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Today I am headed to California, back to the city by the bay, back to the state where my orchestral career began, back to one of my favorite places on the planet. I won’t be there for long, just tonight and tomorrow in San Francisco, then a few days with family out in the East Bay, but it will be enough time to reflect (again) on the paths I have followed, where they have taken me, and where I go from here.
I got my Master’s degree from the San Francisco Conservatory, and I distinctly remember the idyllic dreams I had about playing the trumpet for a living, and the kind of life it could bring me if I could just get good enough. Most of those dreams are laughable at this point; as I have moved through my career I have realized that many of the things I dreamed about essentially don’t exist. That being said, however, there are many great adventures and experiences that have been thrown my way simply because I have a fair proficiency at buzzing my lips together and making some neat sounds with a fancy brass tube. I have travelled around the world on this ability, played in the world’s great concert halls, played with some of the world’s greatest musicians (even Metallica!), and lived all over the country and met all kinds of interesting people. It has been quite a ride, an unexpected and jarring one at times, but good nonetheless. I wouldn’t have known, during those formative days at the conservatory, to dream of the things that have brought me the most happiness or to stop dreaming of the things that have brought me the most frustration. Then again, that is probably the most likely outcome of dreams: we seldom follow their actual path, but it is the places they take us — the places we never knew or expected — that make those dreams so valuable, so necessary. Today I return to both the source and object of many dreams, to walk some of the same streets and think some of the same thoughts. Today, I’ll be California Dreamin’ again.
I think there are alot of pro musicians that can relate to your dreamin’. You are right…the dreams are what guides us and I guess fate will determine our destination. If you believe in that sort of thing…
I really enjoyed my lesson with you Craig, thanks for stopping by!
Pierce