I'm absolutely in love with the charm, the pace of life, and the cobblestoned streets of France and I could totally get used to eating bread, cheese, and wine all day! Next stop: Amsterdam, I leave tomorrow. Wish me luck :)
I have spent the last two weeks in France and it has been lovely! The short version of the story is that I spent a week walking around Paris and checking out a whole bunch of beautiful buildings, waltzing through gardens, sneaking into the occasional museum, strolling through cemeteries, galleries, scoping out anything Victor Hugo related (his house, church, grave, and favourite garden - the Luxembourg), and sitting on many terraces sipping the various liquids of the day (coffee, beer, wine). Then I took an invitation to Nantes and visited the West coast of France. I got to see the ocean, several castles, a giant steampunk mechanical elephant, a Timber Timbre concert, medieval towns and several more awesome terraces, cafes, and ancient pubs.
I'm absolutely in love with the charm, the pace of life, and the cobblestoned streets of France and I could totally get used to eating bread, cheese, and wine all day! Next stop: Amsterdam, I leave tomorrow. Wish me luck :)
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I had SO MUCH FUN playing my cello around Vancouver parks this summer! Here are a few videos, pictures, and recordings from friends and listeners..... Thank you Eric, Yvonne, Lolli, Luis, Scott, and Markie for documenting the summer!
Download Pacific Rain for free or by donation here: sidewalkcellist.bandcamp.com/track/pacific-rain-3Download Cirque for free or by donation here:
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Timothy recorded his drum tracks in Portland (sadly he and his lovely wife are no longer in Canada), and with the magic of the internet, sent the files up north for our listening pleasure. Alexis and I had a lovely evening sipping wine and comp-ing the drum tracks, "Lights in the Dark" was starting to come alive.... |
Before I sign off, I want to take a moment to thank all of the lovely people that helped me write the grant to make this song a reality. Alexis Douglas has been an inspiration and a huge driving force from day one - her energy and spirit are out of this world. My friends and colleagues Ruth Cornish, Rodney DeCroo, and Timothy Van Cleave believed in me enough to write letters of reference, as did friend and radio DJ Gabriel Munro, which undoubtedly played a huge role in securing this funding.
As a budding French student, and as a Canadian desiring the ongoing unity of our country, I wanted to include some French lyrics in this song. My very dear friends Alexis and Sarah from Montreal helped me translate the chorus into French and I got a little help squeezing in all of the syllables (as in leaving out some syllables) from Jean-Michel.
I had initially hoped to include Alyssa Stevenson (flute), Anita Eccleston (trumpet), and Theo Kraulis (electronic producer) on this track but the reality was that we had to simplify the initial intention to finish everything by the FACTOR deadline. I think you'll like it....
I'd like to sign off on this blog by sharing the lyrics from "Lights in the Dark"....
it ain't wise to keep it close
If we kick up our inner embers,
that fire better be for light
How big is your sky?
Can you cradle it in your eye?
Can you seek your peaks and valleys
with a smile deep inside....?
Time can make anything crumble
There are lights we can only see in the dark
Even the mountains were young once
Only a fraction of what was still is
I was drawn to the darkness,
in spite of myself
Don't touch it -
clouds burst into harder things
For nothing cleaves a mountain's sides
like time and sky's watery eyes
There may be more existence
then we will ever find.....
Tout peut s’effondrer avec le temps
Il y a des lumières qu’on ne voit que dans le noir
Même les montagnes ont été jeunes
Qu’une fraction de ce qui était, l’est encore
This recording was made possible in part by the Foundation Assisting Canadian Talent on Recordings (#FACTORfunded) and the Government of Canada.
Ce projet a été rendu possible en partie grâce au Fondation Assisting Canadian Talent on Recordings ( #FACTORfunded ) et le gouvernement du Canada.
I am very happy in this moment, floating on water between two worlds - the serenity of island life ahead with the hustle of the city drifting in my wake. I've just about got it all: a hot cup of coffee, a bustling mind palace, lessons for learning, ideas for musing and very few worries beyond not having enough time...
I never have enough time... It is so easy to get caught up in all of the city's distractions and with so much to see and do, it's impossible to get everything done. All we ever have is this moment, and I cherish having the space and distance to pause and reflect.
