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DEEP WATERS, my latest project, is a gorgeous new CD composed and conceived by Peter Link.  It is a suite of 3 songs surrounded by hauntingly beautiful orchestral interludes.

From the very beginning of this project, I found myself submersed in the watery metaphor of the mariner’s tale that pervades this piece.  I realized through the course of this work that in my own life I have observed the metaphor, lived it, and come out the other side.  I believe most of us have when we think about the individual stories of our lives.

The deep waters metaphor echoes in a modern way the archetypal story of mankind:  the voyage through the deep sea in search of the unknown, and the understanding of one’s self in the process.  Take the Biblical story of Jonah and the whale, and perhaps the more ancient Odyssey by Homer as examples of this same quest. There are thousands more like these – really millions and billions if you count the lives of each human that has walked the planet – or sailed the great oceans.

So … this project, DEEP WATERS!

The orchestral introduction, Deep Waters, fills me with the power and majesty of the ocean, of its promise and of it’s demand for respect.   It is both awesome and beguiling.

This movement sweeps us into the first song, They That Go Down To The Sea In Ships.  From the initial downbeat, I DO feel as if I am on a great ship, ready to set sail, and as the Psalmist says, “do business in great waters.”

When I began learning this song, I realized that I had never read these verses from the Psalms before. It was like discovering an underwater treasure chest of both ancient and contemporary ideas and bringing it all to the surface! It was so exciting to discover these words and their huge application in our lives today:

“They that go down to the sea in ships,
That do business in great waters;
These see the works of the Lord,
And his wonders in the deep.”

The next orchestral piece is called The Wish.  It’s full of the longing of fulfillment — that desire to carry through to completion that which we set out to do, no matter how grand and impossible the idea feels.  Sometimes, however, life has other plans in store for us.  So, we find ourselves, at points, plunged to the very depths.

“Deep waters” is so often the term we use to describe these moments in our lives when we are struggling through difficult or impossible circumstances.  The second song, Out of the Depths, sings this truly universal endeavor in our collective human experience:

“Out of the depths
Have I cried unto thee, oh Lord.
Out of the depths
I cry
I cry
I cry
Lord, hear my voice:
Let thine ears hear the voice of my prayers.

Forgive me, Lord
Forgive me
Forgive me, Lord
Forgive me

I wait for Thee oh Lord,
My soul doth wait,
And in Thy word I hope.
I wait for you
More than they that watch for the morning:
More than they that watch for the morning.

Standing in the shadows I cry unto thee
Bring me thy light
Oh how I love thy light
Thy light!

Out of the depths
Now I cry unto thee, oh Lord.
Out of the depths
I cry
I cry
I cry
Lord, hear my voice:
Let mine eyes see the light of thine eye

Forgive me, Lord
Forgive me
Forgive me, Lord
Forgive me

Forgive me, Lord
Forgive me
Forgive me, Lord
Forgive me

Light
Light
Light!

There is forgiveness with Thee
In the spiritual understanding
Of Thy light

Here in Thy light
I’m free”

This musical tale of the sea prods us into realizing that even in the depths of unbeatable odds, we still have the choice to give in and drown … or fight for air and live!  Oh, it’s hard sometimes, and fighting for that freedom can cost a lot in the process.

But, the reward is so great.

I learned that very concretely.  Years ago, I was driving by myself on a very congested highway during a torrential rainstorm.  I was in the second left lane of a four-lane freeway going one way, when I saw a car spin out of control in my right rear-view mirror.  I took stock of the situation quickly and realized that the car was going to hit me.  If I slammed on my brakes to avoid the hit, I too would spin out of control and hit other cars around me.  It was a no-win situation for me.  I tried to ease on my brakes and start to gradually slow down, but the car came hurtling at me, hit me, and I spun out of control.

I knew, without a doubt that I was in deep.  In that moment of realization, I was very clear that I had a choice to make: live or die.  I immediately and instinctively clung to life.  I shouted to the top of my voice, “God is my Life!”  I remember yelling out loud parts of the 91st Psalm and the 23rd Psalm over the chaos.

I chose life.

I hung on to the steering wheel for dear life, and would not let go.  My car spun over 3 lanes, crossed a median and was stopped by a guardrail.

I didn’t hit anyone in the process, although the original car slammed into 5 cars in total.  No one was seriously hurt, including me.  Though my forehead hit the windshield and my rib cage was bruised, I was healed very quickly from those injuries over the next days and several weeks.

I felt incredibly grateful that I was alive.  I had lived through it!

My reward was great!  My life had been preserved.  All lives involved were preserved.  My mighty declaration that “God is my Life” was the absolute truth that saved me and, I feel certain, the other drivers too.

In this experience, I broke up through the depths “of the sea” and took in great breaths of “air.”  Then I arrived at a new sense of awareness.

When we break through, well, that’s when we arrive at a sense of stillness.

The breakthrough to stillness came to me and stayed with me over the next months, starting that day when my car came to a complete stop — headfirst into the guardrail.  It was the beginning of my deeper gratitude to God for His/Her constant protection.  It was the beginning of my deeper understanding of this verse in Psalm 46: “Be still and know that I am God.”  It was the beginning of my deeper awareness of that still small voice that comes when I’m listening.

The third song, A Still Small Voice, echoes the Biblical story of Elijah’s night in the cave when the wind and earthquake and fire rage around him.  However, then comes the stillness and the realization that the voice of God is not in the chaos, but in the quietude of one’s consciousness:

“There is something in the silence
When I quiet my mind
And the water’s rolling over me
And the hush it is endless
And the song runs free
And the voice is like a melody

And the time shall come
When the choice is made
And the voice deep inside
Will stay with me and be my guide
Through the waters ahead

It’s a still small voice
Oh a still small voice
Oh a still small voice
Calling to me”

The finale is an orchestral and vocal piece called Smooth Sailing.  I hope that you will take this journey of music and lyrics and listen with the wisdom of your own experience.  This journey through DEEP WATERS is your journey.  It’s my journey. It’s ours for the striving, the growing and the blessing.  And it has been so since ancient times.

“Now I wish you smooth sailing over the deep waters.”

All lyrics quoted  in this blog post were written and adapted by Peter Link

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DEEP WATERS will be released on June 11th.  A free downloadable digibook will soon be available –  complete with lyrics as well as Peter Link’s and my thoughts on the making of this CD.  Also, keyboard/vocal sheet music for the three songs will be available then as well on watchfiremusic.com. I hope you will join in and listen, or sing your own story of this grand adventure!

Read more now about Deep Waters on Peter Link’s blog, Sparks From The Fire!

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April 2013

Dear Friends! With the events of Boston so fully on our minds, and of Waco, Texas,too, I begin this newsletter with a song for you. Here’s an anthem of profound peace and unconditional love, When He Walks With Me by Grammy Award-winning songwriter Julie Gold. Just click here to listen and share with others. I hope it brings new inspiration to your day!

Has spring swept you off of your feet yet with warm breezes? Here in NYC, in between 40-degree days, Mother Nature keeps throwing us little bursts of the warm weather to come. I can’t wait for it to officially arrive! But I can’t complain, either …

… I’ve recently been on the road a lot, concertizing in some beautiful tropical places in between all the cold and storm. The first quarter of 2013 was filled with great music and diverse, wonderful audiences in diverse, wonderful places. Click here to check out where I’ve been: Notes from the Road: First Quarter 2013.

