The champagne part: with Very Young Composers

10/28

Jon and the Very Young Composers

Mary from Bread and Puppet Theatre is with us all day preparing for their upcoming three-week residence celebrating their 50 years of radical theatre, protest, puppets. And bread.

A neighbor aware of a concert this afternoon and the upcoming B&P residency drops by just to make sure.

Soon enough, our friend Ralph and his Ethel associates are arriving to rehearse for this afternoon’s concert with Jon and his Very Young Composers. Due to contractual agreements with the Brooklyn Academy of Music where Ethel just had a weekend of concerts, they cannot perform as nor could we advertise the appearance as Ethel, so for today, they are appearing as maSQuE, a great name for Halloween week. (The embedded SQE for String Quartet Ethel, of course.) For more about Ethel see http://www.ethelcentral.org/

Jon arrives soon with his VYC’s. They have immersed themselves in the music of Ethel. Experienced their rehearsal and preparation process and written compositions that Ethel will perform. And the compositions are all reflections on the theme of homelessness. The VYC’s, ranging from 10 to 14, come from a variety of backgrounds, some not too far removed from the experience themselves.  Some have begun as young as 8 years old.

Before the concert begins, Ralph does an introduction.  The New York Philharmonic is represented too. And it is part of the introduction to make clear that during these supposedly halcyon days of the Bloomberg administration, the number of homeless in New York City has doubled.  As each Young Composers’ piece is performed, Jon directs and has the composer join him on the podium.

Jon also includes a piece from one of  the Venezuelan young composers he met in his work with El Sistema, the social project through music created by Jose Antonio Abreu. (Perhaps best known  for  current LA Philharmonic director Gustavo Dudamel.) 

Jon and composers

And having earlier played two of their own pieces, maSQuE finishes with their Arrival from Nepomuk’s dances….their bring the audience to their feet encore from BAM. Arrival is from their work with young Native American composers in the Southwest.  And the search to find, reconnect, with the composer continues.

This concert was a living example of what we are trying to create through the Center, what this place is all about. And for me, it's the champagne part, the part that keeps me going. Without which....Not sure why it's so hard to understand

Amanda has brought Amelia and Jen. Amelia to see children not much older than she is and see what can be done.  Amelia goes off with Jen. Amanda and I to my good priest friend’s 70^th birthday party. The night will end playing with and for friends at 78 Below.

A great afternoon

All other concerns set aside for the day.

The corner to be turned comes into view

9/9

The greatest joy yesterday was seeing Rachel in church under her own power. John R walked her home after services. 

A man asks if he can come in and pray. Hours later, he’s laid out, asleep in the pew.

The day begins with a visit from my friend Jon D. Former second chair bass player for the New York Philharmonic. Back from his work with El Sistema in Venezuela. That Freierian inspired music project founded by Jose Abreu that has produced musicians like Gustavo Dudamel, conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.  We get Martin on the phone and talk about an exciting potential collaboration between Jon’s Very Young Composers’ program and Noche Flamenca. An idea begins to take form. Jon is also interested in working with Ethel who have just returned from their summer break. This is exactly what the center is supposed ti be about. 

A crew comes over from Barney Greengrass to borrow our long tables. It’s become an annual tradition as they prepare to face their annual avalanche of orders for the Yom Kippur breakfast that comes at the end of the week and people from the tribe all over the country ordering sable, lox and sturgeon from Barney to mark the end of the fast. The truck is there, ready for loading. 

We meet with Henry and Naomi from Presbytery’s Ministry and Nurture Committee to fill them in on our total strategy and pending lease. They are very impressed. Feel we’ve moved ahead light years since we first met and even since last February. The deal we have now is  far superior to what we had then. We maintain control of the building. Wind up with spaces developed for rehearsals and studios. Just like we planned. We talk again of our vision of everything working together. How it’s already happening. We mention the comedian Dion’s coming to services yesterday.

They’re a good pair: Naomi a classic church elder from 5th Avenue, Henry a feisty pastor from Queens who’s been through the mill and knows what the cost can be. They get it. They’re with us. Will give us their  support in the all important upcoming Presbytery meeting. Now of only we can have the same kind of success with the Trustees tonight.

Outside one of the holiness guys is hanging out with a man in a wheel chair. (Not Sean) he calls out, Hey, hey, he wants to know, are you the Pastor? I answer, Yes, I am. 

