Anya’s Musings
On the morning of our travel to Santa Fe, I woke up with an uneasy feeling that we had missed our flight. “Our flight is delayed for an hour and half,” said Robert, who was awakened 3 times during the night by American Airlines customer service flight status updates. He continued, “Maybe we shouldn’t go? […]
My husband Rob took me on our first trip to Santa Fe when we were still dating and since then, New Mexico holds a special place in our hearts. It has become a tradition in our family to visit Santa Fe on a regular basis. We love New Mexico with its mind-boggling combination of culture […]
Last year I sold myself at the auction. Not just any auction, the MBAW auction and I sold my solo piano recital and was extremely excited about it. The upcoming performance got my creative juices going and gave me an opportunity to get back to the piano. I started with selecting a beautiful program consisting […]
I have had a controversial relationship with physical activities from early childhood. My mom took me to gymnastics when I turned 3, then to figure skating at 4 and finally piano at 5. For the piano bench my bottom turned out to be a perfect fit but in figure skating my bottom was frustratingly non-cooperative […]
Smirks, glances, funky body movements, family matters and political discussions… subtle changes in facial expressions underlining tiny differences, ever changing, never the same, just like in a good movie… The pose of the restaurant waiter reads: “ I am ready to serve”; an old, disillusioned lonely man with bunch of cigarette butts and a cat […]
When I was a little girl and turned five, my parents took me to a piano teacher at a music school. The teacher tested my rhythm and ear and did not find me to be particularly gifted. My parents were devastated! How was this possible? Both are professional violinists and their little girl did not […]
God created the universe in 6 days! I am creating Musical Bridges’ 16th season and it takes me a LOT longer… I have many colorful elements that have yet to come together. God had to play with Light, Dark, Water, the Firmament you know… and I have to play with the dates available at a […]
“Anton, how many times do I have to tell you to get off the Internet? We need to leave NOW!” Anton is glued to my Mac mesmerized by Richard Strauss’ aria on DigitalConcerts.com sung in perfect German, that Anton very much appreciates. “Mom! Give me a minute; I cannot leave in the middle of the […]
It is five in the afternoon, a gray and chilly day. Outside my window, maintenance people are cleaning the snow, one shovel at a time, synchronizing their movements. Fresh chilly air enters the room through the opening in my balcony; I am resting on my little couch in my cozy little room on the 6th […]
Food is a lot like music; by highlighting ethnic and cultural flavors, food unites people through their senses. I love to cook and consider myself to be a somewhat serious foodie. A big part of any culture is food and musicians love to eat. I would even go further and say they are addicted to […]
The Grinch stole Christmas, but who stole Thanksgiving? Where are the beautiful fall colors, turkey cookie jars and tacky orange pumpkin napkin holders? It is all about Christmas already! Everything is red and green and mighty festive. We are not through with Thanksgiving yet! Wait! Do not rush! Life is already too fast! I am […]
La Boehme, Houston Grand Opera. We just got comfortable in our red velvet seats when a non-costumed individual made his way to the middle of the stage with a mike in his hand. With a very heavily identifiable British accent he said… “Do not worry, I do not have terrible news! I am the Director […]
Music makes everyone happy. A live performance gives us a feeling of a miracle in the making. I just got home from the Awards Ceremony and final recital of the 11th San Antonio International Piano Competition. It was great to see young artists from all over the world recognized by the panel of respected judges […]
Once upon a time there was an artist. It was she and not he as you might think at first. She was very talented, dedicated and brave. She also was very lucky. And she was lucky simply because she was discovered by a famous artists promoter. His name was Stieglitz and he lived in New […]
Wagner’s THE RING stands on its own. There is nothing in the world of the art that it can be measured against! Yes, even Beethoven’s 9th and Mahler’s 5th, even Othello and Boris Godunov shy away from this unprecedented artistic giant. The only wonder of the world I can compare it with is the Great […]