April and May have me back into the recording studio with two new projects. I’m recording a beautiful new suite, Deep Waters, by Peter Link. It consists of three songs interspersed with rich orchestral movements. It’s a mariner’s voyage to be sure, but on a deeper level, it’s a metaphor for the modern day trials of every day life that we all face when we find ourselves in deep waters. To get a visual feel for the ideas of this work and my creative process, check out my Pinterest board, Deep Waters. The CD will be released in May.

My second project in the recording studio is a powerful and intriguing song with a modern-day treatment on Revelation, The New Jerusalem. This recording has been commissioned especially for an international meeting of healers in the Pacific Northwest. The New Jerusalem will also be released as a single on Watchfire Music soon!

Silk Road, my recent CD release, is being heard around the world! From Australia to the UK, from Europe to South Africa, and here in the US, folks are discovering this musical journey. I invite you to get to know some of the Silk Road songs on Soundcloud, especially What Peace Looks Like, an audience-favorite in my concerts. To follow the backstory of the making of Silk Road, download the free digi-book here.

Touring concerts kick in again this summer and fall. I’ll be posting my schedule soon. If you are interested in bringing my concert experience to your community, please inquire here. These inspirational concerts can also include workshops and master classes.

Finally, here’s some news from Watchfire Music. In case you didn’t know, I have been deeply involved in helping to develop WFM since its inception. Two years ago, I was appointed president of WFM, allowing me to more effectively run with the big ideas in collaboration with my partner, CEO and Creative Director, Peter Link.

We recently announced a new division of WFM:
Watchfire New Media. In development over the past year, Watchfire New Media (WNM) is now dedicated to helping both organizations as well as individuals launch their music or business concepts. Our WNM team helps them develop their internet presence while also managing their websites, social media, and crowdfunding. Click here for more info.

Many thanks to each of you for your friendship and support, and for staying connected through our various means: email, Facebook, Linkedin, (etc.) and actual handwritten letters! You are the reason that our music keeps living in the world.

With warm wishes,
Julia

Happy New Year, Everyone!

My immediate family lives a big city block away from Times Square. We live in apartments nearby with the ability to see little slivers of Times Square from our windows or balconies.  But, it’s not what we can see.  Rather, it’s what we can hear:  the roar of the crowd.  Because we can hear it, I can attest to the fact that the ball DID drop, and here we are in 2013!

As we move out into this beautiful New Year, I offer you a gift from LAST year.  And it really is fitting for THIS year:

It’s the gift of music. I understand music to be immortal, transcendent, healing, ageless and timeless. It’s power, though felt in the moment, carries on way past the actual performance, especially when captured, as it was on Christmas Eve, in a podcast.

So, here you go! Here’s the podcast of my 2012 Christmas Eve Concert, given in conjunction with a truly inspiring talk on “Peace, Harmony and Healing” by international speaker, Robin Hoagland at Third Church of Christ, Scientist in New York City.

Listen to the Concert:

Third Church, NYC puts on a free lecture event every year on Christmas Eve. It is, in fact, a tried and true tradition. People expect it. The Christmas Eve Lecture Event has been going on for literally decades. Folks come from all over the five city boroughs, (Manhattan, Queens, The Bronx, etc.) and the whole tri-state area (NY, NJ and CT).

Families come before going on to dinners and gatherings. Casual passersby are drawn in by the wide open doors and the opportunity to participate in a meaningful Christmas Eve. Visitors and tourists from far away attend, too.

This year was no exception. We had a full house with people from all over the country. For example, a friend reported on Facebook that friends of his were in attendance, hailing from Winter Park, Florida.

And now, we can share this event with the world! This is what makes technology and the internet so incredible. A local event takes place, and we can share it out all over Planet Earth! It sure does give us the opportunity to feel close and connected. I love that.

I hope you enjoy the concert — again, you can click here to listen:

And once more, if you would like to listen to the entire evening – the concert followed by Robin Hoagland’s lecture, please click here.

Wishing you Peace, Harmony and Healing in 2013!

With love from
Julia

Here’s a program of the songs on the concert:

1.  When He Walks With Me — by Julie Gold — from the Silk Road CD
2.  Joy To The World — Traditional, additional lyrics and arranged by Lloyd Larson
3.  Wonderful – by Peter Link with text by Mary Baker Eddy and from the book of John — from the Wonderful CD single
4.  Some Children — by Alfred Burt — from the Story For The Ages CD
5.  What Peace Looks Like — by Peter Link and Julia Wade — from the Silk Road CD
6.  Bring Us Peace  — by Pamela Martin and Craig Courtney with Silent Night

For The Children and Staff of  Sandy Hook:

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“Mother’s Evening Prayer” Music by Peter Link, Poem by Mary Baker Eddy

For The Families:

“Even Now” from Affirmations CD; Music and Lyrics by Peter Link

For Those Who Mourn:

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“In Silence” Music and Lyrics by Peter Link

For Our Children Everywhere:

• Play
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• Shuffle
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“What Peace Looks Like” from the Silk Road CD; Music by Peter Link; Lyrics by Julia Wade and Peter Link

For Each of You this Christmas Season:

• Play
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• Unmute
• Max Volume

• Shuffle
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• Repeat
• Repeat Off

Update Required To Play MediaUpdate your browser to a recent version or update your Flash plugin.

“Wonderful” Music by Peter Link; Text by Mary Baker Eddy and Adapted Text from the Book of John

From my heart to yours with Christmas prayers and hope for healing, peace, and love in the New Year,
Julia

 (All photos above came from CNN.com)

Yes, it’s here!  I’m excited!  Today marks the first full day out in the world for
SILK ROAD – Inspirational Journeys Across Planet Earth.

Having officially released this new CD just last night, I’m feeling grateful and, I admit, anxious over my newborn.  I’m celebrating, and fluttering nervously over my babe!  It’s been quite a journey getting this child out into broad daylight.  I want her to feel GOOD in the sun!

Well, like any parent, made new again by this new arrival, the new adventure begins!  This new CD gets to live and breathe in the world.  My hope and intention is that it will open some hearts and provoke some thoughtful responses at the very least.  (To read the first 6 parts of this blog series, click here.)

The creation process of this CD has certainly changed me.  It brought me further along in my own personal and artistic evolution.  I think that’s the most important part for me: Evolution.  I don’t EVER want to stop learning, exploring and discovering …

This project, SILK ROAD, symbolizes my quest to keep doing just those things.

Before I go any further, though, it seems like I ought to talk a little about the title song, Silk Road.  It’s the third track on the CD.  That’s an important spot on any album.

Around here, we call it the Lou Gehrig or Babe Ruth spot.  The first song (or 1st batter) is fast and gets on base.  The second song (or batter) advances the runner, and the third song is the big slugger who can drive him home.  The third song, one hopes, is a home run song, then, if you will.

Not a baseball aficionado?  Well, neither was I until I started working closely with my producer/composer, Peter Link.  Thinking in baseball terms is a requirement if you are going to spend any serious time with him.

So here’s how we arrived at this third position song, Silk Road. To begin, the SILK ROAD CD was born, in part because Peter and I constantly discuss the wonders –- and the problems — of modern technology in our world today.  The title song, Silk Road, takes a metaphorical look at these very issues.

Peter discovered the metaphor for this.  The idea is that the Internet is the modern-day Silk Road, connecting anyone and everyone: world leaders, the common man, even the remote Maasai herder in Africa.

