Emanuel Serra Music

[iamserramusic]

Our ancestors used to invoke heroes, patron saints, and used wards and talismans to bring mindfulness to a cause or issue. I realize that even in a post-superstitious world, we may still carry something of these tendencies with us. Not in the metaphysical specifically, just our inclination toward rituals. I think rather than fight this tendency, it can be useful to recruit it and press it into service of creativity. So this weekend I rearranged my workspace to accommodate a new workflow. And just for shits and giggles, I breathed a new creativity mascot into existence. Two, actually: 1) an anti-mascot of a sort (an antagonizer if you will) - a Chinese opera hero/demigod, from the cover of the Beijing Liyuang Opera Theatre program, 2010. I placed her to represent the imposing (disapproving?) glare of tradition. And 2) pop band MIR frontman and my friend's album, rear cover (link below). I positioned her to be peering over his shoulder! Her face seems to say to me, "I AM TRADITION. BEHOLD MY GLORY, ENWREATHED IN ROSES. DARE YOU MESS WITH ME? WHAT'S THAT CHORD YOU'RE WRITING? IT HAD BETTER BE TRADITIONAL!" And then my intrepid friend stands beside her, holding up a blue beaker, answering bravely (while - perhaps intentionally - not looking at her), "Yes. Yes, Tradition, I shall mess with you. No, it will not be traditional. And yes... it shall be glorious. I shall win, like Turandot's Calaf. Vinceró!" I thought you might enjoy hearing about my new creativity mascot in this eternal conflict of the safety-seeking left brain voice henpecking the running-barefoot-through-daisyfields creative exploring of the right brain. Let's not mince words here, this is powerful sorcery! An abjuration of evil spirits from a creative workspace. But also, quite nothing, except to humorously evoke boldness at the piano and banish timidness. Antagonist of tradition: YOU DARE??? Protagonist of trying new stuff: I dare!!! Vinceró, Asif! LOL You can find my friend's band's album here: https://music.apple.com/ca/album/synesthesia/626952157 https://open.spotify.com/album/7yBV1L2vvYlXVtVFSgFB71?si=H3kMoYzLQ36hrqin5Naouw #creativity https://www.instagram.com/p/CpXUnHzSM-h/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[iamserramusic]

Our ancestors used to invoke heroes, patron saints, and used wards and talismans to bring mindfulness to a cause or issue. I realize that even in a post-superstitious world, we may still carry something of these tendencies with us. Not in the metaphysical specifically, just our inclination toward rituals. I think rather than fight this tendency, it can be useful to recruit it and press it into service of creativity. So this weekend I rearranged my workspace to accommodate a new workflow. And just for shits and giggles, I breathed a new creativity mascot into existence. Two, actually: 1) an anti-mascot of a sort (an antagonizer if you will) - a Chinese opera hero/demigod, from the cover of the Beijing Liyuang Opera Theatre program, 2010. I placed her to represent the imposing (disapproving?) glare of tradition. And 2) pop band MIR frontman and my friend's album, rear cover (link below). I positioned her to be peering over his shoulder! Her face seems to say to me, "I AM TRADITION. BEHOLD MY GLORY, ENWREATHED IN ROSES. DARE YOU MESS WITH ME? WHAT'S THAT CHORD YOU'RE WRITING? IT HAD BETTER BE TRADITIONAL!" And then my intrepid friend stands beside her, holding up a blue beaker, answering bravely (while - perhaps intentionally - not looking at her), "Yes. Yes, Tradition, I shall mess with you. No, it will not be traditional. And yes... it shall be glorious. I shall win, like Turandot's Calaf. Vinceró!" I thought you might enjoy hearing about my new creativity mascot in this eternal conflict of the safety-seeking left brain voice henpecking the running-barefoot-through-daisyfields creative exploring of the right brain. Let's not mince words here, this is powerful sorcery! An abjuration of evil spirits from a creative workspace. But also, quite nothing, except to humorously evoke boldness at the piano and banish timidness. Antagonist of tradition: YOU DARE??? Protagonist of trying new stuff: I dare!!! Vinceró, Asif! LOL You can find my friend's band's album here: https://music.apple.com/ca/album/synesthesia/626952157 https://open.spotify.com/album/7yBV1L2vvYlXVtVFSgFB71?si=H3kMoYzLQ36hrqin5Naouw #creativity https://www.instagram.com/p/CpXUnHzSM-h/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[iamserramusic]

