Musical Introspection
Editor’s note: This is a post about projecting our own experiences, troubles, and musings on prose of all kinds, and how it relates to my times of spiritual renaissance.
With each breath the wheat stalks seemed to blur into golden oceans begging for navigation. Though I have sailed true blue water, these golden waves of grain could not be traversed by wind, but by will. My breathing and straining formed the cadence. My mind drifted in and out of the large and small problems of me.
The Chipman Trail connects Moscow, Idaho with Pullman, Washington—two university towns in the agriculture-rich Palouse region. Chipman is a smoothly paved pathway for bicycles and runners traveling between the towns, running parallel to the highway. Despite traffic nearby, the grain, barns, bridges, and animals give a uniquely American impression: that space is wide-open, and nature can still seem unlimited.
What is Classical Music worth to us?
My colleagues at WDR3 asked me to compare the cities of Cologne and Phoenix in terms of classical appreciation. It is not an easy task, but this report attempts to make the comparison fair and accurately. In short, Europeans are much more willing to pay for cultural activities through taxes, whereas American organizations hope the locals will pick up the tab.
English translation below
Continue reading “What is Classical Music worth to us?”Prague, a city of culture
Phoenix maintains partnerships with cities around the world as a way to promote cultural and economic ties. The sister cities program includes partnerships with places in Mexico, Canada and Japan. But it’s a relationship with the city of Prague—the capital of the Czech Republic—that is the focus of our next story. KJZZ’s Tony Ganzer traveled to Europe on a fellowship, and found a city rich in culture and history that few Phoenicians know much about, even though there are close Arizona ties.
Continue reading “Prague, a city of culture”