A Piece of Harmony

As an artist, creating something of your own can be one of the greatest achievements in your career. But taking a small part in a big project can be a life-changing experience for anyone. One of the benefits of collaborating on a project is sharing experiences with others. I think that most people find happiness and peacefulness through a sense of belonging; they yearn to participate in something bigger than themselves. The best gift is for collaborators to see how their small and seemingly unrelated contributions can all come together in harmony.

I spent the last two days at the famous Omega Studios in Rockville, Maryland. I was recording an opera entitled “Oh My Son” that was written by Marcos Galvany, a Spanish composer. Three years ago, I performed as concertmaster in the world premiere of this opera in Carnegie Hall.

Carnegie Hall! “Oh My Son” was brilliantly conducted by my colleague and friend Michael Rossi. This production required 100 orchestra musicians, 125 chorus members, seven principal singers, one actor and the conductor.

Premiering a piece is a magical experience! Since nobody has performed the piece before, you have a unique opportunity to shape how the piece is understood. Also, you know that your interpretation is the best and unique. ☺

I had an unforgettable bonding experience with the 234 artists that came together to perform this beautiful opera on one of the world’s most famous stages. I reconnected with more than 30 former classmates from Manhattan School of Music and met many new artists. We all bonded by contributing our individual small pieces to make one giant harmony.

We gained more from this production than just beautiful musical harmony. There was also personal harmony among the performers. If we can all find ways to collaborate with others, we can create harmony in the world. Culture can play a significant role in saving us from conflicts.

Marcos will be taking this opera on tour around the globe next year including to the Vatican. I’m glad that people in other parts of the world will experience harmony through culture the way we did at Carnegie Hall.