Grand Art

I assume that you've been following my journey for the last several years now and it’s gotten you interested enough to have you come back (If you haven’t been here before, I invite you to look into my life by starting here (link). If you’re already familiar, I’m glad you’re back. You’ve seen and read how I’ve opened myself up in ways that, at first, were unthinkably scary for anyone, especially for someone who was as guarded and private as I was. And in some ways still am. You’ve seen my public journaling quickly turn into powerful therapy sessions and milestones of growth for me, which leads me to start the first post of this wonderful year (sarcasm prevalent) in this fashion. For the next several months, I’ve decided to build on what I started several years ago and start something I’m going to call “Get to Know me”. In this series of posts, I will share what I think are special things and moments about who I am that may not be what you think I am or visible from the naked eye. Not to worry. The door is still open and I will continue to expose myself in never-before-shared ways and, at times, things-never-spoken-out-loud ways. But this time I’m doing it with less fear and from a position of power. Welcome back or welcome. I hope you enjoy what I share and who I’ve turned out to be. 

The Grand Art Group:

Many of you already know that art is critically important to me. It’s a way for me to live through music. It’s a way for me to make the present live for longer than without music because when something strikes that tone or if I interpret a painting to mean something special to me. it takes up a permanent residency in my brain. Many of you don’t know that I started a foundation called Grand Art a number of years back. Grand Art started out of my love for classical music. I am a huge Bach fan—percussion does it for me. I guess it goes without saying that I rarely take the easy route since the violin and piano are both in the percussion family of instruments and are the most challenging instruments to master. No, I don’t play any, I’m not that talented but I do create art from them. I created Grand Art out of what I felt was a gap and need in the classical music world. This gap is age, culture, ethnicity, and privilege related. At times classical music seems to be so out of reach for so many that don’t have white hair or have never been exposed to it in their homes, and I wanted to create something that brought some of the best classical musicians in the world to audiences that may not have had the opportunity to sit and listen to how a Marimba (also in the percussion family) has the power to change your life such as a piece by Emmanuel Séjourné, titled “Concerto for Marimba and String Orchestra,” did for me (You can listen to a sample of that below).

Grand Art produces very high-end classical music concerts in intimate settings around the world with some of the world's top musicians and visual artists. Think of it as the juxtaposition of the visual and musical arts. The Grand Art experience was in museums and world-famous art galleries which produced an amazing visual and musical indulgence not readily found in classical music and art spaces. The experience was sponsored by brands such as Cadillac, Steinway, Yamaha, and other global brands, and it provided a true VIP evening for those who attended with a full and open bar and being chauffeured to and from the venue in your own private Cadillac Escalade. Let’s just say it was and still is one of a kind. This was a special and personal time for me that carried me for years. Here are some of my favorite pieces and cities where Grand Art was grand at, even if it was for only one impressionable night.