Forward!

My 50th birthday is approaching all too quickly, With that in mind, I feel as though I should take an inventory of how I got here. Recently, I met with a good friend and we each shared three pieces from the soundtracks of our lives. We turned that into a podcast episode on YouTube. The three pieces I shared from my personal soundtrack were Tannhauser by Richard Wager, Anton Bruckner’s Symphony No. 8, and Pavarotti singing “Che gelida manina” from La Boheme by Giacomo Puccini.

Yet before all of that, there was Mozart. It’s a bit embarrassing to admit this, but the movie Amadeus is probably the most significant contributor to my musical life, because it was ground zero. I saw the movie at the age of 17 after it had left movie theaters. I was overwhelmed by the way the movie presented the music, and started immersing myself. I had no idea where to start, so I went to the local Fred Meyer and gazed at the Mozart section. A kindly gentleman recommended the Deutsche Grammophon label as I surveyed the classical section in my ignorance. He explained that anything on that label would be pretty good. He was right. I made my selections based on the cover art of the cassette tapes, and lucked out: I got Mozart’s Symphonies Nos. 40 &41 and his Piano Concertos Nos. 21 & 22. From there, I was attracted to the cover art on Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3. Who can resist a cover with a dramatic painting of Napoleon in a red cape?

Working at Tower Records in the ‘90s, at both the Sports Arena and La Jolla locations, solidified my classical music foundation. I was literally being paid to learn about classical music and classical music recordings. I quickly learned that the regulars knew far more about music than I did, and asked one of them where I should start with Wagner. He thought Die Walküre was the sweet spot for getting a grasp on what Wagner is all about and still being able to make it to the end of the opera. He then proceeded to give me a dissertation on Wagnerian singers from between the wars, the ‘40s and ‘50s, the stereo era, and the digital era. Every time I saw one of the regulars I would ask them what they were listening to, and they would tell me, and tell me and tell me and tell me. They’d also mention what they were not listening to anymore. I started to get a feel for how music lovers progressed in their listening habits.

The next significant event was being cast in The San Diego Opera Chorus for Il Trovatore and Lohengrin during the 2000 season. Having been on the retail side of the recording industry, I was now on the performing side of the live production industry. The opera chorus taught me that singing is about more than having the notes. As I stood a few feet away from great opera singers, I started to understand that they were beyond the notes and beyond the text. They were at a point with their technique and preparation that allowed them to express authentic moments of human emotion. I was also on stage with signers who had not reached that point. Over time, it became obvious which singers had it and which didn’t.

A few seasons later, I met Ernie Grimm, formerly of the San Diego Reader. A few years after that, Ernie suggested I submit some stories to the Reader. Now I was seeing classical music through the eyes of an apologist and critic. Starting to write about classical music changed everything. I went to concerts with the understanding that I was going to have to express something in response that was both significant and entertaining. I also needed to express it in a way that made sense, both to someone who was at the concert and someone who was not. I started trying to existentialize the concert experience. Sometimes I failed, but sometimes I succeeded. Just making the attempt revolutionized what music meant to me.

In 2017 I started working on marketing and outreach with The San Diego Mainly Mozart Festival. I was now seeing classical music from the institutional side.

When I watched Amadeus as a 17-year-old, did I have any idea that I would participate in almost every aspect of classical music — from retail to performance to media to administration? I did not. All I knew was that I loved the music. That is the one thing that took me from there to here.