Anya’s Musings

Salsa! The Grand Finale of Musical Bridges’ 14th Season was a fascinating weekend with Gibaro de Puerto Rico. Beside many beautiful performances they introduced me to the way they relate to the world. Puerto Ricans are very warm people. If they know you...

I like to grow a garden, both figuratively and literally speaking. My earliest childhood memories are those of the light in the garden lying under the apple tree on a sunny day, light winks at me through tender spring leaves taking on a life of it’s own....

“We are approaching San Antonio; it is beautiful evening, clear sky northeast wind twelve miles per hour, eighty degrees… thank you for choosing Southwest airlines, have a pleasant evening”… It all started with me putting myself out for sale on the Musical...

“Anya, we are starting a REAL art lovers book club. We will go deep into the artist’s psyche and study it inside out…you’ve got to join….” Okay, said I without thinking twice. This was my old friend Susan Dunis who shared with me the first years of Musical...

When my son was getting ready to attend Law School, he needed to take the LSAT and he shared his exercise book on logic with me.  It went something like this: “An advertising executive must schedule an advertisement during a particular TV show.  Seven different...

This is my latest… I am sitting in a café with a group of actors and a play director and discussing the character of my heroine that I will play in a few hours in front of a large audience.  I am asking the director, “What is your vision for this...

Last Sunday, Robert and I went to the McNay Art Museum to see the Andy Warhol exhibit.  The weather was beautiful and we were looking forward to being back at the McNay.  What a charming museum we have!  The grounds were well-groomed and modern sculptures...

Imagine… You type San Antonio Symphony into a search window, and…WOW!  An international world of music opens in front of you!  Recordings on world famous labels!  A busy touring schedule under the button of the brilliant Sebastian Lang-Lessing! ...

My 50th birthday present exceeded my wildest expectations…I got a Giraffe!!!  No, Robert didn’t give me a real one – but an abstract one instead.  He is tall and handsome and borne out of the tree root that was stuck in the way of the sewer line in the...

“Marik… go practice your violin” ….engraved in my childhood memory. He was born on a calm, summer night with the sounds of Paganini concerto No. 1 on the radio.  His fate was decided – he will be a great violinist!  I was at summer camp and met...

Violin is probably the closest instrument to the human voice.  Violin vibrato makes our inner selves vibrate along with every thought of the musician.  Violin reaches the deepest corners of our beings and makes us cry, makes the hair on the back of our...

Since I just turned 50, I decided that it is a good time to start my bucket list.  I’m looking at things realistically and ideas like becoming a tall blond, having a few more kids and getting a culinary degree from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris do not seem to be...

Anya, there is a wrong note on the left hand… play it again… It all started with the simple question to my husband – what shall I learn for a HAPPY NEW YEAR video?  It has to be something short, flashy and very, very happy.  "Bumblebee", Robert said, without thinking...

Every year before New Year’s Eve I like to reflect on my life. I decided to dedicate this blog to Musical Bridges Around the World. We will celebrate our 15th Anniversary in 2012. Vladimir Bochkarev, Anya's former piano professor In 1998, I was working at...