The Assads at Balboa Theater

Monday night was an exciting night for me and Paul, as we had tickets to see the world's best classical guitar duo- The Assad Brothers. This Brazilian duo has been a huge influence in the guitar world, inspiring many other new guitar duos, and popularizing/arranging/composing new music for the genre of the guitar duo. We were excited also because they were playing at the newly renovated Balboa Theater in downtown SD, which was built in the 1920's and used as a vaudeville house and movie theater for many years. It just opened this past December after many years of renovation and dispute over its very existence.

Well, the venue turned out to be slightly disappointing, at least for a classical music performance. We discovered that the lighting people really like using different colors as backdrop for the performers. Sometimes the Assad brothers were bathed in a purple light, sometimes red, sometimes blue or green, and this lighting would change color and intensity in the middle of nearly every piece at awkward moments. The house was pitch black and the stage bright, which to me made a greater distinction between performer-audience. Now this is completely natural since obviously they were on the stage and we were in the audience- but to me, making that line more distinct than necessary put more of a boundary between the two parties, making it easy for me to disengage as an audience member and feel more disconnected to the performance at hand. I personally like house lights at a medium level so that the performer can actually see the audience and engage in a more personal way, talking about the music, gauging reactions, and making the performer feel more accessible to the audience. Somehow being shrouded in darkness makes you feel like your presence as an audience member is negligible and that no one would really care if you fell asleep or got bored and walked out. Well, that's not the case at all. Speaking from a performer's perspective, every member of the audience is an essential part of that performance. Especially in intimate settings, even just one person can completely change the energy of a room and increase a performer's connection to both the music and the act of sharing that music with others. I really believe that this connection is essential in making a concert a personal, spiritual experience for both sides.

All that aside, the Balboa Theater is a really nice place. The ceiling is very intricately carved in a 1920's art deco sort of way, with unexpected carvings and flourishes of pink, red and blue everywhere. The most unusual thing is that there are two water fountains on the walls that sandwich the stage. They are running waterfalls that produce the sound of trickling water which were not turned off while the Assads were playing. It kind of made me feel like getting out of my seat to go to the bathroom. The other acts booked at the Balboa are totally different than the show that the Assads put on. They included the Shanghai Circus, the Vienna Choir Boys, and Frog and Toad (the play). The Assads definitely had to adjust to play in such a mainstream sort of venue. The concert was entitled "Brazilian Guitar Festival" and included Celso Machado, an amazing Brazilian folk guitarist/composer/percussionist, Romero Lupe, a Brazilian jazz guitarist, and their sister Badi Assad. She was by far the more outlandish. More than just a guitarist, she is an excellent singer and mouth percussionist. There was a whole piece in which she made rainforest sounds with her mouth, which the audience ate up. In fact the whole crowd started making rainforest noises and the sounds of monkeys, birds and rain filled the theater. It was pretty random.

Still a good show, but it made me a little sad to think that this performance was probably only picked up by the Balboa because it wasn't straight classical, which probably would not have drawn a large audience on a Monday evening. But what is needed in order to sell classical music? Does a classical musician only succeed in playing a venue like the Balboa through crossing over into the worlds of jazz, pop, and folk? And if so, does the concert need to be such an entertainment-focused, flashy event to appeal to the masses? Looking around, I was pleased to see a pretty heterogeneous crowd which definitely differed from some of the other concerts we've gone to places like La Jolla, which is a predominantly white, upper-class crowd. This was a mixed crowd of people of all ages and ethnicities, who were probably attracted not by the name of the Assad Brothers, whom the average person probably has not heard of, but who probably wanted to see a good show at the newly renovated theater and the words "Brazilian" and "guitar" sparked interest. So at the end of it, I'll take that- if it means more exposure for classical guitar to the public despite the flashing lights, running waterfall, and crossover additions, then fine. But it's just disappointing that these days, it doesn't seem like excellent artistry in its purest form is really enough.

If you've never heard of the Assads, check 'em out here!