Inevitably, as it happens around our headquarters at Watchfire Music, these discussions lead to … well, you know — a song.  Silk Road was born.

Like the historical Silk Road, the song went through a series of evolutions that included multiple performances, discussions and rewrites until we came to this definitive recording.

As we explored the concept of this modern day Silk Road, the enabler in the Age of Information, we began to explore the ramifications and great potentialities of this new road.  It’s a road that can lead us through a more internal path where we can share our thoughts with others across the planet almost as fast as we can think our thoughts … if used with care and ethics.

At its core we think the Silk Road of today has the enormous potential (somewhat already realized) to bring positive change and healing to our planet.

How amazing to think about traveling this modern Silk Road, sharing our ever-developing inner paths with one another.  Silk Road gives us our road map:
Today
This same road
Spans the earth
Weaving its silver thread
Today
In the same way
Thoughts are born
As their ideas spread

More and more the road goes inward
Weaving through paths of consciousness
Spanning the concepts of many a mind
Traveling the innermost journey
Yes more and more the road goes inward
To a world beyond space and time

The ancient Silk Roads enabled man to explore and connect Planet Earth.  Perhaps this modern Silk Road can enable us to explore the more spiritual landscape of our lives.

You can listen to samples of the songs on this CD as well as download them here.

Silk Road
Music and Lyrics by Peter Link

Traveling down the Silk Road
Traveling down the Silk Road
Weaving the silver threads of knowledge
We spin our lives
Traveling down the Silk Road

Traveling down the Silk Road
Traveling down the Silk Road
Spanning a world in evolution
We journey on
Traveling down the Silk Road

We’re traveling down the Silk Road
To a different drum
To a different sound
To a better world
To a higher ground

We have a chance now
There’s a Silk Road connecting hearts and minds
Showing all mankind
Just what could be
And what should be
On the Silk Road

It’s a revolution of the common man
Saying “just let us live our lives in peace”
No sleepless nights,
No crying child
No fear, you hear?
No bloodshed
No thousands dead on CNN
Just peace instead
On the Silk Road

In ancient times this road transported
Silk and satin
Herbs and spices
Cinnamon ginger
Clove and musk
Ivory jade glass and gold
The intercourse of mankind young and old

The Golden Peaches of Samarkand
Ostrich eggs and opium
Buddhism!

Traveling down the Silk Road
Traveling down the Silk Road
Bridging the gap between the families
Of all mankind
Traveling down the Silk Road

Today
This same road
Spans the earth
Weaving its silver thread
Today
In the same way
Thoughts are born
As their ideas spread

More and more the road goes inward
Weaving through paths of consciousness
Spanning the concepts of many a mind
Traveling the innermost journey
Yes more and more the road goes inward
To a world beyond space and time

Today we still travel this road
It’s a different time
But the same old tale
Trying to bridge two worlds
But on a larger scale

It happened in America
With Martin Luther King
It happened in India
With Mahatma Gandhi
It happened in Egypt
With the people
The common man
    The common man
        The common man

Traveling down the Silk Road
Traveling down the Silk Road
Chasing the Age of Information
And on we go
Traveling down the Silk Road

Traveling down the Silk Road
Traveling down the Silk Road
Bridging the thoughts and grand ideas
Of all mankind
Traveling down the Silk Road

Traveling down the Silk Road
Traveling down the Silk Road
Weaving the silver threads of knowledge
We spin our lives
Traveling down the Silk Road

This is part 6 in a series of blog articles about my new CD, Silk Road, which will be released in just 5 days on December 4th!   Here’s a really interesting adventure that we all share in common, each in our own way …

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Click to read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3,  Part 4 and Part 5.

This is a song about my body.  But I’m not so sure it’s about me.  Because me, and my body… well, you see, we’re a bit of a mystery.

We spend our lives trying to figure out our bodies – physically, on the one hand, spiritually, on the other… and we try to get all the shades in between.  This body …  It’s very hard to define.

This song, too, is quite hard to describe.  My Body is not a theatre song.  It’s not a “retro-techno” pop song.  It’s not a classical song.  It’s not a comedy song.  It’s not a 21st century pop song.  It’s not a spiritual song.  It’s not even an inspirational song.  It’s not a send-up, either.

That’s because it’s all of these things. My Body is a complex piece with lots of parts and functions –- kind of like my body.

The song pokes fun at my body.  It takes my body seriously.  It laughs wholeheartedly at its flaws.  It celebrates its wonders, its abilities, and it complains bitterly of its ironies and incomprehensibilities.  But it doesn’t much consider me.

My Body is more about life in my body… living in my body … living beyond my body … living in spite of my body … living in this paradox… living here and now on Planet Earth …

I find it all rather amusing and yet confusing too.  Well, you see, it’s all a bit of a mystery.  Me and my body.

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My Body
Music and Lyrics
by
Peter Link
I am not my body
My body is not me
I mean to live beyond it
In some capacity
I believe I’ve lived before it
Though memory fails
I cannot ignore it
Everything else
Pales in comparison

This wondrous invention
Of flesh and bone technology
Only belongs to me
Temporarily

I know not where it came from
I know not how it works
I took no part in its conception
Its genius or its quirks
It carries on in sleep
Requiring little of me
It is mine to keep
And cost me nothing

Yes it is the house of my consciousness
For perhaps a hundred years
It manufactures babies
And laughter and tears

It’s a miracle of invention
In its breath
In its sight
In its tubes
In its muscle
In its appetite

In its pleasure
In its pain
In its taste
And its touch
In its foot
In its hand
In its amazing ability
To discern Tchaikovski
From Sargeant Pepper’s Lonely
Hearts Club Band
    
I am not my body
My body is not me
But me and my body
We basically agree
To live, for a time,
On this spec in space
This embrace of mind and matter
This interface
Through this vast universe of illusion
And conjecture we go
For reasons
That I’ll probably never know

Well we might as well make the best of it.
So let’s dance!
Yeah let us dance
We got to dance now
Work yo’ body
Work yo’ body
Work yo’ body
Let us dance

I am not my body
No my body is not me
But I’m amazed
By both its function
Oh and yes
Its mystery
But I go about my business
Mostly unaware
I sit in thought
I climb the stair

So little do I think ahead
And tell it what to do
It seems to work just fine
From its matter-mind

Every blink
Every step
Every breath
Every heartbeat
Every quick reaction
Every wild attraction

I am not my body
No my body is not me
It bears no real resemblance
To my true being

But hey, let’s make the best of it!
And let’s dance!!!

An Iranian Sunni Kurdish Shepherd and Friend

This is Part 5 of a series of blog articles on my new forthcoming CD, “SILK ROAD – Inspirational Journeys Across Planet Earth.”
Click to read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4.

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Songwriter Julie Gold is a modern day visionary.  She might not put it that way, but she does receive regular gifts from God in the form of songs.

I am fortunate to have just recorded my third Julie Gold song, this one for the forth-coming CD, SILK ROAD.  The song is called “When He Walks With Me.”  It opens the CD in a most transcendent way.  That’s because I am fortunate to work regularly and closely with another visionary named Peter Link.

I don’t use the term “visionary” lightly, and it truly does apply to both of these musician/thinkers.  Together, through song, lyric, orchestral coloring and arrangement, “When He Walks With Me” becomes a kaleidoscope of prayer, anthem, protest and celebration.