Stephen and Cara are in. Stephen to talk strategy about that Trustees meeting.

David S deeply involved in an electrical project.

Two young Koreans are in. Back, I should say. Still looking to lease the entire building. It’s been months since their last visit. They've managed to raise up some serious money. And are surprised when we tell them we are almost ready to roll with another project. They were convinced that if they could just raise enough, all would be well. God’s plan. Not so simple. Nothing like downcast bright shining faces.

Of to a reading of Ludovica’s latest play.

Later, Jamie, Stephen and I go to the B to celebrate our outcome with the Trustees. Hard to believe the turn around. We face the possibility in  a month or so of actually being able to not just hang on but to  begin moving forward. To have achieved stability. And an opportunity....Can we shift our mind set, our way of looking  at things? Can we believe in possibility? A Do the hard work necessary? It’s been a very long time. It’s taken a lot of hard work. We never count our chickens before they’re hatched. But....I’m ready.

And ready to finish up my work and head down to 78 Below where I’ll meet son Dan and do a few songs. 

It's been a long day

7/11

Final Analysis: the Play

Over coffee, I hear a report from Jon on his recent work with El Sistema in Venezuela. Hoping to bring a touch of that Freirian music project to West-Park, hopefully in collaboration with Martin and Noche. And now possibly Ethel. I hope when Martin gets back to get them together. 

Jane and I meet. We talk about that Times op ed on the gospel according to me. (http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/29/the-gospel-according-to-me/) That temptations to self-absorbtion that is always there in new religious movements. Jane's rootedness  in the black church will always be a vaccine for her, protecting her from any new age ethereal spirituality. Something in the  black church keeps her grounded, uncertain as the future may be. She’s been through Presbyterian, African Methodist Episcopal , United Church of Christ. She knows where of she speaks when she sees the same death cycle that I see. She’s fresh back from a visit to Chautauqua, that bastion of open minded liberal whiteness. Where new ideas are carefully considered, explored in dialogue, carefully considered. The best (and worst) of that culture. Admirable. Important. and very, very white. And despite best efforts, so it will be. 

Marie is a friend of Glen’s. She’s in theatre. She’s a mother. She’s a producer. I give her the whole tour. Top to bottom. Bottom to top. We finish in the Papp theatre. She has lots of questions. And even more ideas.  I’m never sure. But we’ll see where this might go. 

Phone conversation with Tara, talking through a September wedding. She’d been a guest at a  previous wedding I performed. Turkish and German, as I recall. Another Tara. This one will be simpler.

Skyping with my son Micah in Berlin. So strange to be immediately hooked up visually with someone a half world away. And Jeremy’s there visiting.

A Spanish-speakimng  woman has come in. Asked for classes we don’t have. Like helping her child to learn to speak English. She turned to Danielle. who’s spending the summer learning Spanish, asks her, will you help? and without hesitation, Danielle answers yes. 

I go with RL to visit Harvey. He brings a newspaper for current events. Harvey’s almost done with an old Nero Wolfe trilogy. Even in the  Kateri residence, her keen mind is always right there. I enjoy not only their emotional connection, but the clear incisive meeting of mind and wit.  They are both engaged in an intelligent and informed dialogue with the world around them with enough biting humor to keep both of them alert and alive. 

Ludovica is celebrating having raised enough  money to take her Final Analysis play to 42nd Street. It makes me feel happy to have provided the place for the play to come together last summer. . Glad to have helped them give birth. ( http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1318667716/help-move-final-analysis-to-pershing-square-signat) 

It’s been a long day.

And for that I am thankful

1/8

Early Saturday morning we gather. Marsha, Leila, Arcadia, Stephen and I. To prepare for tomorrow’s congregational meeting. We have decided. We are clear. The sale of the manse must move forward. Extended phone calls are needed to convince our agent yes we need a contract and we need it now...

The sounds of Ethel continue to inspire and comfort me....

In the chapel, I keep hearing sounds. I ask Mitchell of it’s someone connected with Noche. He tells me no. I look in and it’s Beard Papa who has somehow gained entrance and is playing the same scales over and over and over again.  I make a mental note of this and return to my meeting. 

