Composercharles, 56

I guess, since I’m a classical based musician, I’m naturally proud and passionate about it. The whole thing started when I was in the children’s chorus of the Metropolitan Opera and I was smitten ever since.

Although I have a lot of friends and colleagues in this profession, and have worked with amazing groups like the Cincinnati Symphony and LSO, I still feel a little unnoticed outside my community. Most people I meet seem to appreciate this classical genre and are genuinely interested in it, but there still is an overall feeling of isolation.

Part of what I do through my work in the Arts is to give a little nibble so that people might subsequently want the feast. Granted, I’ve had wonderful moments when the people I’ve influenced were engaged and enthusiastic about it, but there is still more work to do. And I try to do it enthusiastically, yet benevolently.

Admittedly, composers like Beethoven, Mahler or Stravinsky don’t work that well as background music in a pub or restaurant. I wish it did. But it’s very inconsistent as it fluctuates in tempo, dynamics, orchestration, timbre, etc. It’s meant to be listened to more directly. Otherwise it just sounds like noise. Believe me, I tried listening to Stravinsky’s ‘Rite of Spring’ in a bar in Brooklyn. Not something I want to do everyday.

Nonetheless, this is the genre we love and have given our lives to. And we will continue to live for it!