“When He Walks With Me” is an inspirational song, which is right up my alley.  What makes this one different, though, is that it’s also an issue song.  It’s right there in the trenches grappling with the big world problems of today.  The song has its feet planted on terra firma in its expression of hope and healing.

It’s also a love song – between me, and He who walks with me.

I believe it’s the perfect song to open a new album whose themes are sacred and Inspirational, dealing with the issues of our world today and also the personal relationships with those closest to us.

So, who is “He” that walks with me in this song?  That’s entirely up to interpretation.  I give you mine here.

My connection with these lyrics, the first time I heard them was instant and complete:

He walks in the ghetto
And the holy land
He walks through the garden
And across the sand
And he walks beside my ally
And my enemy
And I know that I walk taller
When He walks with me …

He walks with the beggar
Searching for some bread
He sleeps at the station
On a concrete bed
And I know He has his reasons
Whatever they may be
And I know that I walk taller
When He walks with me

I was reminded immediately of three stories that illustrate who He is to me.

The first was a true story I heard about a murderer.  Years ago, a man’s car broke down on a deserted bridge late at night.  The television was full of the news of an escaped serial killer on the loose in this same area.  The man started across the bridge on foot to get help, when he saw a figure walking toward him who fit the description of the killer.  The man was praying as he walked, and the supposed killer passed by him without any threat.

Very soon after, the man heard that the killer had been captured, and it was apparent to him that this prisoner was the same man who had passed him on the bridge that night.  The man was so overcome with questions, that he went to the prison to visit the convicted killer.  He asked the killer why he didn’t try to kill him on the bridge that night.  The killer replied, “Because there were two of you.”

The second story comes straight from the Bible:  It’s the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.  They broke King Nebuchadnezzar’s law in which he decreed that everyone bow down and worship a golden image and pray only to his own personal gods.  Confident in their God to deliver them, the three men willingly were cast into a fiery furnace as punishment.

The book of Daniel relates, “24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.
25 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. (Daniel 3: 24, 25)

The third story is my own.  When I was still a college student, I flew from California to New York City in the dead cold of winter to do my very first round of auditions.  This was my first time in New York.  One night I went to the opera, and in order to get back to where I was staying, I had to take a subway going to the very most eastern reaches of Queens where I was staying with friends.

The opera got out so late that I missed the last subway I needed to take.  There were no more on that particular route due to schedule changes caused by massive construction in progress.  So, I had to get myself to an entirely different line and transfer twice.  Not an easy feat for a less then street smart newcomer to NYC.  This was all before the age of cell phones; I left a message on a payphone for my friends in Queens.

It was late at night and I was underground, lost in a gigantic maze of construction.  It was totally deserted as I walked through narrow corridors and around tight corners.  It became exceedingly clear that I was not where I should be, and that I could easily disappear with no trace should I walk into harm’s way.

That was the scenario and I was scared.  But instead of staying scared, I started praying with every step I took, surrounding myself with this prayer work as I walked.

As I prayed, hymns began to sing through my head, and I became very calm and peaceful with the sense that I was, in fact, not alone.  I began to feel a very present sense of being guided.  He was walking with me, leading me, and loving me all the way.  I knew it.  I felt it.  I was no longer scared.

I finally got to a train that was running and I made my transfers.  Hours had passed.  When I came up to the street level in Queens, one of my friends was waiting for me.  He had gone out looking for me and chanced to be at the right subway entrance when I came up.

It wasn’t chance, though, that brought my friend to me.  No. He had walked with me, and my friend must have felt or heard Him too.

That night, it was the Christ that walked with me.  Some might call it an angel.  Others might call it God or the presence of God.  Still others might call it Consciousness or the Universe or identify it as the Son of God or perhaps Jesus himself.  In her song, Julie Gold calls it He.

Whatever our nuances and definitions of who He is, this song is an affirmation of protection, a prayer of comfort, an anthem of protest, a song of confidence, and a psalm of love.  I know I feel all of that When He Walks With Me.

Next up:  Silk Road – Part 6: My Body
Also…
Read a wonderful interview with Julie Gold by Don Silver

When He Walks With Me
Music and Lyrics by Julie Gold

He walks in the ghetto
And the holy land
He walks through the garden
And across the sand
And he walks beside my ally
And my enemy
And I know that I walk taller
When He walks with me

When He walks
Beside me
When He walks with me

He walks with the beggar
Searching for some bread
He sleeps at the station
On a concrete bed
And I know He has his reasons
Whatever they may be
And I know that I walk taller
When He walks with me

And He hears the voices rising
From cities set aflame
He knows the people calling Him
By ev’ry sort of name

And He hears the baby crying
He hears the old man pray
And we all will walk together
On the judgment day

When He walks
Beside me
When He walks with me

He walks with the warden
And the captive man
Each one is a pris’ner
With an escape plan
Even though the bad things happen
And wherever I might be
Oh I know that I walk taller
When He walks with me

Yes I know that I walk taller
When He walks with me

When He walks
When He walks
When He walks with me

He walks in the ghetto
He walks with the beggar
And He hears the voices rising
When He walks with me

This is Part 4 of a series of blog articles on my new forthcoming CD, “SILK ROAD – Inspirational Journeys Across Planet Earth.”  SILK ROAD will be released early in December 2012.  Just a few more weeks!  Click to read Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.

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“On My Way To You” is one of those classic songs in life.  It’s universal and yet it’s so particular.  I imagine that anyone who chances to hear the song will immediately connect to it with a story of their own.  Certainly that’s true for me.

It’s the second song on my soon-to-be-released CD, SILK ROAD.  Not only is it a classic song, but it’s a classic love song.  An internal journey, “On My Way To You” explores the emotional terrain of the heart.

The song was written by masters of the art of popular song.  Composed by the wonderful French musician, Michel Legrand (“Summer of 42″, “The Windmills of Your Mind“, “I Will Wait For You”), the lyrics were written by one of the most recorded lyric writing teams in pop music, Alan and Marilyn Bergman. (“I Believe In Love”, “The Windmills of Your Mind”, “The Way We Were”)  The most definitive recording of “On My Way To You” is by Barbara Streisand.  The pedigree just doesn’t get much better than that.

My producer, Peter Link, suggested the song for the SILK ROAD CD, because, again, it’s just one of those songs in life.  Wait till you hear Peter’s remarkable orchestration.  It’s rich, lush, and… new.  Peter created a sound experience with an intro that’s over a minute long:  It’s as if you are being awakened from a deep sleep into conscious awareness.  You’ll understand what I mean when you hear it!

I first sang this song in my one-woman show during the early New York cabaret phase of my eclectic career journey.  I loved this song then and I love it now.

Whenever I work on a song that I’ve performed before, I treat it like it’s brand new.  I always have to rediscover it.  That’s a hard and fast rule.  So, for my recording, I had to find out what “On My Way To You” means to me at this point in my life, especially with Peter Link’s orchestration and its palette of emotion and music.

Every song reveals itself to me – each time I work on it – and I bang on the door until the song lets me in.

This time, “On My Way to You” did let me in, and it opened itself to me in the most surprising way while I was on a three-week journey across the country.  During the last week, I was visiting with my mother.  It had been years since I was able to spend a whole week with Mom.  I was able to stay longer this time, in part, because of the kindness of Grace, a friend of our family.  She allowed me to stay in her home, which is close by to where my mother lives.

But when I arrived, Grace was out of the country.  I had never met her, and I stayed in her house alone.  Yet, she was there – her essence, her qualities, her things – all around me.