Later I connect with Martin. He tells me he has escorted Beard Papa out of the building. I tell him about my breakfast meeting with Jon Deak of the  New York Philharmonic and his Very Young Composers program in conjunction with el Sistema in Venezuela. Jon is heading there on Sunday. He’s finally persuaded el viejo, Jose Antonio Abreu, founder of El Sistema to recognize the music of the streets and the people as material for his very young composers and their work. Only by being open to the music of the people does the program try to  begin to live up to its Freirian principles. 

What Jon wants is an opportunity  to have his young composers work in collaboration with one of our West-Park house  members . Noche is the most logical. I am excited when Martin tells me he would be honored  to work with Jon. It would be our first event to be geared to younger people and their families. 

Soon enough I have to leave to check in at the home Rev. Dick Leonard. He’s opened his apartment for one of the growing  phenomena of house concerts. This one with my friend Beppe and the artist Catarina.. It will benefit West-Park and for that I am thankful.  I can only be there briefly before heading to a wedding. A Jewish -Latino wedding. (A long road but we seem to be moving back towards Andalusia....)

The doorways are filling as I head home. 

Hurricanes, marriages, music

4/20

Up early. 7:45 am in fact. Meeting Thia Reggio of Presbyterian Disaster Assistance at the church to get a load of supplies together to send to Broad Channel for Sandy Relief. Probably our last load.  Stephen helping too, with Jay supplying the muscle.

Then coffee with Jon, the retired bass player from the Philharmonic who’s been working with El Sistema, the music project in Venezuela that produced Gustavo Dudamel and the Bolivarian Youth Orchestra. We talk about the current volatile political  situation in Venezuela and it’s impact on the program. The fact that Chavez had been so supportive made it suspect in a lot of North American eyes. We talk about how it could be brought closer to a true Freirian model and begin to use not only classical music but everything culturally in the air around  the students. Jon’s special program is called Very Young Composers. He’s anxious to schedule an event for the fall at West-Park to begin exploring collaboration with the Center. I have no idea how it would work out, but think immediately of Martin because their approach to art and learning is so similar.

Talk with an American Jewish and Colombian Catholic couple about their upcoming marriage. Late in the day, I’ll marry an Argentine-Chinese couple. This is the world we are living in.

Between these two marriage appointments, I pass back through the church. Danielle is working on bringing more order to  the office to get ready for phase two of our spring cleaning project. Martin’s workshop is in full swing, or should I say full flamenco, and Frog & Peach is on break in their final two days of rehearsal here. I walk up the street with Ted Z who once shared F&P with Lynnea but now has his own unlikely country and western music career going. But what we talk about is real estate.  

A message comes from Thia that the  folks at Christ by the Sea Presbyterian, our worst hit  Presbyterian Church, was the thankful recipient of our supplies. They’re only now getting able to receive and handle  relief supplies four months later. 

After the wedding in breezy, cool but sunny Battery Park, I meet Jeremy at the Firehouse to talk music and watch the Nets take out the Bulls in the first round of NBA playoffs.

After the game, it’s late. F&P is just finishing up. There are noises outside on the steps but I let it go, since I’m working on my sermon. Jay stops by just to check in to see what's going on. Later still, I’m startled by Marc and discover I’d fallen asleep at the computer. Time to finish the sermon and head home. 

It's in the Book now

9/26

My friend Jon, former bass player with the New York Philharmonic comes in to talk about his ongoing Very Young Composers’ project working with young people, now in 8 countries. The work in Finland with it’s strong civic commitment to music education is going extremely well. But most of our talk is about El Sistema in Venezuela. A program where music is a door to social change,transformation,  producing musicians like Gustavo Dudamel, now music director  of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Founded by Jose Antonio Abreu, known as el viejo....the old man, it's a somewhat awkward combination of Freirian educational theory and a rigorous classics driven discipline. Jon has worked with them on the  idea of opening to their own culture’s music, not in a folkloric way, but as material, inspiration, for new creation. When I tell Jon about Zeljko’s dream project, he smiles and says I’ve had three of them: to be a good musician, to be a composer myself, and now to help others write the music that is inside them. 

Jon is excited by what he sees happening here.

My meeting with my intern Kimberley this week focuses, as it has to, on the upcoming advance screening of Zeljko’s movie. Steven joins us as we divide up assignments, plot out a strategy to get the word out. Karen comes in, sees we are meeting, and goes to the chapel to play instead. I hear her music coming from there. 

