A last minute email
Tickets available today! 
Free! 
A sitzprobe 
(Sit and play) 
of Dreamgirls 
Conducted by Seth Rudetsky 
At the New York Library for the Performing Arts
Featuring musicians from MUSE 
Musicians United for Social Equity 
An organization with a mission
To diversify music in theatre 
And a starry cast of performers 
Sharon Catherine Brown
J Harrison Ghee 
Brenda Braxton
Among many others   
Attended by a small but mighty audience 
Who spent the afternoon in the rapture 
Of a 35-piece orchestra
Playing a fabulous score
With some of Broadway's best
Belting to the rafters 
It almost felt like church
It was glorious 
And in between the songs
Seth regaling us with stories from the original production
How the show was made
The work of the actors and dancers 
The decisions to include songs and cut others 
Michael Bennett, Bob Avian, Henry Krieger, and Tom Eyen
The devastation of AIDS on the original company 
The devastation of AIDS on the artistic community of NYC 
The power of the music
Sharon Catherine Brown absolutely slaying 
"And I'm Telling You"
The way the other leads held her in an embrace as she wept at the end 
The way Seth asked her to describe what it was like
To sing the song with a full orchestra instead of a 
GarageBand of tracks 
The way the tears streamed down her face and she said
"You cannot replace what is real" 
You cannot replace what is real. 

The NY Times recipe called for
Noodles dressed in
Peanut butter, parmesan, and soy sauce
A seemingly contradictory combination 
But sometimes the unexpected 
Is where you find
Joy

In year 3 we were taught the basics of recorder
Mr Scutts was our music teacher
Grumpy and unapproachable
But also a talented musician and
The composer of our school song
Trees and birds
And fields of green…
He later died of cancer 
Was he grumpy because he was in pain? 

I enjoyed the recorder so much
I must’ve asked for one at some point
Because I had one
(Even though I was teased endlessly for it) 
And a kid’s book from which I taught myself to read music
I can still almost picture the page that taught the G above middle C
It had blue on it

A girl the year above me played piano in a school assembly
I felt jealous because she had access to a secret world I wasn’t allowed to be a part of
I wished for years to have a “proper instrument”

And then in high school
I joined the beginner band
And picked the flute even though the bassoon seemed interesting
A flute was the lightest instrument to carry on the bus
And didn’t require reeds
Which would cost more
And require replacing on a regular basis

But the ability to read music was a gift
Being a part of the school choir
And Sydney Schools Singers
Going to State Music Camp
​Playing the flute and passing exams 
Singing in the Olympics and
Schools Spec
Moving to London and
Going to drama school for musical theatre
Moving to New York and
Singing with MasterVoices
Teaching voice
It has all bought me so much joy and
So many friends

And every single time
I read music
I feel joy that I can

Often the world feels exhausting 
And broken
But kind words
And encouragement
To do the thing 
Feel like gold in the cracks 

Today, it was an absolute treat 
To be taken to the MoMA by a friend
To see "Picasso in Fontainebleau"
Extraordinary works of art 
Sketched and painted and printed 
In a rented garage in a village south of Paris 
Over a hundred years ago
Today, in a gallery 
(Approximately the footprint of the garage
And 3500 miles away)
Extraordinary to see the myriad of sketches 
Surrounding the "final" works 
The distillation of instruments and 
The human form
Into color and 
Geometric shapes and 
"Simple" lines 
The way the women have a heft to them 
They are not mere waifs 
The way they always have a breast or two exposed 
A young girl and her friend
​Run toward the ochre "Three Women at the Spring"
Is that the red chalk?! 
It's the red chalk! 
They giggle excitedly 
Another patron catches the moment
And we smile
Upstairs, the harrowing work of An-My Lê
Photographs and graphic tapestries 
Tell the stories of war and violence 
Against vast landscapes 
Later, the joy of a meal at 
Momofoku Noodle Bar 
Savoring the umami flavors of 
Pork buns and garlic chicken ramen 
Watching the chefs at work behind the bar 
And delighting in horchata soft serve
Sprinkled with sesame seeds and pepitas 

In high school
I asked Mum to teach me Grandma's recipe
For white sauce
It was the basis for tuna mornay, one of our favorite staples
Sautéing onions in butter
Adding the flour
Stirring in the milk 
Adding the cheese 
Stir, stir, stir 
I've since learned that adding apple cider vinegar keeps it shiny 
White wine vinegar works too 
I've also learned how versatile white sauce can be
It has been the basis for many a delicious meal, and
Tonight, it was the basis for 
Homemade truffle mac & cheese
Bliss. 

Silly fun at work
A parade for a glockenspiel
La La Ronda!
A lovely unexpected surprise from chorus
And time to work on my music.

The joy of time and space to cook
Roast chicken nestled in sweet potatoes
Red peppers, purple onion
Whole garlic gloves and beets

Unpacking my bags
Abuela’s buddhas
Sitting on my shelf

​Flying home to NYC
A lovely aerial view of Sydney to send me off
Bye Coogee Beach!
Bye Harbour Bridge!
Bye Opera House!
Bye North Shore!
Bye Pacific Ocean!
Waking up mid-flight and opening the window
To a spectacular sea of white puffy clouds
And on the horizon
A fiery orange sun