Grace’s husband, Frank, passed on several years ago, but he was there too.  I could feel their love lingering in every corner.

In the mornings, I would get vocally warmed up and work on my music.  One day, while rehearsing, I was thinking deeply about “On My Way To You,” — how it related to me, how I felt about it, and why.  I went through my own story.  I asked my usual questions:  Who am I in this song?  Who am I talking to?  How do I feel?  What am I doing? Why am I doing it?

I was sitting in Grace’s study, using her “boom box” to work with my rehearsal CDs, remembering the way I had sung this song before …

And it hit me!  I made a left turn, and I ventured down a new path with this song.

Instead of it being my story, this song would now be about Grace and Frank – an anthem to a couple that I had never met.  This song became their story.  It was about two people who found one another, each with entire lifetimes of experience before they ever met.  Their home reflected that.  And this song would express the love story of their lives.

I felt this!  Every time I turned a corner, there they were: in the pictures, in the furniture, in the kitchen, – in every room – in the hallways, the lovely yard, and yes, the garage too!  They had made this home together.  You could feel the care that went into it, for each other.

Grace lives there now on her own.  Though I am certain that she misses Frank, the overwhelming sense in that house is a quiet joy of the times they shared and the love that grew between them.

“On My Way To You” became “Grace’s Anthem.”   It’s my imaginings of what I believe Grace would say to Frank if she had the chance to see him again.  Or … maybe she did get to say those things in her own way.

By rediscovering this song in Grace’s house, I realized that I had a fresh new approach to the singing of it.  I had found a new road map to understanding the journey of my own emotions, my own heart.

Grace and Frank’s story gave me a new view of the priceless love in my life.  And not to take him for granted.  Not even for one moment.

To that, I raise my glass in toast, and say, “To Grace and Frank, this song’s for you!”

Up next:  Silk Road – Part 5:  When He Walks With Me

On My Way To You

Music by Michel LeGrand
Lyrics by Alan & Marilyn Bergman

So often as I wait for sleep
I find myself reciting
The words I’ve said or should have said
Like scenes that need rewriting

The smiles I never answered
Doors perhaps I should have opened
Songs forgotten in the morning

I relive the roles I’ve played
The tears I may have squandered
The many pipers I have paid
Along the roads I’ve wandered

Yet all the time I knew it
Love was somewhere out there waiting
Though I may regret a kiss or two

If I had changed a single day
What went amiss or went astray
I may have never found my way to you

It happens so often as I wait for sleep…

And all the time I knew it
Love was somewhere out there waiting
Though I may regret a kiss or two

If I had changed a single day
What went amiss or went astray
I would not change a thing that happened
On my way to you

Scene from “Take The Lead” with Antonio Banderas

This is a continuation of the inspiration for the song “What Peace Looks Like” on my new forthcoming CD, SILK ROAD – Inspirational Journeys Across Planet Earth. If you missed Part 1 or Part 2, please go back and get caught up!

==========================

I wrote about the awakening of my social conscience in Silk Road – Part 2: What Peace Looks Like.  I was teaching in three schools in the inner city zone of South Central Los Angeles when the Rodney King Riots broke out in 1992.  Fast-forward now to the last eight years:

Hundreds of hours of travel and as many hours of pre-performance quiet added up to my reading some truly inspiring books, many non-fiction, and watching incredible call-to-action documentaries and films based on true stories. (Take The Lead starring Antonio Banderas, based on the life of well-known ballroom dancer and instructor, Pierre Dulaine, for example.)  My inner experience of these stories, along with my earlier teaching sent me on the road to “What Peace Looks Like,” one of the issue songs on my new about-to-be-released CD, SILK ROAD.

In 2007, I was on tour with my inspirational concert “A Canvas Of Colors.”  Very early one morning in the airport bookstore, I was browsing through the new non-fiction books, and  Three Cups of Tea laser-beamed out at me.  I had never heard of it until that moment.  While on that tour, my life changed again:  I couldn’t stop reading about how one man, Greg Mortenson, changed thousands of lives by committing to a singular goal: providing education for thousands of girls in countries where their schooling has traditionally been ignored.

Later, I dove deep into Greg Mortenson’s follow up book, Stones into Schools. It’s the continuing story of Greg’s incredible life work that goes forward today.

In 2009, I discovered another truly life-changing book, again, at the airport: What Is The What by Dave Eggers and Valentino Achak Deng.  This is a book that I believe should be required high school reading the world over.

What Is The What is the true story of Valentino Achak Deng, a Lost Boy of Sudan.  Dave Eggers teamed up with Valentino and wrote the book as a novel, since Valentino’s early stories are the war-torn memories of a very little boy.  The book is Valentino’s true account of running for his life one night at age 6, as a terrifying army on horseback tore through his village, slashing, burning and killing villagers in its wake.

Valentino survived unbelievable odds over the course of a decade.  As a little boy, he joined the long trek of the Lost Boys and walked for hundreds of miles. This story traces his fight for survival as he grew into a young man.  Today, he is building a sustainable future for the youth of his newly formed country, the South Sudan, through his organization, The Valentino Achak Deng Foundation.

Another extraordinary story stole my heart in the documentary film, War Dance.  It’s about children from the Acholi tribe growing up in Patongo, a remote war refugee camp in Uganda.  After the camp’s primary school wins the regional music competition, the students prepare and head to the national competition in Kampala.

The film follows several youngsters in their daily lives in Patongo.  As each one prepares for the music competition, they are preparing to step beyond the borders of the camp for the first time since they arrived as war refugees.  One of them is Nancy, a 13-year old girl.  She is on the bus that takes the group to the city of Kampala for the competition.

When asked by one of the filmmakers what she most looks forward to on this trip, she answers, “I want to know that peace looks like!”

Her unequivocal answer made me literally fall off my chair.

When I heard Nancy say, “I want to know what peace looks like,” I started writing one weekend.  I was called into action and the writing became the foundation of “What Peace Looks Like” whose lyrics I co-wrote with Peter Link.

“What Peace Looks Like” traces the horrors the children have faced in all of these experiences.  More importantly, the song instructs us with one overwhelming truth.  This truth runs through all of the stories in the books and films, and in my own direct experience.

The truth is this: the lesson of the children.  The lesson of the children is love.  Love IS what it’s all about.  Love IS intrinsic to humanity.  Love IS what conquers all.  And love IS sometimes the hardest thing to demonstrate in one’s life, in the face of overwhelming obstacles.

These true stories taught me one more time that as leaders, parents, teachers, and families of planet earth, we must constantly stay in touch with that life-force – that innate, inherently active quality called love.  Love is the antidote for all the ills on the planet.  These children are living proof.  And we must demonstrate that childlike love and trust in every department of our own lives and with each other.

“What Peace Looks Like” and its lesson from the children absolutely set the tone for me in this new forthcoming CD, SILK ROAD – Inspirational Journeys Across Planet Earth.

Next up:  A look at “On My Way To You” a gorgeous inner journey of the heart.

Here’s a further list of inspiring books and films:

Books:
What Is The What by Dave Eggers and Valentino Achak Deng,
Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson
From Stones Into Schools by Greg Mortenson
The Freedom Writers by Erin Gruel
Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali

Movies:
War Dance
The Freedom Writers with Hilary Swank
The First Grader
God Grew Tired Of Us
Take The Lead with Antonio Banderas

There are many more that I could list here, but these pieces I found to be particularly provoking.  It’s a short list.  Please comment and feel free to add your own inspiration to the list!