Cooking Korean

Having my in-laws in town this week has proved to be a very delicious experience. My mother-in-law has been cooking Korean food nearly every evening and I've been learning a little bit in the process. Hopefully walking into a Korean grocery store won't feel so intimidating now that I have a handle on some of the basic ingredients. My favorite thing about Korean food is the variety in every meal, since the tradition is for everything to be served with an array of appetizers and always some sort of kim-chee.



A classic homey Korean miso-based stew with enoki mushrooms, tofu, potatoes, onions, anchovies, and scallions.



Fish cakes sauteed with garlic and scallions. Side dishes of boiled spinach with sesame oil, pickled spicy green vegetable which I don't know the name of.



In honor of Lunar New Year, the tradition is to eat a rice cake soup made from an anchovy stock with egg whites, yellows, kim-chee, ground beef, and seasoned seaweed. Side dishes of dried squid, seaweed, and pickled spicy vegetable.



Korean fried rice, usually served in a hot stone pot. This version has ground beef, carrots, spinach, shredded sesame leaves, fern root, and pickled cucumbers which are all stirred together with a spicy red pepper paste mixed with sesame oil. In the back you can see the egg-batter fried sirloin and halibut slices.

Market in Del Mar

(Disclaimer: I didn't intend for this to be a food blog, but since food is in my "work of art" category when done well, I can't help but post about a restaurant we just went to. And in case you can't tell from this post, I am wildly enthusiastic about food.)

We've had a lot of bad food since we've moved to SD. Don't know what it is. Maybe we just got all the wrong recommendations, or we are now thoroughly spoiled from living in NYC with every kind of food at every price range right at your doorstep. The restaurant scene in SD is growing, but it's young and hard to get anything but chain restaurants or over-the-top pricey seafood or fusion.

It being San Diego Restaurant Week this week, we thought we would treat ourselves a little bit and partake in the $40 three-course prix fixe menus being offered at many of the restaurants around town. Paul and I eagerly made reservations at three different restaurants in town, not intending to keep all of them: one at 1500 Ocean at the Hotel Del in Coronado, one at Sbicca in Del Mar, and one at Market, also in Del Mar. We ended up accidentally eating at Sbicca one evening when we were in the area, and since our 1500 Ocean reservation was not until 8:30pm we thought we'd save it for another day when we could eat during daylight hours to admire the ocean view.

Well, it was a good decision. Market ended up being the best food we've had in San Diego so far. When the waiter welcomed us and told us that all of their produce was from the famed Chino Farms in Rancho Santa Fe, we knew we were in for a treat. We visited Chino Farms recently, and the produce is absolutely out of this world. (I plan to dedicate a whole separate post to Chino now that I have a camera!) Everything at the farm stand is freshly picked and looks like it has just burst its way out of the earth, with dirt clinging to the root vegetables, tiny baby lettuces of all different shades of maroons, greens and purples, and a whole variety of huge funny-looking squashes that look like they could be mistaken for small (funny-looking) children. We came back from Chino once with a few vegetables that we had literally never seen before- a Jerusalem artichoke which looked like a gangly mess of ginger and tasted similar to water chestnut with a little more bite, and a skinny, green, Italian vegetable with a bitter flavor whose name I can't remember and had to be blanched in icy water before eating. (Here is a blog about Chino Farms from Bay Area Bites so you can see what I'm talking about.)

For starters, I ordered the bleu cheese souffle, which came with a very wintry grapefruit and beet salad. I've seen the beets at Chino farms and they are so beautiful with so many varieties of color. On my plate were a mix of golden and maroon beets that were dressed perfectly with some oil and small crumbles of bleu cheese. I love bleu cheese passionately, and in a souffle it was perfect- not too eggy, not too salty or heavy, but a fluffy, light texture that nearly melted in my mouth. It was paired perfectly, the sharp flavor of the cheese offset by the tangy sweetness of the grapefruit.

Then for our main course, Paul had the skirt steak and braised beef short rib combination which came with an incredibly delicious potato puree dressed with truffle oil and bacon. (Is there anything that doesn't taste good with truffle oil and bacon?) The skirt steak was unbelievably tender for the cut and the short rib gave the dish a hearty touch. I had the miso glazed Japanese white bass over udon, topped with some colorful micro-greens. The fish was cooked perfectly and unlike other Asian fusion that I've had in CA, didn't taste like soy sauce dumped all over it, but retained the authenticity of the miso flavor. I'm not a big fan of Asian fusion, but if ever there was an example of what it could be- here it was. Authentic flavors used in traditional Asian cooking paired with the presentation and ingredients found more commonly in Western cooking.