A couple weeks ago I took my girls back to a Buddhist temple grounds area near where we'd lived almost 10 years ago.  It's still so calm and meditative, still a magical place evoking such creativity, like we'd just left the day before, not several personal eras past. My eldest and I used to spend entire afternoons there just improvising stories and developing them together (and me taking notes later) as we proposed characters and premises and fed plot twists back and forth to each other. Some of the most deliciously outrageous stories we made were made here. What really is sticking with me now is memory of a place. It doesn't always work like this but often if one is at a certain state developmentally when always visiting that place, to go back evokes those same feelings. So for her in this place, that's young, happy childhood. She told me she felt so happy after being back here today, and I could see her glowing as we left. It's as if a piece of her young child soul lives here, and reinhabited(?) her when she came back. She was changed. I remember that I tried to invite her a few times before, but she'd declined. This time she was open to it, and she was completely changed. And my heart sang. She came back with me to the pond where I released the last surviving tadpole from our failed raising attempt - a bagful she'd brought home years ago. We joked about the generations of frogs since and that they be talking about the legend of their great-grandfather who was brought to this pond by "a giant hand." Such places deserve to be circulated in  memory. Do you have a special retreat you go to in order to renew your creative spirit? #creativity #storytelling #dads (at Jeju) https://www.instagram.com/p/CpXQugYyAi2/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[iamserramusic]

May 2023 bear many fruits for you from your labors! Love and light to all reading this, for the realization of your brightest fortunes in the year of the rabbit. https://www.instagram.com/p/Cm1fim8L8Ym/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[iamserramusic]

Congratulations to the amateur men's chamber choir Suono Felice on their fine performance last night in the Bonggae district of Jeju City. I was thrilled to be present for the concert where my arrangement of 언제나 처럼 (As Always) for men's choir was performed. Congratulations, 송동훈 on your songwriting. A festive time for all in attendance! (at Jeju) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cmp4hZ4Sm4x/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[iamserramusic]

A couple of weeks ago, a dear friend from my 2010s years singing in 펠릭스하창단 (the Felix Choir, the then-major choir of the Jeju Island choral community) shared with me thst his new chamber singers group 수오노 펠리체 (Suono Felice) is entering a local choral competition with his song I arranged for mixed choir about 5 years ago. I was so honored to learn of this news. Sadly for health reasons I was unable to attend, but if I hear of any news of a recording I will update here. In love of music, thank you a million, Suono Felice singers!! ❤️ 음악의 사랑으로, 언제나 수백만 감사합니다, 수오노펠리체 합창단원들! 화이팅! (at Jeju) https://www.instagram.com/p/CjnZjPmhYPL/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[iamserramusic]

Well here's to real change instead of window dressing. May all our 2022s be more than 2020 part 2 lol https://www.instagram.com/p/CYQygS3haNq/?utm_medium=tumblr

[iamserramusic]

Happy New Year, with all our blessings and best wishes for a prosperous 2022, from our little corner of the world to yours. May fortune smile on us all, with new opportunities amid this time of transformation. (at 제주도) https://www.instagram.com/p/CYJIpERhYkF/?utm_medium=tumblr

[iamserramusic]

Now passeth the time of ye olde Christmas specials... the glorious canon of malnourished Xmas trees that blossom with love, overfed grinches that are emotionally starved, and silver screen characters who lead wonderful lives in smalltowns. May our own plots find resolutions as poetic as the end of a Christmas Special... with Vince Guaraldi playing softly in the background. https://iamserramusic.bandcamp.com #arts #christmas #choir #composer #merrychristmas #dadlife #musician #music #musiclife #expatlife #multiculturalfamily #lockdown #anxietyrelief #happyholidays #novascotia #comefromaway #제주도 #제주예술#제주사랑 #açores #portuguese https://www.instagram.com/iamserramusic/p/CXFmVHZhrRB/?utm_medium=tumblr

[iamserramusic]

FB repost, too funny not to share. https://www.instagram.com/p/CW5j-nrh-HJ/?utm_medium=tumblr

[iamserramusic]

