There’s something about making New Year’s Resolutions that I honestly enjoy. It’s a moment in time, driven solely by the calendar, in which I say to myself, “This coming year, I will be better.” And by that, I don’t mean more disciplined, nicer, smarter – although I wouldn’t turn those down. Rather, I’m quietly proclaiming that I want to live my life in a more mindful, conscious, healthy manner.
Now, that may mean adopting a more rigorous schedule, thinking more carefully about what I say before I say it, and looking outward more often than inward. But, simply put, it’s more about creating a context for my activities than focusing on the actions themselves. That said, I do try and see how that context might drive the content that I pursue.
When I look back at my resolutions of the past, the ones I’ve been most likely to stick with are connected to something I truly care about – and, for me, that means music. I will share a few I’ve made for 2024:
• Go outside my typical concert “diet.” My concert outings are fairly predictable in that I attend the same type of musical events each year – basically, full-scale orchestral and choral concerts. I’m embarrassed to admit that I’ve not once attended a Knoxville Symphony Orchestra “Q Series” luncheon. I intend to rectify that on January 17, when I will hear string quartets by both Beethoven and Schoenberg – an unlikely, but presumably wonderful, Germanic combination.
• Invite a new friend or (better yet) young person to join me. I also tend to meet the same friend when I attend concerts. And while I adore her, I’m going to start inviting others to join us. Perhaps someone who doesn’t feel comfortable going out alone or possibly a younger person who is not a seasoned concert-goer.
• Get better informed. My musical knowledge seems to be running inverse to my age. In other words, the older I get, I’m realizing the less I actually know about music and composers. I recently found my all-time favorite alto soloist and also happened upon a work by Dvorak that was completely new to me. (Thank you, YouTube!) I’m inspired by my 93-year-old father, a conductor, who is still discovering lesser-known works of the great masters and, in fact, preparing them for performance. If he can pore over scores and biographies, then so can I.
• Don’t let cold weather stop me. The Knoxville music scene is an embarrassment of riches these days. There are weeks in which one simply can’t attend all the available offerings. Too often in the winter months, I have opted for the warmth and comfort of my home, rather than braving the chill. (I’m from Colorado and am not sure when I lost my inner fortitude, but I need to get it back!) So, I’m layering up now for KSO’s Mahler concert in January!
• Be grateful for the opportunities that surround me. Coming off a year in which a loved one struggled with cancer, it is a blessing to see him back engaging in music. It was the thing he missed most while enduring chemotherapy and radiation, but also the thing that kept him going throughout his treatments. Those of us who have the opportunity to engage with classical music – be it as performers or audience members – well, we are simply blessed to have these life-affirming experiences in front of us. I, for one, will remind myself to not take these opportunities for granted.
Here’s wishing Arts Knoxville readers a happy, healthy 2024 that is filled with great (classical) music.
