Shameless Self-Promotion Dept.

Many people know I’m extremely fortunate to play on an incredible violin that’s gained even more notoriety over the past couple of years. One of the numerous challenges after it was stolen was to try and pick up where I left off artistically and otherwise, which in reality ended up being much more difficult than I’d anticipated. In any case, I’m happy to announce that tomorrow (May 6)  A Violin’s Life, Vol. 2 will be officially released, after a long and winding road.

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Orchestra Obscura

In 2001 the artist David Hockney startled the art world by theorizing that advances in realism and accuracy in paintings of many Old Masters such as Ingres, Jan van Eyck, Caravaggio, and Vermeer were not just the result of the artists’ technique and creativity, but also involved the common use of optical devices such as camera obscura, camera lucida, and curved mirrors to enhance their perspective. I immediately thought of the slippery slope of cognitive perception after reading the latest post from the noted blogger Emily Hogstad, who has been deservedly acclaimed for her detailed and comprehensive revelations relating to the Minnesota Orchestra debacle.  Suffice to say her latest article created a different kind of buzz. 

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