For dessert, I had a delicate creme fraiche panna cotta with a raspberry puree sauce drizzled on top of it, with cylindrical pieces of sage-infused marzipan on the side and a tangerine sorbet to boot. Paul savored every bite of his cheese plate, a handsome cut of a Spanish cheese similar to Manchego. The plate came with some green grapes and a dollop of fig preserve and some small slices of baguette.

We both agreed that we wish we'd ended up at Market sooner, it being less than 15 minutes away from our apt. Apparently the menu changes daily depending on the ingredients available. Paul joked, "Want to come again tomorrow?" as we finished up our meal, and I laughed. Then looking at his facial expression I realized he wasn't joking, and laughed even harder.

Photoblog :: Happy things

Aiko tries out her scholarly side and falls asleep.

Dinner I made last night: mache salad with citrus vinaigrette,
pork loin with caramelized fuji apples and vidalia onions, rosemary polenta

Watching the gliders over Torrey Pines

Dreaming of being as free as this seagull sailing over La Jolla

Sharing my calling

Yesterday, I was invited to Point Loma Nazarene University here in SD to play and speak about my "life journey" to a meeting of 50 music majors and faculty members. I often find myself in situations like this (last month I had the opportunity to speak and play at Pepperdine), although I have no idea what qualifies me to speak to a bunch of very impressionable college students and was pretty nervous about the whole thing beforehand.

So I played a few pieces (Verano Porteno by Piazzolla and Elegy by Mertz) and then began to speak. Basically, how did I find myself as a free-lance classical guitarist living in Southern CA? There was a very pivotal moment for me in which I decided to become a musician. It was in 2003 when I went to the Crescendo annual conference in Basel, Switzerland. With the encouragement of some CCC staff, I flew to Basel by myself in the middle of midterms during the fall semester of my senior year in college. (Crescendo is a network for Christian classical musicians that has had a lot to do with my development as a musician and a person.) At the conference, the speaker shared this verse from Song of Songs: "My dove in the clefts of the rock, in the hiding places of the mountainside, show me your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely." (2:14)

Upon hearing this verse and the accompanying message, I knew that there was something that God delighted in in my playing and in my struggle to use my talent- something in which only I could bring to him. I had a voice on my instrument that was special and important to Him, which could bring beauty and truth to his ears and to those around me. I felt a strange sense of peace as I realized that this was a sort of "calling" for my life- to make the most of the talent given to me and to give glory to the Creator in the process. I shared this with the class and then closed by playing a few of my arrangements of "Were You There When They Crucified My Lord," followed by "What a Friend We Have in Jesus" and a beautiful arrangement of "Day by Day" by Oscar Ahnfelt, which will forever remain an old friend in my repertoire.

Well, I'm paraphrasing all this here, but the reaction of the class was pretty overwhelming. A few people were in tears, including a piano professor from the school who came up to me and told me that my playing was somehow "anointed" and that she could sense that it was an act of worship from start to finish. One girl said that she loved my playing, but loved even more that she could sense my spiritual journey in the way that I played. A few asked if I had a CD. Others asked questions about grad school, about living in New York, about their various struggles as musicians. As I walked back to my car later, admiring the ocean view of the campus, I couldn't help thinking- Wow, what just happened? It was all God, that's for sure. I hope there will be many other opportunities to be a mentor and blessing to music students in the area.

The value of an album

So I'm in the process of recording a CD. This is a project that has dragged out for about 2 years now, and at times I wonder if it might drag out for 2 more years. There is just way too much to think about. Picking the music has proved to be one of the harder things for me. I have decided and changed my mind a million times and finally I think I have the right combination of pieces. I'm trying to create an album that sounds somewhat cohesive, but at the end of the day, I think this album is just characterized by having some of my favorite pieces on it. Well, the ones I like playing the most. Recording is such a nit-picky process that I know I must play music I love, or the process will take longer than I can afford.

