family when he […]
Violin is probably the closest instrument to the human voice. Violin vibrato makes our inner selves vibrate along with every thought of the musician. Violin reaches the deepest corners of our beings and makes us cry, makes the hair on the back of our necks stand up and makes us shiver from pure physical pleasure. […]
Since I just turned 50, I decided that it is a good time to start my bucket list. I’m looking at things realistically and ideas like becoming a tall blond, having a few more kids and getting a culinary degree from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris do not seem to be relevant anymore so… out […]
Anya, there is a wrong note on the left hand… play it again… It all started with the simple question to my husband – what shall I learn for a HAPPY NEW YEAR video? It has to be something short, flashy and very, very happy. “Bumblebee”, Robert said, without thinking twice. “What a fresh idea!” […]
Every year before New Year’s Eve I like to reflect on my life. I decided to dedicate this blog to Musical Bridges Around the World. We will celebrate our 15th Anniversary in 2012. Vladimir Bochkarev, Anya’s former piano professor In 1998, I was working at UTSA as a staff accompanist not really liking the job […]
To me, the Holiday Season is all about giving. It feels good to give and we give in any way we can. We volunteer; we put countless working hours in; we give money to charities and presents to family and friends. Overall, we are satisfied with our share of giving and we feel warm and […]
It is Saturday and I am dividing my day between piano practicing and finalizing the itinerary for upcoming concerts. I have taken care of the airfare and hotel reservations for Musical Bridges guest artists; scheduled rehearsal times; arranged meals; coordinated the delivery and pick up of dancing floors; scheduled the moving and tuning of pianos; […]
I heard about Nobuyuki at the same time I heard the shocking news that NO Russian pianists took prizes during the 2009 Van Cliburn Competition. Really? Sad me… what about our unbeatable Russian piano schools? How was it possible? If not Russians, then WHO WERE THEY? And THEY were three fantastic Asians. Thanks to Arts […]
I still vividly remember landing at JFK airport on December 29, 1989. My son, Arseni, was 6 years old and this was his first flight. His ears bothered him during the descent and he was extremely cranky. We were armed with two suitcases, my Russian-style fur coat, three English words and an attitude that we […]
Does the word MINIMALISM scare the heck out of you? I will save you time and go to Wikipedia: The term “minimalist” is often applied colloquially to designate anything, which is spare or stripped to its essentials. Well, let me tell you how it makes me feel… A few weeks ago, the three girls from […]
I met my husband, Robert, on Match.com. On our first date, we brought each other a musical present. He brought me a CD of Russian jazz pianists and I brought him a brochure from the Cactus Pear Music Festival. We both knew right away that this was a match made in heaven… We use to […]
I am a big fan of 88.3 KPAC Classical Radio Station. Every time I drive, I turn it on with the anticipation of hearing something spectacular. If I hear piano playing with enormous expressiveness, I know…this is Martha. If the piano music sounds like there are a few good men playing simultaneously on many pianos…this […]