TMChoir's Jean-Sébastien Vallée on large-choir community exchange; Vania Chan on Music and Mindfulness; "From Up Here" looks at Classical Life in "Zone 10"; Jazz jam etiquette; Esprit has you on the edge of your seat; Women from Space; a full slate of record reviews; all this and more.
BACK STORY“When Music
BACK STORY“When Music Meets Mindfulness”An IntroductionVANIA LIZBETH CHANIwas living in New York, completing mymaster’s degree in classical voice at theManhattan School of Music. Worries aboutbeing successful in my burgeoning careerwere constantly on my mind. Truth be told, Ifelt like a headless chicken. I knew somethingwas off when I missed my bus stop more thanonce, and when I knocked over a bowl of hotsoup in the cafeteria. A mentor of mine toldme that she could feel my energy ten feet infront of me – like I was always grasping forsomething ahead. She was right. My mindwas already in the future – on the professionalartist I wanted to be, not on where, and whoI was at the moment. This was the start of myown personal journey with mindfulness, andthe root of inspiration for this interview series– “When Music Meets Mindfulness.”Many people associate mindfulness withthe practice of meditation – a connectionestablished in Wherever You Go, There YouAre, the best-selling book on “MindfulnessMeditation” by author and renownedresearcher Jon Kabat-Zinn (published in1994). Indeed, meditating by paying attentionto your breath is a natural and basic wayto ignite mindfulness and reconnect withthe present moment. From there, mindfulnesscan blossom into something even moresignificant – making the most out of thepresent moment. Performance demands bothfocus and heightened awareness. We mustbe creatively and emotionally in the presentmoment, whilst executing at high levels oftechnique. In other words, musicianshipchallenges us to be mindful.For this series, I’ve decided to highlightthree key aspects of mindfulness:a calm mind, organized thinking, and thestate of flow.Mindfulness meditation is just one of manymethods, activities and approaches that cancalm the mind. It is utilized to build awarenessthrough focusing energy and attentionon the task at hand. As our focus improves,we also get better at organizing our thoughts.This involves honest self-reflection and disciplinedself-regulation, in order to constructand establish an efficient and consistentprocess of practice and performance. Whenthis detailed “self-work” is accomplished,one can more easily access the “flow” state, inwhich the mind-body connection has beenfinely tuned to the point that performanceseems effortless and spontaneous.It is most often accomplished in retrospectwhen musicians realize the heightenedlevel of focus and awareness they managedto attain and to sustain while absorbed in anactivity they enjoy. Actively engaging withmusic can cultivate mindfulness. In turn, thestate of being mindful can improve the efficacyof musical learning, performance andcreation.“When Music Meets Mindfulness” willshare examples of mindfulness in musicalpractice, performance and collaboration. Ihope that it will inspire positive patterns ofbehaviour, and will encourage everyone tomake mindfulness part of their daily routinesand conversations.The first four interviews feature discussionswith highly accomplished musicians – cellistand author Erika Nielsen, virtuoso pianistChristina Petrowska Quilico, renownedconductor David Fallis, and award winningcomposer Alice Ping Yee Ho.The video recording of the introductionto this series, and of the Erika Nielsen intervieware now available in their entirety on theYouTube channel “Vania Chan Music”.Author and creator of this series, VaniaChan is a lyric coloratura soprano, artistresearcher and educator. Visit her website:www.vaniachan.com to learnmore about upcoming projects.70 | February & March 2025 thewholenote.com
UPCOMINGErika Nielsen (Cellist and Author)The first artist featured in “When MusicMeets Mindfulness” is Erika Nielsen. We meta few years ago, embarking on a journeytogether to perform Handel’s music withthe Rezonance Baroque Ensemble at theBloomington Early Music Festival in Indiana.A versatile artist and educator, her musicianshipspans from Baroque and Classicaltraditions to contemporary popular genres.She is also the author of the bestsellingmemoir, Sound Mind, in which she sharesher discovery of and journey with bipolardisorder, detailing the mindful steps that shetook, day by day, to bring herself to a place ofstability and health. Below are a few excerptsof Erika’s responses during our interview.On achieving a calm mind:What I find most effective for calmingmy mind in any situation is getting into mybody in some form. If I have time for a longeractivity, I love a really long brisk walk in myneighbourhood, or in the park, getting out innature. Getting into my body could also bereally simple…really small… say it’s betweenactivities – between an e-mail and waitingfor a student – I will just drop down into aforward bend, touch my toes, stretch myarms behind my back, take a few breaths,and then just roll to standing a few times. Itreally gets me connected and away from myday. The most important thing being is thatit’s physical. It’s not looking up another thing.It’s not reading another article. It’s not gettingback to a text. I’m really in my body.On organized thought:It’s a well-known phenomenon thatcreating outer calm in our environment hasa direct effect on our inner calm. My embracinga more minimalist approach to living hashad an enormous effect on my focus, feelingrelaxed, and for me personally, just reducingdistractions. I find that when something isout of sight, it’s out of mind. I’ve been greatlyenjoying my life, living overall with just fewerpossessions. I find that just leaves more timefor items that I need, that I love, or that arejust beautiful.I’ve also worked really hard on my “digitalclutter”, and this is a hot topic right now. Ifound an app that works really well for me.It’s called “minimalist phone.” To searchfor an app, one must type it in. There are nocandy-coloured icons to tap on for instantsatisfaction. (She shows me her phone screenwhich only has a simple white backgroundand a column of about seven headings.)On the state of “flow”:There is a specific quote from Erika’s bookthat exemplifies the contentment and trueenjoyment of an artist being fully immersedin the tasks of creating, educating andcollaborating through music. I asked Erika toshare that quote in our interview.“A wonderful part of my work as a musicianand educator is that I have to be physicallypresent and mentally focused to do myjob well. I can’t play the cello while I’m onmy phone or computer. My acoustic instrumentis a low-tech refuge from the deluge ofdigital: I sit down with my stringed maple andspruce box and horsehair-strung Pernambucobow. I read from paper and write in pencil.When I teach I am with my students and theirstringed wooden box, present and listening,face to face, cello to cello. When I’m playingwith an ensemble, I am totally immersedin realizing sound from the notes on thepage in front of me and connecting with mycolleagues.”To learn more about Erika and her bookSound Mind, visit www.celloerika.comWatch the full interview on the YouTubeChannel – Vania Chan MusicDavid Fallis discusses the mindful disciplineof musical analysis. To conduct and guidemusicians, he must first understandthe music, deciphering the composer'sintentions, logic and musical language.Alice Ping Yee Ho reflects on the mindfulconsideration it takes to compose apiece of music. She shares how shehoned her compositional instinct anddeveloped her unique style of writing.Christina Petrowska Quilico covers themindful approaches she applies to herpractice and performance. She creditsher insightful teachers from Juilliardfor imparting this wisdom that shenow shares with her own students.Watch the first interview, with ErikaNielsen, on the YouTube channelVania Chan MusicPAUL ORENSTEIN BO HUANG BO HUANGthewholenote.com February & March 2025 | 71