What Peace Looks Like
Music by Peter Link
Lyrics by Peter Link and Julia Wade

“I want to know what peace looks like”
The girl of Uganda said,
“I want to know what peace looks like”
She’s spent her life in fractured war
But now she’s stepping through a door
That takes her far from harm

“I want to know what peace looks like”
The boy of the Sudan said,
“I wanna feel what it feels like
I want to have enough to eat
I want to feel my mother’s heat
As she wraps me in her arms”

“I want to know what peace looks like

My wish, my hope, my dream
A night without the nightmares
I want to know the inner calm
The thread of self-esteem
I want to know what peace looks like
And I want to feel it too
Yes I do”

Oh Lord, the lessons of the children of war
The roar of their misfortune;
The hopelessness that lies before
And still they live to love again

Oh Lord, the lessons of the children of war
The roar of their misfortune;
The hopelessness that lies before
And still they live to love again

Because that’s what children do
Yeah that’s what children do

And if they can do it
We can do it too
Yes if they can do it
We can do it too

“I wanna to know what peace looks like”
The child of the ghetto said,
“I wanna go where peace is known
I’ve had enough of hopelessness
A cracked out mom and fatherless
And the gangs that haunt the streets”

And oh Lord, the lessons of the children of war
The roar of their misfortune;
The hopelessness that lies before
And still they live to love again
Oh Lord, the lessons of the children of war
The roar of their misfortune;
The hopelessness that lies before
And still they live to love again

Because that’s what children do
Yeah that’s what children do

And if they can do it
We can do it too
Yes if they can do it
We can do it too!

A quick summary my new CD:  SILK ROAD is a project that weaves together music and ideas that are shared by individuals in our own experiences the world over.   The Silk Road CD has evolved into a collection of journey songs.  Some are solitary journeys of the spirit within.  Some are love songs — journeys of the heart.  And others issue songs — outward journeys, looking at the world as it is and as it could be.

=======================================

I was going to start this second post by talking about the title song “Silk Road.”  That’s where the CD’s concept really began for Peter Link, my producer and main songwriter on the CD.  This song really defined the album for him.

But for me, the genesis of another song on the CD, “What Peace Looks Like,” was what gave me initial direction to the SILK ROAD experience.

“What Peace Looks Like” is one of the issue songs, or outward journeys on the CD. It’s a joyful, uptempo piece, with Afro-Caribbean music.  It has a serious message set to infectious rhythms that give the song both a depth and a certain childlike quality.

That’s the key here:  that childlike quality.  This song came about as a result of my own direct experience in teaching as well as my response to a lot of incredible reading and documentary viewing that I have done over the past 5 years.

Early in my career I taught music and drama to school age children from all levels of economic strata, including inner city kids.  In later years, reading nonfiction and watching thought-provoking movies, especially documentary films, have proven to be two of my best outlets for not only keeping my social conscience vitally aware, but also giving me great spaces of thoughtful meditation in an otherwise hectic lifestyle.

So, to give you a little background, my early teaching experiences proved to be completely transformational to my life and outlook.  I was working as an Artist-In-Residence with the Los Angeles Music Center, performing and teaching music/drama workshops all over the greater Los Angeles area, with a particular concentration in Watts and South Central.

The defining moment when I was became socially aware happened to me the day the Rodney King Riots broke out.  During that time, I was teaching in 3 different schools in South Central, right in the same neighborhood as the riots.

On that Wednesday, April 29, 1992, I had spent the day teaching classes.  As I left the area around 5:30, I remember feeling a high level of tension in the air.  I still had not heard about the rioting yet as I drove 35 minutes to get home.  That night, at a friend’s house high in the Hollywood Hills, I witnessed many fires destroying neighborhood businesses and homes as they glowed eerily throughout South Central LA.

I was afraid for my beloved students in the schools where I was teaching.  What were they witnessing?  What were they feeling?  What were they doing during those three days of destruction?  Were they safe?  I prayed.  I held them and the whole community in my prayers.

By Saturday, the riots had been stopped and most of the fires contained and put out.

On Sunday, I was part of a volunteer crew that went to a community center in the middle of South Central.  Along the way, we passed dozens of burned out shops and supermarkets. We brought a yellow Rider moving van completely filled with bags of groceries, blankets, clothing, and water.  We set up camp and gave the provisions to long lines of people who had no stores left in their neighborhoods.

Early Monday morning, as I drove south to teach at one of my schools, I passed sandbags and National Guardsmen, complete with all of their tools of war, ready to keep the peace …  I had entered, once again, a surreal war zone.  The Korean bakery where I had often stopped for a bagel was just a concrete slab and cinders.

The children in my schools were all safe.  None had come to any harm.  I was very grateful.  We moved forward together.  We talked about what had happened and how the students felt.  We learned songs and dramatized ideas about peace, multiculturalism, living together, and forgiveness.  We did it through music and drama and the most important element: childlike, forgiving love.

And I was forever changed.  I was forever awakened to the “gaunt want” of this world, but I also was awakened to the great promise as well.

Those years of teaching immediately after college, was my Peace Corps experience.
Teaching thousands of children, taught me more about the practicality of love and its healing power. The children taught me how to love them, and how to love myself.  They taught me more about my art than my entire college education.  The children taught ME.  They were MY teachers, and not the other way around.  Ultimately, they taught me “What Peace Looks Like.”

I lived the experience of working with kids at risk who had to brave the immediate terrors of the streets right outside their front doors.

These experiences became the foundation for me, in later years, to follow keenly the stories of children all over the world who have and continue to overcome obstacles of poverty, war, abuse and more.

Here’s a verse from “What Peace Looks Like” (lyrics by Peter Link & Julia Wade)

“I wanna to know what peace looks like”
The child of the ghetto said,
“I wanna go where peace is known
I’ve had enough of hopelessness
A cracked out mom and fatherless
And the gangs that haunt the streets”

This is a good place to pause for today … But the story isn’t over!  Tomorrow, I’ll post the rest of the saga of the making of “What Peace Looks Like” from the Silk Road CD.

All but one photo are from an article on the web:  http://darkroom.baltimoresun.com/2012/04/remembering-the-1992-los-angeles-riots/#1

The Silk Road. Ever heard of it? Do you know what it is? Did you know that it really existed in history? Did you know that it began in ancient times?

You’re going to be hearing a lot about the Silk Road from me for a while. That’s because, in addition to being a historical fact in time, it’s also the title of my new CD to be released in early December: SILK ROAD – Inspirational Journeys Across Planet Earth.

SILK ROAD has been two years in the making, with, at the time of this writing, seven songs recorded, and two to go!

So, I ask again: do you know what the Silk Road is? Did you ever read about it in your history classes? I was made to be aware of it, however dimly, back in my World History class in high school. But, it did not come to Technicolor life until several years ago, when I read a wonderful book, Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World. I know, it sounds like a dry old history book focused on a ferociously inhumane dude from the 12th century …

But, surprisingly not so! (Check out the book for yourself and you’ll see what I’m talking about. It reads more like a historical novel than a textbook, and it took me on a truly fascinating journey back into history.)

Anyway, I loved the read. I loved learning about this trade route. The Silk Road actually was a series of trade routes that connected “East, South, and Western Asia with the Mediterranean and European world, as well as parts of North and East Africa.” (Wikipedia) Essentially, it brought the world together in ancient times through the trading of goods and ideas.