July 13, 2016
It has been a whirlwind and somehow several days have passed at the Sidewalk Hermit Cellist annual retreat. I have been practicing a lot of Bach, catching up on my practicing (cello, yoga, and French), and ending a several-month-long-procrastination of some computer work. I've also reunited with my addiction for the Daily Show, featuring the comedian Trevor Noah who recently hosted Terry McMillan. She said something very beautiful and inspiring:
"Tell the truth... do it with humor, and do it with gusto"
This has become my new mantra whenever I am playing my cello, especially for Bach. I have had the house to myself for a few hours over the last couple days and I have been recording little bits and pieces of the Bach cello suites. I'll probably upload a few of them to share... Check my band camp page in a few days or give me a poke, I'll send you the link :)
Now that I've been three times, settling in is very easy.... Besides, life in Phnom Penh is out of this world: Linda (my musical partner-in-crime) and I make our coffee on our hotel roof top garden, then we walk to the music school and often pick up a fresh coconut or a croissant for breakfast.... we practice and rehearse and teach until the mid-day heat is upon us, then its time for a tasty lunch, maybe a dip in the pool, a happy-hour cocktail, some reading time, and/or a nap!
The evenings are spent rehearsing, organizing the teaching/rehearsing/workshops/concerts for the following days as well as checking out lots of local events to support the growing arts scene. We went to the Phnom Penh International Film Festival as well as the International Jazz Festival - within the same week! We also got to see the Cambodian Space Project live (Linda got a video, I'll see if I can convince her to upload it...). I've got to learn one of their songs!!
I opted to stay at a hotel very close to the music school and I was so glad I did. Every morning I made my coffee in my room, then took the 5 minute walk to the music school, saying hello and "Mingalaba!" to faces that became more and more familiar each day. Charlie and I had a concert to do on the fourth day after my arrival so we set to work right away rehearsing each others songs, putting together a program, inviting friends, and sound checking at our venue.
The pagoda across the street was having a week-long festival which I checked out numerous time with my friends. The festival had two or three dangerous-looking carnival rides (I did not partake), Burmese street food (so tasty!), and stalls selling everything from toys to incense, clothes to woven mats, baskets, pottery, and numerous other goods and wares.
On two separate occasions Charlie and I took public transit downtown. Once to go see Star Wars, and the other time we went to explore and find the Pansodan Art Gallery (run by a friend of a friend - I had to check it out!). It was my first time on Burmese buses, and I have to say - it was pretty cool. The "seat" was a mere plank of wood and I had to hold on to dear life the whole way, but for $0.20 you can't beat the price! A truly authentic Burmese experience!
My last day in Burma was New Years Eve and it came way too fast. I hardly got to see everyone that I needed to see and I didn't get to spend nearly enough time with everyone. I don't have any photographic evidence, but my New Years Eve was really quite special. I didn't have plans so I just hung around the music school waiting to see what people were up to. A few of my musical friends were packing up their instruments and I asked where their gig was because I'd like to check it out.
"It's too expensive," they said "you won't want to come"
"How much are tickets?" I asked, I could afford to splurge once, right?
"Over a hundred dollars...."
Whaaaaaa!? I couldn't believe it - $100 in Burma is a LOT of money.... But then, we had an idea!
"Why don't you grab your cello and join our band? You can just jam along!"
Aaaaaaand that's exactly what I did! We rolled up at a fancy downtown hotel, unloaded our gear, sound-checked, then got to help ourselves to some seriously fancy buffet! We played until the count-down, had an absolute whale of a time, and then I had to get home (my flight to Chiang Mai was leaving at 7 am the next morning).
When I landed in Chaing Mai I was invited to stay with some friends of Linda's that run a resort just outside of the city. Nothing could have prepared me for the paradise that I found myself in.... I was besides myself with gratitude and determination to make good use of a very profound, deep, and peaceful space. Every day I did yoga, practiced my French, practiced my cello, swam in their pool, did my physio exercises.... I was very well behaved!!
There are two pictures of their property in the gallery above - can you tell which one is where I stayed and which ones are the Queen of Thailand's? I'm not joking!
I had five glorious days in Chiang Mai, three of which were spent on a little rented moto, driving around through the back roads, checking out buddha after buddha, pagoda on top of hill after pagoda on top of a hill. It was glorious - no map, no phone, no one with me - just the road, a helmet, sunglasses, and an adventurous spirit.
From Chiang Mai I went back to Phnom Penh for three super-short days where I caught up with Kate, my friends at the music school, and a wonderful Cambodian film maker named Polen Ly. He had emailed me months prior asking if he could use some of my music in one his films. Yes! I said, you can click here to see the trailer and click here to help them fundraise to make it a reality. We finally got to meet in person and had a really lovely Vietnamese dinner on my last night in Cambodia...
