Oregon Symphony Invites Jon to be Guest Soloist

We just heard the news. Jon was invited to be a guest soloist with the Oregon Symphony on Sunday, February 22nd. Congratulations Jon!

Jon Spooner Wins Again!

Jon had one of his best performances of the Sonata(Vox Gabrieli) by Stjepan Salek this last Saturday, April 26th. Out of nineteen trombone players from throughout the state, he placed first. This was the second year in a row that he was able to achieve this honor. We are all very proud of him. The video was uploaded to you tube. You can view it at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-b2iHljz_rE

The recording quality is not the greatest and Jon says there is a lot of room for improvement, but you can't stop a proud father from showing off his son's work. Congratulations Jon!

Jon's Choir Performance- Horizons

I thought Jon's performance of this piece was an interesting coincidence. The piece titled Horizons by Peter Louis Van Dijk was commissioned by the King's singers in 1995, the very same year I traveled to South Africa for my Fulbright Exchange Trip. The song depicts the experiences of the San and the Europeans. During my trip, I was able to hike through the Drakensburg mountains and view rock paintings left by the San. In the drawings there were depictions of the British soldiers who ultimately brought their undoing.

This trip was a peak experience in my life and as I sat there listening to this piece on Wednesday, I was flooded with memories of teaching in a Zulu village, running in a race on trails that bordered Mozambique, traveling to the bottom of a gold mine, overcoming culture shock and homesickness, being caught up in the struggles and transformation in the new South Africa, walking in the steps of Mandela at Robin Island.- I could go on and on.

I sure enjoyed this, especially since this was the first time I got to hear Jon sing in a performance setting. I wonder if he remembers sitting in the airport on his mother's lap crying as I took off on the plane.

If you're reading this, take a minute and click on the video bar to watch and listen to this story.

Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Maggie and I had a chance to see probably one of the greatest films ever yesterday. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is a film adaptation of a book written by Jean-Dominique Bauby, a magazine editor from France who suffered a stroke and wrote about his experiences. By blinking his eyelids, a speech therapist was able to translate his blinks into letters forming words and sentences and eventually a book.

The creator/director of the film, Julian Schnabel produced a masterful work. I understand that he is also a painter. After watching this film, it really makes one think about what it means to be a human being. I was able to read a couple reviews and I agree with most of what I read. Schnabel really wanted the viewer to leave that movie with a feeling of hope about the human condition.

Watching this man suffer through the loss and the complete control of his body except for one eye and an eyelid and experiencing it in the first person was simply the most amazing movie experience I have ever had. I have to say that it was one of those experiences that causes one to make changes in their own life. I know that it changed me.