And that’s what I have been thinking about so much these days. Our world is so much smaller, we’re so much closer to each other because we can so instantly connect to one another. And yet … even with all of our wonderful modern tools of communication, some of the same old problems persist: differences of cultures, religions, and ideas still bring misunderstanding and miscommunication. Maybe faster communication has simply brought these problems into stark relief where we’re forced to wrestle with them to find lasting solution.

Meanwhile, my producer and collaborator, Peter Link, and I have discussed these things often over time, exploring the problems, the possible solutions, and the grand theme of modern communication. Peter found a metaphor for this. The idea is that the Internet of today is the modern Silk Road, connecting anyone and everyone: the common man, even to the historically remote Maasai herder in Africa.

That is, if you can get online…

And it seems that the majority of the world CAN and DOES link up to the world wide web.

So, inevitably, as it happens around our headquarters, these discussions led to… Well, you know.  A song.  A song was born: “Silk Road.”

“Silk Road” quickly became the title song to the whole project – this new CD. For me, the concepts of the Silk Road – the historical trade routes, the modern metaphor of the internet and the developing content of the CD all came together to crystallize in my thought the direction I needed to go musically and artistically.

I was looking to create a project that would weave together music and ideas that are shared by individuals in our own experiences the world over. The SILK ROAD CD has evolved into a collection of journey songs. Some are solitary journeys of the spirit within. Some are love songs — journeys of the heart. And others still are outward journeys, looking at the world as it is and as it could be.

To sum it up, the making of SILK ROAD – Inspirational Journeys Across Planet Earth has been a real trip!

Stay tuned, there is more to come on
this evolutionary journey of SILK ROAD …

Photo in this blog article is from silkroadgourmet.com — a fantastic site with recipes from the cuisine of over 30 countries along the Silk Road trade routes of ancient times.  Check it out!

It’s been more than 7 years since I’ve gone on these Sunday walks.  I was busy up in Boston.  But this summer, I resumed them.  It’s been natural and easy, and the tradition has quickly kicked back in. It’s about a 2-mile walk, starting on the Upper East Side with a meandering trek through Central Park, over to the West Side and another couple dozen blocks or so south to my own Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood.

I love this walk.  Anything or nothing can happen on it.  Often I crave the nothingness that happens – just walking in the city and seeing the people outside in all seasons and all weather.

So there I was yesterday, getting into the stride of my Sunday walk home from church.  I headed west, feeling the sun on my back and the slight cool in the air.  I approached a familiar café whose tables spill out on to the sidewalk during the warm months.  There was a group of 6 people sitting at the tables closest to the sidewalk.  I was taken by the tone of their relaxed, happy conversation.

As I got closer to the group, I recognized a voice.  And just as I passed by, one of the faces beamed out at me.  There he was, the incomparable Bobby McFerrin sitting with his friends at Sunday brunch as I walked by.

My recognition — just as I passed him – brought a deep smile of appreciation straight out of my being.  I have no I idea if Bobby got my smile as I walked by.  I rather think he didn’t.  But no matter.

All I know is this:  For the next 45 minutes, as I walked through Central Park, I thought about Bobby McFerrin and his influence on the world, — his musical influence on the world –  his joy, his sense of play, his openness to music and musicians of all kinds, and his journeys of creative invention and collaboration.

As all of these thoughts flooded me, I was remembering seminal moments of his influence in my life.  How can I forget “Don’t Worry, Be Happy?” Or “Hush” with Yo Yo Ma?  Or his group Voicestra?  Or his ground breaking VOCAbuLarieS?  And the list goes on and on.

I was remembering the time I performed his “23rd Psalm” on Mother’s Day at The Mother Church in Boston.  It’s a gorgeous adaptation of the psalm, dedicated to his mother, in which Bobby uses the pronoun “She” instead of “He” throughout.  It was one of those powerful musical moments in my life to get to celebrate the motherhood side of God in such a graceful, imaginative way.

I then got to thinking about my most recent encounter with Bobby McFerrin — prior to my micro moment with him on 63rd Street.  It was on a Ted Talk (I’m a huge fan!).

One night as I was browsing Ted.com, I came across an excerpt of a talk on music and the brain.  Bobby McFerrin was on the panel with a group of intensely intelligent neurological scientists.  “Yikes!  Heady stuff,” I thought.

Bobby got up and just started playing with the audience.  He asked the audience to imagine that the stage was a giant keyboard, and that he would “play” the keyboard by jumping from note to note while singing each note.  He got the audience to sing the tones with him.  Eventually, he jumped to new notes without singing the notes, and the audience naturally sang the correct tones that he jumped to.

As Bobby McFerrin jumped from note to note across the stage, he was simple, funny, and playful.  He engaged the audience to experience a rather complicated notion about music and cognitive thinking in the most creative way.

You have to watch this Ted Talk.  It’s wonderful!  Just click here!

By the time I had relived these many Bobby McFerrin moments, I was already walking down 9th Avenue toward my own ‘hood.  I was excited to think how far that little micro-moment of recognition had taken me – how far this great musician’s influence reached just because I was passing by and noticed him sitting at brunch.

It gave me such pause to think about the power of an idea and its unlimited sphere of influence.  I thought of its endless potential to inspire, heal, and lift up individuals from even the most seemingly random encounters.

Ah, but the encounters aren’t random.  They are just connections between receptivity and realization.

So I understand that I had been open and ready on this walk, and I was rewarded with a rich musical experience all the way home!  Not a word had been spoken, not a note played or sung, and yet, I was lifted up into a wonderful contemplation of music and spiritual ideas.

Bobby McFerrin reminded me that I am grateful to be a singer and a musician who continues to evolve.  He reminded me of my own deep musical curiosity, and that it’s one of the gifts God has given to me.  I became thankful again for the many opportunities to continue to expand my musical exploration.

In short, I am grateful to have been inspired one more time by an unexpected sighting of one of my most favorite and influential musicians on the planet.

Thank you, Bobby McFerrin!  With love and gratitude.

Seems kind of appropriate, doesn’t it, on this Thursday Summer Day on August 2, 2012?  Just had to share.  Thank you, Woody!

Hello my dear blogger world!  Here’s what seems to be my 2nd quarter blog post.  Eeek!  Sorry to be so long silent.  To get back to blogging, let me share with you an article in which Alysia Stern interviewed me, which is featured this month in an online magazine, Spot On Long Island.  I really enjoyed talking with Alysia and thinking through some of the early foundations and supporters of my music career. I hope you enjoy, and I am looking forward to talking with you more.  Blessings and Light to all of you!
Here’s the Interview:

Classical Crossover Singer Julia Wade

re-posted from http://spotonli.com/2012/06/classical-crossover-singer-julia-wade/

When did you find your voice?

It took me years to realize that I’ve been singing all my life.  Even from the age of 3!  I remember climbing into the lowest branch of the willow tree in our back yard as a tiny little girl.  I would sit in my perch and sing!  I would make up songs about nature.

I really found my voice, though, after years of playing the flute in band and finally joining the Sophomore Girls’ Choir in high school. I didn’t even have to audition for it, but the minute I walked in, it was like the world changed and I felt like I had come home.  That was it.  After that, it really was all about singing.

