The Hermitage Artist Retreat surprised me this August by inviting me to become a Hermitage Fellow for the 2022-2024 cycle. With no application process, a national curatorial council awards Hermitage Fellows residency time at the historic Hermitage Artist Retreat in the Florida Keys. There, artists from diverse disciplines rest, reflect, create, and share their art […]
Live at the Cornelia Street Cafe!
Live at the Cornelia Street Cafe, the Doc Wallace Trio‘s long-awaited second album has arrived! This CD captures one of our trio’s best sets at New York City’s legendary Cornelia Street Cafe in the heart of Greenwich Village. Released in December 2018, just before the Cafe’s final days in January, 2019, this album captures […]
Music Camp Withdrawal Syndrome: A Survivor’s Guide
Music camp withdrawal symptoms hit hard once you return to “the real world.” Just listen to this distraught message I received from Chuck Bontrager, heavy metal violinist and concertmaster of Chicago’s Hamilton orchestra, two days after the MWROC festival concluded: “Doc! Doc! You gotta help me, Doc! I think I might be going through some kind of withdrawals. […]
Dear Prudence – The Story Behind the Song
During The Beatles’ Indian sojourn, John Lennon wrote “Dear Prudence” as a serenade for Prudence Farrow, sister of actress Mia Farrow. Along with Mike Love of The Beach Boys and a handful of other celebrities, they all had traveled to India to study transcendental meditation with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. After ten days, Ringo Starr left. (Apparently, […]
Johnny Gimble: A First-hand Reminiscence
UPDATE: iFiddle Magazine issued a June 2015 Johnny Gimble commemorative edition. They asked me to film a video tribute where I shared a few memories and performed one of his tunes. -What an honor to share “Gardenia Waltz” in tribute to the great Johnny Gimble: The Day the World Stopped Swinging Today during Berklee College […]
Berklee String Chair: A New Life
It hardly seems possible, but it’s been a full semester since I moved to Boston and became Berklee College of Music‘s String Department Chair. Beyond the busyness and the whirlwind of changes, I feel a tremendous joy and excitement: As Berklee String Chair, I serve and lead the most creative string department in higher education. I […]