Why do you choose to work and live in Philadelphia? In your experience, what makes this arts scene distinctive?
I was born and raised in Philadelphia. I attended public schools in West Philadelphia in the 1960s and 70s at a time when musical training sustained an extremely high level of excellence. Often, we’d receive one-on-one mentoring by members of the Philadelphia Orchestra and by other unsung musical genius mentors like conductor and clarinetist Burdis Coleman or violinist and conductor Angelo Frascarelli. Once I went away to college, I found that Philly public school training had actually over-prepared us for college, from orchestra rehearsals to classroom theory. The legacy of the training and special quality of Philadelphia artists is with me always, and I love the feeling of striving to live up to such a rich history of incredible music-making.
What quality do you most admire in another artist?
An ability to make me lean forward and listen, or to make me want to dance, or to make me experience the world in a different way, to make me ask questions about myself or about things I have yet to understand.
What music are you listening to, and/or which books are on your bedside table?
Music of the late, great pianist Geri Allen; East Indian music; Flamenco and Tango music of Diego Cigala; Bela Bartok; Afro-Cuban music; and the music of any new composer (of any genre) I’m interested in at the time. Books on the history of African presence in early western Europe; Edgar Cayce; Chinese Tonic and North American Herbs; The Music of Life by Sufi master Hazrat Inayat Khan; and the poets Rumi and Hafiz.
In reflecting back to the beginning of your career, what is the most useful advice you ever received?
Master teacher and violist Karen Tuttle once told me to play the violin like I played my guitar. She wasn’t being literal, but she was trying to teach me to relax and be comfortable with my instrument. I felt completely at home with the guitar, unfettered and unbound, but didn’t realize I could feel the same with the violin. It just takes a hell of a lot of work. Tuttle said to dance with it, to play it with ease, and to allow the body to be an unencumbered vessel for utmost expression.
I was blessed with three amazing women mentors. Along with Karen Tuttle, I credit the extraordinary Eurhythmics artist and Dalcroze protégé Inda Howland, gifted vocalist and pianist Rachel Adonaylo, and all who embodied philosophy, teachings, and extraordinary musicianship similar to that of the legendary cellist Pablo Casals. But the most direct advice came from my own mother, who said and continues to say, “Play it the way you feel it.”