Took my kids to a soap making workshop at the Multicultural Family Center. Our teen, oh, you know I'd just run into a burning building to save her... but she's so embarrassed over the large percentage of young kids in attendance (age agnostic event) and really let us know. When youngest & I accepted the situation, decided to have fun anyway, she was ashamed of us. Well. Instructor made a soap blob, said we'd make the same. I said "What?! I'm making a glorious swan!!!" Well, the coarse soap shavings made it more like a duck. But youngest & I were delighted. Got up, "quack" introduced my new pet to all little kids' stations. Oh the gleam in their eyes! Well, save for a 2-year-old who cried. You know who's a scream though? The instructor! Covid puppet show with sword-bearing vaccine puppet crashing corona puppet's party! LOL 나는 우리 아이들을 다문화 가족 센터의 비누 만들기 워크샵에 데려갔습니다.  우리 십대, 오, 난 그녀를 사랑하고 내가 그녀를 구하기 위해 불타는 건물에 뛰어들 것이라는 것을 있잖아요... 그러나 그녀는 어린 아이들의 많은 비율에 대해 너무 창피했고 그녀는 그걸 정말로 보여주었어요. 그곳에 계속있고 싶지 않았어요.  그리고 막내와 내가 상황을 받아들이고 어쨌든 재미있게 지내기로 했을 때 큰 아이는 우리를 부끄러워했습니다.  아이고참.  강사는 못생긴 얼룩 모양의 비누를 만들고 우리가 똑같이 만들 것이라고 말했습니다.  우리는 살아가면서 그 규칙을 따라야 하는 경우가 많습니다.  오늘 말고!  내 마음 속 깊은 곳에서 나는 속으로 말했다, "젠장! 안되거든! 내가 영광스러운 백조를 만들겠어!!!"  음, 비누 부스러기가 너무 거칠어서 오리 모양에 더 가깝습니다.  그러나 우리 어린 아이와 나는 기뻐했습니다.  그래서 나는 일어나서 걸어 다니며 "돌팔이"가 내 갓 태어난 애완 동물을 모든 어린이 스테이션에 소개했습니다.  그리고 그들은 기쁨으로 비명을 질렀다.  뭐, 오리에게 화를 내며 우는 2살어린이 1명만 빼고.  글쎄, 내 여자애 중 한 명이 창의력을 발휘하고 비누를 키티 캣으로 만들었습니다!  😺   ❤ ㅋㅋㅋ 우리가 집에 돌아온 후, 나의 맏딸은 나에게 좋아하는 새로운 일본 노래를 보여주었다.  나는 그녀에게 그녀의 감각이 많이 좋아졌다고 말했다.  그녀는 고맙다고 말했다.  (우리가 우리 얻을 수 있는 곳에서 당신의 승리를 가져갑니다.)  그녀는 내가 워크샵에서 스타가 되었다고 말했다.  그러나 내가 단지 보여주고 싶었던 것은 그 엄마들이 그곳에 있었고 *그들은* 그들도 긴장을 풀고 즐길 수 있다고 결정했다는 것입니다.  그래서 그녀는 덜 판단하고 흐름에 따라 갈 수 있습니다.  결국 나는 그녀에게 그녀의 선택을 맡겼고 그녀는 2시간 동안 우울한 상태를 유지하는 것은 너무 많은 에너지라고 판단했습니다.  그래서 그녀는 스스로 참여하게 했습니다.  그런데 누가 장난꾸러기였는지 알아?  강사님!  비누 만들기 직전에 그녀는 기후 변화/코로나바이러스 프레젠테이션을 했습니다.  그리고 그녀가 준비한... 코로나 바이러스와 백신 인형!!!  와하하하!  아, 그리고 코로나바이러스(전체에 검은 숫돌이 있는 용도 변경한 스티츠 인형)는 "오, 여기 몸에 앉는 게 너무 편해요...!"라고 노래했습니다.  백신 꼭두각시(릴로 인형 용도 변경)가 작은 꼭두각시 검을 들고 와서 엉덩이를 찰 때까지.  ㅋㅋㅋㅋ #dad #expatdad #expat #art #soap #crafts #아빠 #비누 #expressyourself #arts https://www.instagram.com/p/CWz22_ABtQ2/?utm_medium=tumblr

[iamserramusic]

November 11, 2021 debut of our village's newly formed children's choir, for its annual local cultural festival. A win for all, for music, for the arts. We made it through this pandemic #jejulife #korea #jeju #choir #childrenschoir #musiclife #musiclover #resilience https://www.instagram.com/p/CWuglZhhybc/?utm_medium=tumblr

[iamserramusic]

A welcome break from working on my studio, it was also my younger daughter's school cultural festival this week. They had several tents and a stage set up across the soccerfield, showcasing the students' projects. I was invited to make art at a pin-pressing station. So I went with the moment, reflected how our family was welcomed by this rural, supportive community, and made this. The words I'm sure I've heard some version of before, but I settled on: 한세상 One world... 한마음 One heart... 한사랑 One love. https://www.instagram.com/p/CWfUSLYBNgu/?utm_medium=tumblr

[iamserramusic]

A typhoon tore across Jeju today, It seems this weather has helped me blow out some clutter and uncover anew something of importance. While waiting out the typhoon  at home, I pulled out a years-old unfinished piece of music and played/sang through it periodically at the piano through the blustery wet day, with only my steaming pot of tea, a candle, and the faintly howling wind outside for an audience.

I don't know why I ever let life get in the way of me finishing this. It's as beautiful as ever, and needs to be heard. But it's just been waiting, as if it were not a song but an old friend, or a child waiting to be loved, who never should have been asked to wait this long. So I decided I will start loving it again until it is fully grown into a recording. And it, perhaps in return of the kind gesture, is seeping back into and reinhabiting my fingers and voice, like some familiar, loving, benevolent spirit.

I can't undo having let it go this long. But I can take that step today toward finishing it.

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[iamserramusic]

BIG news announcement today from the Canada Council: the Explore and Create panel has awarded support for me to work 2021~2022 to provide orchestrations to the awesome Cape Breton traditional roots band and CFMA 2020 Album of the Year winners Béolach for future fusion concerts with orchestras. Thanks a million to the Council, to International Celtic Colours Festival director Dawn Beaton, conductor Sarah MacDonald and the Cape Breton Orchestra, and to Beolach for taking a chance on me with their artist residency in 2019! There is much work to be done and I'm honored to be entrusted with the task. Check out Beolach on bandcamp and youtube if you haven't already.