Alas, it has now been nearly two full months that I have been back in Vancouver and my heart aches for the countless people that I have been fortunate enough to make friends with. I very much look forward to returning this winter, maybe this you'll come with me...?
Feedback is always appreciated, write me any time - clara [at] sidewalkcellist.com
I by with a lotta help from my friends, and they give me a lot of inspiration too. There have been a bunch of amazing albums this year, and I hope I can remember them all:
Tower Temporary by Only a Visitor
Campfires on the Moon by Rodney DeCroo
State of Mind by High Depth (Theo Kraulis)
Iffy South (Elliot Vaughan)
Ghosts of Jazz by Skim Milk (Sam Davidson)
Stories by Hildegard's Ghost
Let's have tea sometime :)
First of all, it is only proper to start the day with no less than a cauldron of coffee.
And then it is time to practice.... Bach cello suites, the da gamba sonatas, the Brahms piano trio, the Rachmaninoff sonata, Fratres by Arvo Part, the first Schostakowitsch cello concerto, the Arch Duke trio by Beethoven, the Ravel piano trio, the Debussy sonata.... there are some other things floating around, it all circulates with the mood of the day and the season of the year.
Then it's time to walk Shanti....
We don't really abide by clocks.
We keep track of time by spotting the occasional ferry
...it comes every two hours.
Sometimes we go to the beach, some days we go to the lake.
The icy cold water does wonders for my tendinitis as well as my shoulders when they are achy from practicing crazy 20th century music....
Don't forget to pick blackberries on the way home!
It's probably time to do some more practicing, and maybe do a little work on my string quartet. Or will it be a piano trio? Hmm.. I haven't quite decided yet...
And theeeennnn....
Bounce it all out, and do a little yoga. Have you ever done yoga on a trampoline? It's amazing, you should try it.
By evening it's usually time to water the garden with our collected grey water from the day. We'll make a simple dinner and then play scrabble, watch Sherlock...
... or study French.
... or write.
I'll be heading back to the city on Labour Day, and returning to my lovely but busy city life of teaching, commuting, gigging, recording, collaborating, performing, cello-hauling, booking gigs and the whole shabang.
I realized a short while ago.... I will do more good in this world if I look after myself first, take the time to recharge my batteries, and practice.
I'm going to make the most of this sabbatical!
While traveling I meditated on the universal nature of loss, the brevity of life, and our relative insignificance within the universe.
I wrote a poem, and I'm diligently working away, setting it to music....
Our past is full of daggers,
it ain't wise to keep it close.
If we kick up our inner embers,
that fire better for light.
How big is your sky?
Can you cradle it in your eye?
Can you seek your peaks and valleys
With a smile deep inside?
Time can make anything crumble,
There are lights we can only see in the dark.
Even the mountains were young once,
Only a fraction of what was still is.
I was drawn to the darkness,
in spite of myself.
Don't touch it,
clouds burst into harder things.
For nothing cleaves a mountain's sides,
Like time and sky's watery eyes,
There may be more existence,
Then we will ever find.
Thanks for letting me share. I'll write again soon :)
What do you contribute to the universe? What influence does all of humanity have on space beyond, the expanse that is constantly expanding - at a rate so great, we may never know it's limits?
If you're like me, then most of the things that we think about day to day, don't really matter. We can get caught up in routines, worrying about traffic and the rising costs of food. We get ticked off when our sports team doesn't win, or when the annoying person in the office gets a promotion that we wanted. We can be both overly self-critical and egotistic - at the same time.
The world is complicated, I'll give you that, but let me share a few words of wisdom from the Buddha himself... Do no harm
Which is a lot harder than you think, because the biggest amounts of damage that we're doing is the damage that we're doing by not paying attention! "Do no harm" doesn't mean refraining from punching someone in the face, it means not buying blue-jeans that were made in such a way that lakes and rivers near factories were poisoned by run-off dye; not buying regular eggs and instead supporting farmers that let their chickens go outside (certified free range); it means not beating yourself up if you made a mistake; it means opening up your eyes really, really wide and cultivating a sense of compassion for the world, its peoples, and yourself.
This is what really matters in life. Maybe you're a supportive co-worker, or you work with kids or the elderly, perhaps you're a really good friend or a great parent - what ever your path may be follow it with awareness and compassion for the betterment of mankind and the prosperity of our beautiful Mother Earth.
These are my thoughts for the day, feel free to share yours in the comments below. Namaste.
Clara Shandler is a full-time cellist currently based in Vancouver, Canada. This is my personal blog where I write about my travels, projects, and passions. Feel free to leave a comment or click here to see where I'll be popping up next!
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