Since everything is so accesible now, it's easy for any independent artist to put an album together and distribute it without the help of a label. Easy enough, that is. Along the way, there were a few things giving me a headache. First, it was having the finances to start the project off. So I went home one summer and played a concert at my home church and the donations were generous. Unfortunately, that nice little installment went to paying my rent that summer since I was broke at the time. But since then, the fund has been somewhat restored. Next, I had to find a professional recording studio. This fell into place easily through a recording engineer that Paul met at one of my friend Victor's shows, who had helped him with some editing in the past. I booked a few days with him in the studio in New York on a sweltering, sticky week last June. Unfortunately, we moved before I could finish the rest. Assuming it goes well, I'll be finishing the rest of the album next month in NYC with the help of a JetBlue sale and some credit from a delayed flight I had leftover.

I've also started thinking about the album cover and what I want it to feel like. This is very important to me as I often judge a book by its cover and can't help but do so. I also have a deep appreciation for good design. I had some headshots taken by our wedding photographer last year and was fortunate to meet a graphic designer at our current church who has agreed to design the cover and insert. I got really excited when he showed me what he had started working on- there was little I had to explain about what I had in mind since somehow his design style was something I was drawn to right away. The next thing to do is make sure all the copyright stuff is in order- this is a thoroughly annoying process that will probably take longer than I want it to and end up costing some, too. After that, getting it reproduced won't be difficult, assuming I can front the costs, and figuring out the best way to distribute should be pretty easy since cdbaby.com is great and so are many of the online music services.

The funny thing is that CD's might be outdated in a few years. In fact, I can't even remember the last time I physically bought a CD from a store. After Tower Records went out of business, I didn't even know where to buy CDs. And why have all the clutter of jewel cases when you can buy it on iTunes and have the album art too?

I need to continue believing that the music on this album will be worthwhile for people to listen to, that it will inspire them and give them new perspective on things that are beautiful, meaningful, and real. This has been challenging lately as part of me is losing steam. The inspiration seems to come and go daily. Hopefully at the end of it all, it will have been worth all the effort!

Some good reads

One of my biggest problems in life is that I am very easily bored. I thrive on a constant stream of stimulus and busyness, and I'm always trying to multi-task and do a million things at once. I guess the same is true of my reading habits. I usually start about 3 or 4 books at a time (usually this is only the case when it's not fiction) and get through all of them at a pretty slow pace. In fact, the trend has been that I'm lucky if I get all the way through any of them at all. It's a bad habit and hopefully that will change.

Well, here's what is on my coffee table lately.

The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan
I don't think I will ever look at red meat in the same way, or anything I'm eating for that matter. This is a great book for anybody who shops at a grocery store, or anybody who has ever thought twice about the type of ingredients you want to use in your cooking (which is most of us nowadays). I am now constantly thinking about what I am eating came from and how much corn is in it- if I dare to even find out. This book would make you become a vegetarian just by telling you about the amount of petroleum is needed to get your beef on the table. The truth is that we certainly do live in a society where our food is now at the mercy of science and legislation. I've never wanted to live on my own farm so badly.

The Artist as Citizen by Joseph Polisi
This is a collection of speeches by Joseph Polisi, the president of Juilliard. Some of them are inspiring, funny, at times repetitive, but overall a great collection of short writings that comment on the situation of the arts world today and how we as artists need to engage in our society to fight these problems rather than sit idly by and complain that there is no work. I took a class with Polisi while I was at Juilliard and have great respect for what he has done for the school and about his viewpoints on arts education in general. This book is a great way for me to stay inspired about what I do while not being a part of an academic/artistic community like a school.

This is Your Brain on Music by Daniel Levitin
This book revolutionized the way I think about music- not just classical, but all kinds of music, especially pop/rock. I mean, we never do sit down and ask ourselves what it is that makes something fun to listen to and why it makes us feel good listening to it. How do a series of pitches at different frequencies attract us, inspire us, commiserate with us, to the point where many of us are just plain addicted to music? A great read for anyone interested in the intersection of science and music. The science side of it was a bit technical for a non-science person like me, but it is explained well enough by Levitin so that it doesn't go over your head.