Once again, I am high above the earth, hurtling through the blue skies to begin another musical adventure. Last week was Burbank, California; now I am heading to Texas with my collaborative pianist where we will meet my best friend, Diane, and set out on a recital tour. We will be performing and giving Masterclasses at the University of North Texas (one of my alma maters), the University of Texas-Arlington, Texas A&M Commerce, and Texas Christian University. I am thrilled to get to spend time with Diane, and we hope that our music making and duo teaching will entertain, educate, and uplift our audiences.
Our duo is called The Amicitia Duo, which means ‘friendship’ in Latin, the perfect choice for two women who have been friends for over thirty years. We have exciting plans for our duo, and already have two new works being written for us by wonderful composers, and plans to continue touring each semester, perform at major conferences, and record a CD.
Diane and I are each going through a lot of life right now- she dealing with her aging mother’s health issues and early Alzheimer’s and having recently battled with breast cancer herself. I have had ankle surgery, my husband had a shoulder replacement surgery a month ago, and – against all good judgement- I took on way too many commitments this semester. When we come together on these trips, we are healed through the gift of our friendship- even if only for a while. We’ve experienced so much life together over the past years, a rich tapestry of experiences that has made us sisters. We have the type of friendship in which we offer total support of each other no matter what. We can share our greatest joys along with our deepest, darkest fears in a space where there is no judgement – only love. We realize how blessed we are to have each other as we go through life.
This is the second of my five trips in two months, and it is the most special to me. It is stressful to be away from my students and my home, but for six days I will get to talk and laugh with my BFF, sit across from her on stage as we perform, teach with her, and be inspired by her all over again. The laughter is always the best part- the kind that is medicinal, that brings tears and hiccups, as we share memories of adventures past and create new ones as we dream of what lies ahead.
The View from Here 