Looking Forward to My Next Concert!
With the excitement and fulfillment of performing live at my June 6 backyard concert I can’t help but think about the next concert! My daughter Rachel recently posted a quote on Facebook by the psychologist and author Brené Brown. It was so good that I hope she doesn’t mind if I include it in this blog.
"There is nothing more vulnerable than creativity...it's not about winning, it's not about losing, it's about showing up and being seen." - Brené Brown
The whole statement rings true for performers, but the two words ‘being seen’ are the ones that resonated with me the most. Being seen meant that for the first time ever I would be meeting my newest Zoom students in person, all of whom I had met solely online. Seeing them at my backyard concert felt like I was greeting some old friends. When my former student intern Ariella Blum-Lemberg, who I had only seen during Zoom meetings, showed up in person, it felt like I was meeting someone I had known forever.
The June 6 concert gave me the opportunity to let my audience hear the beautiful new arrangements that my commissioned composers had created to breathe new life into the songs. It was never about making money, but I did have a creative staff to pay, so I am incredibly grateful to the following contributors who helped me to break even: Janice Berger, Richard Bold, Leslie Dodwell, Grisha and Marina Eskin, Mary Gilman, Alan Gown, Paul Lieberman, Helen Risch, Gabriel Schij, David Stockhammer and Chase Yun.
The documentary is still in the works and I will keep you posted on that. I am most excited to inform you that I have been invited to be part of Sonoma State University’s Jewish Concert Series on October 4, 2021. In all honesty, to be on the calendar of as many concert series as I can book is what I have really wanted all along. Now that more and more performance venues are opening up, if you know of an organization, high school, college, synagogue, museum, or other location where I can present my program please direct them to my website www.harrietbennish.com or directly to me at harrietbennish@gmail.com.
Please enjoy this promo video of Tears, Joy, and Hope. https://youtu.be/nbkYss9dZQ8