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Making Magic
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The sea rises, the light fails, lovers cling to each other, and children cling to us. The moment we cease to hold each other, the moment we break faith with one another, the sea engulfs us and the light goes out.
~ James Baldwin
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I have often said to the orchestra, especially to the younger players, ‘Do your best, and love what you are doing, because you are allowed to do this thing.’ By this I mean, they can do what millions of people cannot do. Many people cannot think of playing music or listening to it until six o’clock in the evening.
To be involved professionally in a thing as creative as this is a great privilege and we have a duty to make it in such a way that we can help bring pleasure and a sense of fulfillment to those who are not so fortunate.
~ Herbert von Karajan
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Susan Sontag first captivated me with her quote:
Never worry about being obsessive…Obsessive people make great art.
Those words changed my entire outlook on my art, and I thank her.
Sontag believed that the ability to speak well, to articulate thoughts clearly and compellingly, was not something innate or natural, but rather a product of isolation.
