Africa Adventure

At the end of the workshop, Jason came on stage to close the afternoon, and said, “I know it’s customary to give flowers.” I thought, “It is? I’ve never received flowers for doing a workshop.” Jason continued, “But I thought I’d be creative and give Helen something a little different.” He held up a headjoint case and I wondered what he’d put in there, and thought, “what a clever idea for a gift box.” I opened it to find an exquisite wood headjoint. My mouth dropped open, waaaaay open, and I stood there in stunned shock. I simply could not then, and cannot still, comprehend the enormous generosity of spirit that brought forth such a magnificent gift.
I toured the College of Music at the University of Cape Town with Bridget Rennie-Salonen. Bridget is the flute lecturer there, and, finding a lot in common both musically and personally, we became fast friends. Bridget is a fantastic flutist and a caring teacher, and someone who is passionately interested in exploring a wide range of modalities to help her students flourish. My husband and I stayed at a B&B owned by Bridget’s mother, Tamara Rennie, a violinist. Her father was the Russian violinist Michael Doré who was the first to play Glazunov’s violin concerto under the baton of the composer. In the B&B hangs a handwritten dedication to Tamara’s father by Glazunov, with the first notes of the concerto written by him and a photo included. Nearby is a photo of Jasha Heifetz at age 10 when he performed the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto for the first time, conducted by Tamara’s father.
We left Cape Town for a 9 day exploration of the Garden Route, along the very southern-most coast of the continent. We stood in a field with 100 elephants, saw lions in the bush for the first time, and swung from tree to tree on cables along the top canopy of a national forest. We met many musicians along the way, and we loved the South African people, who were so kind, friendly, and helpful. We basked in the utter physical beauty of this nation. We were deeply uplifted to see how far the country has advanced since the last time we visited there in 2001.
As my husband said on our last day with a big sigh of contentment, “I want to stay on holiday in South Africa for the rest of my life.” For me, the summary of everything I experienced during the workshop, during the trip, and through Jason, Bridget, Tamara, and all the other people we met, was summed up through….well….music. In a moment of being music-starved, I put on the earphones to my husband’s I-Pod. (I don’t have one – I need to get my own! No flute music on his!) I listened to a song that he and I both loved during our college days, which has been singing in my head ever since I came back.
“Carry on, love is coming. Love is coming to us all.” — Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young