Tuesday, April 19, 2016

Letter to all Hillary and Bernie Supporters


I recently met someone who was on the fence between Bernie and Hillary. I wrote them this email, and in light of recent events, I am inspired to share this with you. 

Let me be very clear that four months ago as you will read, I did not go into any of this with the intention of supporting or proving anything. This has simply been a matter of unbiased discovery for me, uncovering the truth.

My conscience can not continue to allow the truth to remain hidden. I've also discovered that what I've got here is just the tip of the iceberg. If you care about your own future, your children's future, and the Earth's future, please read on! 

" Hi ---------

I'm so glad that we met today. It's wonderful to meet you. I'm also so grateful that we could talk about Bernie Sanders.

I'm an easy going, down to earth, very concrete person. I don't get involved in elections and politics. I don't give hype any mind. I don't really believe almost anything I hear about. This is different. A video I saw four months ago of Hillary Clinton calling African American kids super-predators got me thinking. After 100s of hours of serious research, I know beyond doubt that this is more than an election. This is a matter of future, or no future, maybe even life and death for millions of people. The worst part is I keep meeting people (exactly like me four months ago) who just don't know any of this.

Here is a book that really goes into the issues I touched on and much more. The author Roger Stone is a political operative who worked on 8 presidential elections including with Nixon, Reagan, and Bush. This is completely fact-driven, serious, and more people need to be aware of this before it is too late: Clinton's War on Women http://www.amazon.com/Clintons-War-Women-Roger-Stone/dp/151070678X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1444880915&sr=8-1&keywords=robert+morrow

My research (trying to keep it short):

Environment:

"climate change intensifies natural resource stresses in a way that can increase the likelihood of livelihood devastation, state fragility, human displacement, and mass death."

--- Fracking:


Greenpeace did some amazing undercover fact finding:

--- Racism:

Bernie Sanders:

On Racism:

100% rating from the NAACP

Part of the first ever Civil Rights sit-in in Chicago history, against U of Chicago segregated housing

Obama campaigned for Sanders during his Senate bid in 2006

On Environment:

Sanders plans to ban fracking

"I see a future where getting to work or to school or to the store does not have to cause pollution." Bernie Sanders

Bernie Sander's book, "Outsider in the House":

(I think you can find it for less money somewhere)

There are so many more issues I could delve into here, but I will stick with these two for now. Please let me know when you get this and please share with absolutely anyone and everyone. Also, I'd love to know any questions you have! It will help me drive my research further and find more answers.

I feel a little like someone who suddenly sees clearly, and can't figure out how to reach people, like you, who will change the course of history with your vote. Please consider. The race is too close. There is no time to waste.


Sincerely,

Will "





Monday, November 16, 2015

Before playing in the pit orchestra for South Pacific, Ranger pictured above snuggling my viola!

Monday, November 2, 2015

More Viola!


Check out Michael Hall's list of modern viola compositions, created post 2000. Here are the composers on this page so far:

https://soundcloud.com/michael-viola

James Mobberley
Paul Rudy
Antonio Celso Ribeiro
Luciano Berio
Mara Gibson
Michelle McQuade Dewhirst
Eric Malmquist
Marta Ptaszynska
Tigran Mansurian
Yu Pengfei
Jean Milew


Thank you for this great resource! 

Saturday, October 31, 2015

Showcasing INSTRUMENTS

 Part 2: The Viola

  "The difference between a violin and a viola is that a viola burns longer" - Victor Borge 

Thank you to everyone who shared their favorites with me for this post, many of which I've included. The viola is a magnificent instrument, and I am honored to share some of my favorites for this alto voice, this captivating, emotional, and heart throbbing singer. As always, please feel free to share your favorites! 

 

Reger - Viola Suite in G Minor: IV Molto Vivace 

 



W. A. Mozart - Sinfonia concertante K 364
Bruno Giuranna, viola / Anne-Sophie Mutter, violin


Rubinstein - Camerata Pacifica Sonata Viola & Piano, Op. 49
  




Also, here is a great repertoire of recent viola compositions Michael Hall shared with me. Thank you Michael.

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Showcasing INSTRUMENTS

 

Part 1: The Violin 

"Music isn't just to decorate, it must be truthful"
There is some amazing and heart capturing solo music out there on the violin, viola, or 'cello. I want to share some of my classical favorites. This is part one of a three part post, starting with the violin! Please feel free to add your favorites in the comments section!

Bach - Ciaccona Partita 2 Dm BWV 1004 (Hilary Hahn)

Paganini - Caprices 1, 5, 24 (Itzhak Perlman)

Meditation from Thaïs (Anne-Sophie Mutter) 



Tchaikovsky Concert D Minor 35 (Perlman)

Der Erlkonig (Hahn) 


Vaughan Williams - The Lark Ascending 

Tango (Itzak Perlman)

And many more!

Sunday, October 25, 2015

In Retrospect

I'm looking back over my journal, and I'd like to share an amazing experience I had back on May 29. I was walking down the street, nothing unusual. A man who was mowing his yard said hi, told me he was selling his house. Then another man, stranger, old, breathing smoke from his cigarette, sitting on the stoop where it meets the street, greeted me.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" he asked.
"No" I responded.
"Why not?"
"I don't know, guess I haven't met anyone yet"

"Well" he started to tell me, "You can have the violin making life or the conventional life, but you can't have both." I did a double take, jaw dropped, I'd never met this guy before, but somehow he knew about my ambitions to be a violin maker. 

While a lot of what he told me was very personal and surprisingly accurate, his basic advice rings true for anyone who reads this here, and is worth sharing and repeating. He did not ask me questions, but simply made statements as facts, for me to accept or not. He said that there is this dilemma in my life between the conventional life and my life, that I can't have both, and that I really need to plan: I can't leave it up to fate or luck, and that I need to take the time in my private space to get to know myself "because you don't know yourself as well as you think you do." You need to talk about what is important, but everyone is too impersonal. 

"Know yourself: to thine own self be true" he whispered, exhaling smoke. I wanted to know his name, and asked how he knew all this about me, but he cut me off, standing up saying he had things to do, and had to get back to Pittsburgh. (Ironically, I was born in Pittsburgh) I told him I understand, thanked him for talking, said good bye, and after a couple steps, looked over my shoulder to wave goodbye one last time. I never saw him walk away.

In my mind, I keep going back to the last thing I heard him say, like a ghost the words echo in my mind, and I've started to realize just how very important sharing yourself and what you know is.

"It would be wrong for me to withhold my advice."

Saturday, October 24, 2015

More Happening in Planet Violin!

Major Philadelphia Musical Instruments Auction by Freemans, instruments on view (some to try) November 21 : http://www.freemansauction.com/departme…/musical-instruments Check it out!

Congrats to contestants in the 9th Joseph Joachim International Violin Competition, Hannover, Germany See them play here:
http://www.jjv-hannover.de/de/live
https://www.youtube.com/watch…

Also, group made Viola started by Dwight Brown up for auction to benefit VSA scholarship, ends November 13: http://www.biddingowl.com/Auction/item-detail.cfm?auctionID=5799&ItemID=191624&viewType=1&style=29&font=2&catName=Musical+Instrument Credit goes to Ernie Martell for Templates & prepping the form, Rib Structure: Catalin Quercinola, Top and Back Plates: Christopher Jacoby, Scroll and neck set: James M. Jones, Neck shape: Matthew Noykos, Varnish: Joe Robson, Setup: Matthew Noykos