I received conservatory-style training in college and earned a Bachelor of Music degree at San Jose State University with an emphasis in vocal performance.
In my freshman year, I made a rather intellectual decision — based on my passion for classical music and  my love of theater — to study to become an Opera singer.  I sang professionally in opera in the United States and in Italy for 15 years, but along the way, I also performed in musicals, cabaret shows and concerts.  I sang in many styles of music and began to evolve away from an opera career into what I am doing now.

Is there a specific genre of music that you enjoy the most?

I would say that I love most singing a fusion of several styles.  It’s what I do most naturally.  I think because I moved so much during my childhood through the early days of my career, I was always naturally curious about the next place, or the next experience.  And that definitely spilled over into my music.

Meeting my producer, and main composer, Peter Link, was also a natural part of the progression of this fused style of singing.  Peter comes from the pop world and I come from the classical world — and we’ve been meeting in the middle ever since.  He’s been an enormous influence in my development into a “fusion singer”  It’s hard to put me into a category or bin but I’m comfortable in saying that I’m a classical crossover singer which leaves my the field wide open to all kinds of new musical experiences and adventures.

How many CDs have you recorded?

I’ve released 6 solo CDs as well as recorded on quite a few compilation CDs.  I’ve just released my 6^th solo CD, “Julia Wade: Solos”.  It is my gift to the world wide church community for whom I performed weekly.  I’ve just completed 7 years as Soloist at International Headquarters of the Christian Science Church in Boston.

I commuted from New York to Boston and performed in 2 services while broadcasting live over the internet weekly. So this CD, “Solos” was created as a way to say “Thank you” for the joy and privilege of performing to thousands during these years.

“Solos” is a deeply spiritual CD based on the writings of the woman who founded the church 150 yrs ago, Mary Baker Eddy. These texts that have set to music by Peter Link.  The songs on the CD are quite revolutionary because the texts that became the lyrics of the song have never been treated musically this way. They are a gift from the heart and embrace any spiritual seeker looking for profound and inspiring music.

Folks might be interested in some of my other inspirational CDs as well.  They include “Every Day”, “Story For the Ages”, “Upon the Mountain” and my Spanish release, “Alabado sea Dios”. You can find all of my CDs on line at Watchfire Music:  http://www.watchfiremusic.com/artist.php?arid=2

Do you speak Spanish?

I speak some, I comprehend a lot, but I sing best in Spanish!  I had 3 years of high school Spanish and 15 years of working Italian – so I get along very well!

My Spanish CD, “Alabado sea Dios” is one of my most favorite projects. It really was a project of my heart.  It came about because I sang for 4 years as Soloist for the Spanish services and was broadcast over the internet at the First Church of Christ, Scientist in Boston, during my 7-year tenure there.  The CD comes with a booklet of translations in both English and Spanish.  The music is a rich blend of songs from all over South America with a couple of original songs by Peter Link.  The CD is full of gorgeous material.

On the other end of the scale, I have also recorded some really sweet children’s CDs.  One is called “Custard the Dragon”, by the wonderful author, Ogden Nash.  Brad Ross, a terrific Broadway composer, created the funny, sweet score for this piece.

Does Custard the Dragon also have a book to go along with the CD?

Yes, Ogden Nash’s original story is offered in book form along with the CD as a gift pack.  The gift pack, too, is also available on watchfiremusic.com specifically at http://www.watchfiremusic.com/artist.php?arid=2

Do you live in Manhattan?

Yes I do!  It is an extraordinary place to live.  On any given day, you can walk in the streets or ride the subway with people from every part of the world.  I think that it’s pretty magical most of the time!

Who inspired you?  What are your musical influences?

I’ve had many musical influences and people who have inspired me. In terms of early influences, Jack Lindsay, my high school choral conductor, and Jeanne Garson, my college voice teacher, were both very important early influences.  My first church organist, Jeanne Sparks, who accompanied me in my first church job at age 18 became a special kind of teacher to me as well.

Other influences include Opera singer Maria Callas. I remember being 16 years old and watching a special of her Hamburg concerts — in black and white — on PBS.  I was hooked!

More recent influences are Andrea Boccelli, because he really has best defined the classical crossover world, to me, – and of course, so has Josh Groban.  Renee Fleming is someone I love and follow.  She is at the top of her form as an opera singer and she gracefully crosses over to other genres of music with integrity.  Bonnie Raitt has been a huge influence since my early 20’s, particularly in her emotional raw storytelling.

Bobby McFerrin and Yo Yo Ma, are both artists who have influenced me because of their inspiring, creative and eclectic journeys of musical exploration.  They’ve both opened up so many doors of collaboration with all kinds of artists and instrumentalists from many different genres and nationalities.  That’s what inspires me…to see and hear the collaboration of world music coming together.  That fusing, or coming together of many elements is what I practice now and work to carry forward in my collaboration with Peter Link and our music.

Tell me about your company Watchfire Music.

Watchfire Music is both a record label and an online inspirational music company.  We carry both recorded music (CDs and digital downloads) as well as digital sheet music.

We have been in business for over 6 years and I co-own and run the company with Peter Link.  We are dedicated to providing positive-value music of all kinds from all genres of music.  We have several hundred recording artists and composers on the site with thousands of song titles.

We define “inspirational music” as an umbrella term that includes all genres of music — country, classical, folk, world, jazz, etc. — that add positive value to the world.  So on a wide spectrum, we include sacred church music on one end,  but on the other, we also include songs that have simple lyrics like, “I woke up this morning and I feel good”.  Both kinds of music are inspirational in nature.  And so is instrumental music, which we also present on watchfiremusic.com.

Watchfire Music is a trans-denominational company.  It doesn’t have an agenda to preach.  We just put the music out there. I am the president of Watchfire Music, and I enjoy getting my hands in all aspects of the business.  As an artist, it has been a way of nurturing and developing my inner business woman!

Are you taking submissions for singers?

Yes.  Any artist who has a CD that is inspirational in nature, or composers who have inspirational sheet music can go to the contact page on watchfiremusic.com to find out about submitting their materials. http://www.watchfiremusic.com/contact.php

I loved listening to the title song from your CD, Upon the Mountain.  The song is so beautiful.  Do you ever cry when you sing your songs?

In my rehearsals, yes I do.  Absolutely.   The messages are so powerful and then when you marry those messages to powerful music it’s deeply affecting.  In rehearsal it’s my job to respond emotionally to the material I am preparing and to investigate it deeply.  I live it as hard as I can.  That’s when a lot of stuff comes to the surface.  And I get to laugh, cry, shout, rage, whatever.

But in performance, no, usually I am not crying.  I find that my job as a performer is to allow the audience to respond with their emotions.  So if I have done my rehearsal prep work fully – all of that emotional stuff is there in my performance, but at that point, it’s about moving the audience – allowing them to respond to the material – rather than watch me crying on stage.

What is your biggest accomplishment?

Well, it’s true that I have sung in major opera houses and concert venues nationally and internationally.  But, I would say that my biggest accomplishment to date is having had the opportunity to affect thousands of people around the world through performing spiritually inspiring music these last 7 years at the international church headquarters.  This experience has become the springboard to my continuing creative journey – singing to thousands more and bringing new inspiring music forward.

Julia’s websites:

juliawade.com

watchfiremusic.com/artist.php?arid=2

www.facebook.com/pages/Julia-Wade/170327786426971

twitter.com/juliawademusic

juliawade.wordpress.com

Chit Chat events Features Interviews Music Uncategorized Alysia Stern, events, foodie, long island, Music