It’s November, the month of gratitude, and we thought we’d celebrate our deep gratitude to you with some reflections shared by members of our precious community.
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We’d like to close out our month-long Thanksgiving-inspired gratitude series with a beautiful letter we just received from our dear friend, and spectacular virtuoso, Jorge Caballero.
Here’s Jorge’s letter:
Dear Austin Classical Guitar,
Music is divine. In whatever form it may appear, it speaks to us in ways words cannot. It touches us. It finds in the nooks and crannies of our private existence the forgotten memories of the lives we once lived.
That is the elemental lesson I learned growing up with musician parents. There was also another one: the gift for music is a gift that must be shared.
My mother would tell stories of the songs she sang; how they came to be. With my older brother and me sitting at the dinner table, she would speak of them, and in addition, she would sing them. She would sing at all times. While doing chores, in a car on our way somewhere, at any place, she would sing. In family reunions during holidays, she would sing without reservation. Never mind she was a celebrity. If the get-together was with people she loved, she would sing, and my father would accompany her on the guitar.
The last time I saw her do this was nine years ago. My parents made the long trip from Peru to Canada to meet my future in-laws. We shared a delicious meal, and after, as I had seen my mother do many times before, she spoke, giving thanks for the lovely welcome, and then, in the most natural way, as a metaphysical expression of her thanksgiving, she sang. At some point, I looked over at my future mother-in-law, with tears welling in her eyes. My future father-in-law was also touched. Even without knowing the Spanish words of my mother’s songs, they were moved. My mom had shared her gift, and it had touched them deeply.
I think about this facet of my mother often. My mom had a unique gift for music. And she shared it freely with those she loved. I can only hope to do the same: my own metaphysical thanksgiving.
As the holiday season is upon us, and with it, the time to remember that for which we are thankful, I’d like to express my gratitude to everyone who has given me the opportunity to share the gift of music with them.
To the wonderful people of Austin Classical Guitar, no grand expression of thanks would be high enough to convey the magnificent work you have done for so many years to share the beauty of music with humanity; and I am forever grateful to have been a part of this experience in my own history as an artist. My life is better because of it.
With my best wishes for happy holidays,
Jorge Caballero
Watch: Jorge Caballero Live at The Rosette (Liszt Piano Sonata)