Music Performance– Part II

I was on stage with my soprano saxophone in hand, looking out at the crowd-packed auditorium, and knowing deep down inside, I was made for this moment. In that moment, it was like I got a “download of who I really am – the deep-down, who-are-you-when-you-get-to-the-true-you.” It wasn’t a voice coming out of the darkness or a flash of light. It was like a tiny switch had just turned on and I realized what my life was about and why I was created.

Now, not everyone reading this may believe in creation and a creator. My discussion is not to debate the issue, but to explain my experience. Here I am, horn in hand and getting ready to play a feature solo on the program. I hear my music cue, put my mouthpiece in my mouth and begin to play. Sound came out of the horn, as it normally does, but contrary to what everyone else heard at that moment, I saw the music.

It is said that as a performing artist you may come across an experience once in a while in which you get to watch yourself perform. In the theatre world, it is called the “third eye.” When someone once told me about this, I thought that it was impossible. But, with this “aesthetic experience,” I now have to admit that this performance anomaly does exist. I experienced it. I cannot dispute what I saw. It was my reality for that moment. I couldn’t touch it, but I was surrounded by it. (...stay tuned for more next time)