Two years removed from graduation, my creative side has seen a resurgence. First, a flash of inspiration late last year resulted in a few short story attempts. That was followed by efforts to get back into art. And as of late, I’ve added music (specifically piano) back into my arsenal of arts. It is all largely thanks to Brian, a longtime friend and fellow musician, for reintroducing music back into my life.

Brian is one of the most dedicated and talented musicians I know. I’ve looked up to his work ethic and astute musical instincts ever since our days together in middle and high school orchestra. In addition to excelling at violin and piano, he also writes music - and it’s pretty darn good music too. Here is one example: “Furthermore, If Only…”, written as a tribute to our high school orchestra instructor, and one of two of his works I’ve had the honor of performing.

Last spring, Brian asked if I’d like to perform violin-piano pieces with him for the concerts of Bruin Chamber Musicians, a club at UCLA. I accepted, for it was as good an opportunity as any to reconnect with him and with music. We had three performances in all - one last spring, the second in winter, and the most recent around two months ago. I will never forget the experience and joy of each of our performances and rehearsals: how the two of us locked in and synced up; and how the wonderful rich singing tone of his violin could combine with my steady backdrop and colorful harmonies to create beautiful results.

Alas, that recent performance was also to be our last in a long while, and almost certainly our last in the Bruin Chamber Musicians space. Brian is headed off to med school, where he will go on to do wonderful things. That said, my rediscovered appreciation for music remains, and I find myself drawn to the keys more frequently nowadays. In returning to half-learned pieces from years past, I feel as if I’m reuniting with old friends. I suppose that’s the power of music for you, in both the literal and figurative sense.

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I mentioned “Furthermore, If Only…” was one of the two Brian works that I’ve performed. Here’s the other: “Goodnight, Tomorrow”, which premiered at the concert two months ago. He wrote it specifically to commemorate his time at UCLA and particularly our performances together (wipes tear). Below is the live recording from that performance. Not bad for having pulled it together on a single rehearsal the day before.

We also performed the first movement of Grieg’s 3rd Violin Sonata, a masterpiece that was certainly as fun to play as it is to listen to:

(Oh, and our high school orchestra teacher (now happily retired) came to see that performance. Talk about going full circle.)