A Musician’s Education
As he was relaxing on the beach at sunset, beer in hand, Gerardo Calderon Garcia was startled when a stranger approached. After a short conversation, the stranger
Tag: musician
Exploring Heritage Through Music
From her childhood, Keiko Araki knew what Taiko drums were. But it wasn’t until she moved to Portland, Oregon, in 2004 and became involved with Portland Taiko that
Pushing Boundaries Through Music
Raúl Gómez Rojas spent his youth learning the violin. Almost every day, he practiced the instrument in his hometown in Costa Rica. Then, at age 24, he found himself
Composing a New Life
A few years into his engineering career at Intel, Balamurali Balu, who goes by Bala, wondered, “Is this really what I want to be doing for the next 30 years […]
Seffarine: Blending Cultures into Music
Lamiae Naki first remembers singing for someone when she was six years old. It was Friday, the holy day of Islam, with shops closed and families home together
Two Homes, One Life of Music
“Mount St Helen’s reminds me of Mount Fuji,” says Fumino Ando, comparing her two beloved homes, “And Mount Fuji reminds me of Mount St Helen’s.”
I Never Thought That Could Be Me
Joe Kye fell in love with music in elementary school. But becoming a career musician was never on the table. After arriving in the U.S.
When I’m Playing, I’m Just Heat
The first time Denzel Mendoza came out as undocumented he was on stage in front of a crowd of strangers. That night, he didn’t just play his trombone,
From Homeless to a Grammy Award Win
For Denzel Mendoza, music has been what ties his life together. Mendoza was born in Singapore in 1996 and the family moved to the U.S. a few years later for […]
Saying “Yes” to Both Career and Family
Three times, Lilia Boteva-Ayzoukian has received a violin. Each time the gift has been a link between, the two most important things in her life:
Around the World Through Music
Every morning, Monday through Saturday, 14-year-old Kim Mai Nguyen woke up at 5:45 a.m. She dashed out the door at 6:20 a.m. to catch the subway. By the end of […]
Performing with a Purpose
Within a matter of months, Joe Kye had gone from teaching English in a high school classroom to playing his music at open mics in local dive bars.
Embrace All Your Cultures
It was her teachers, violinist Inés Voglar says, who gave her the courage to do what she loved the most and to trust that success would follow.
For the Love of Mozart
It’s the late 1980s in Taipei, Taiwan. Every week, four-year-old Ruby Chen ventures with her mother from their storefront apartment to the local Yamaha Piano store