The rest of this day will go to my efforts to prepare a report for our meeting with Presbytery people tomorrow.  It still feels like trying to play poker with an empty hand. But Jamie is keeping the conversation going with Space Works and helps me think the whole report through. I find a way to start with the positive and build from there.  

Still, it takes until early evening to finish. Danielle hanging in until we’re done. As I head  to the copy shop, Boxer Mike waves from a street corner. The prophet is there with his woven basket as I leave. I’ve got copies, covers. Ready.

Today is Yom Kippur. Holiest day of the Jewish year. The Day of Atonement.  Neighbors are fasting. The book is closing. If I only knew what fate was sealed for another year.

9/27

Hope is there when I get to the church with coffee and is preparing the table. Teddy looks in to see if we’ve got everything we need. And we need a few more lights on. Next door, Gary Greengrass is happy to contribute a dozen mixed bagels to the cause.

Soon our friends from Presbytery arrive. And this iteration, they do feel like friends. They ask hard questions, for sure. Make us focus on what is needed. But always while seeking  to be supportive and wanting our vision of ministry  to succeed. Talking about our disappointments is hard, but necessary. It does show how close we were, the cause for the delays. And that we immediately jumped back in. That it’s the timing that’s off. And that Jamie is on board to handle the real estate part of this and also keep the money reality in front of us.Her involvement seriously adds to our credibility. The meeting takes most of the morning. 

Martin comes in as we’re breaking up and I introduce him. I had explained that their presence has added to our life. We need to meet, but he’s got to get to the theatre. 

Trying to wrap things up with Danielle. Marc wants me to check something out related to recording my sermons. I go down to his workshop. Tell him I’ve got to hustle because I’d won tickets to the opening gala for the Philharmonic. Who am I going with? Didn’t have time to ask anyone. So I invite Marc to meet me there. Itzahk Perlman on the program. Got to run. 

Speakeasy afternoon

6/24

Breakfast with Marsha and Amanda discussing Gala plans. Back at the church, it’s clear that Human Being has spent the night again, though he’s not here. Stephen is in making last minute  plans for tomorrow’s first opening of the speakeasy. All of us working on the wrap up of the concert series.

6/25

Beautiful Saturday afternoon. At 4 PM, I come to the church for the opening of Woodshed's speakeasy. Last minute preparations still underway. Jon Deak from the Philaharmonic comes and we go out to the backyard with its little tables and chairs. Its the first time this backyard has been used for anything for over 10 years. It’s sunny with a little breeze. Andrea comes and joins us and I get a couple of cold Brooklyn  Summer’s for Jon and I.  

He tells us all about their trip to Venezuela, thier work with El Sistema, music as a means to saving children’s lives, their awakening awareness of their own intrinsic value as human beings, their becoming the subjects of their own history. And how much my son Micah contributed to the  experience. The continued craziness of Caracas. And how Jon would like to see this same program happen here. As do I, right here, at the Centre. 

More and more people are starting to come. John Hudson joins us. The young and hip from Brooklyn on safari to the gentrified Upper West Side.  I marvel that John has been our connection to that world.  Happened because Stephen was Titania in John’s Dark Lady Players’ production of Midsummer Night’s Dream. 

There’s an older man near me. John Mage, of the Monthly Review. Lives across the street at the Belnord. The conversation begins with a semi-uncomfortable review of the whole landmarks process. When I see how we lost hard core left allies on that one, I think again how important it is to maintain control of the narrative.  And then it turns out that John is friends of my organizer friend Mark Stansbury from Columbus, Ohio and his long time activist parents, Les and Marge. That Mark stays with him when he comes to the city. (Where he worships with us.) We talk about the history of the Belnord, the rent struggles. The divsion between  the long time residents, old lefties and psychiatrists and musicians and the new hedgefunders. And of course Matt Damon. How are we going to connect with the people there?  A continuing question...

John’s nephew asks if he can try the piano. Amanda and I go with him. He can’t believe the richness of the sound. He’s finished a new song. He shares his. Amanda plays one of hers. She asks him if he’s a church kid. He says no, but that he loves playing gospel, loves playing in churches. And he heats up the keys with a gospel riff. 

in the backyard

Back outside, the grill has been fired up. Veggie burgers being cooked. Fresh potato salad and cole slaw on the table. We sit back, cold white wine. It’s getting near evening. Nearly perfect.