The making of an artist...

What is an artist?
How does one become an artist?
What are the ingredients?

1. An artist is one that has the ability to observe and perceive (chochma).
2. To take those perceptions and formulate ideas..to formulate concepts, motifs in music, art, poetry or any other form..(bina).
3. To be able to create a whole out of those ideas and abstraction (daas).
4. Finally to have the means and ability to have others see what you see (chessed).

This is the most difficult challenge to the artist.
There are those that have wonderful ideas in their head but no way of sharing them.

Another major hurdle for a budding artist is confidence. The belief in oneself. He sees a great painting and instead of being intimidated he says to himself, hey I can do that.
When reading a great story, to be able to pick up a pen and start writing one yourself.

And finally the most important component to being an artist. Is actually doing it.

It's always a treat to encounter new talent. I recently discovered a phenominal composer named Jay Greenberg.
I can't stop listening to his music.
His Symphony Number 5 is such a joy to listen to.
And then I think about everything it takes to get to that point. To the point of creating a great album. All the creativity, the hard work, the converting ideas into full orchestration, the believing that you're good enough to compose great music and finally the actual doing it. The signing a contract with Sony records.. To having your pieces premiered by the best musicians and orchestras in the country...

And then the pay off..
The critics are crazy about his music.
“The Fifth Symphony makes it obvious that Jay is a craftsman: an orchestrator, a developer, a technical whiz. And his musical ideas seem to flow easily, naturally …The Quintet, if anything, more impressive than the symphony. Like the larger piece, it is well wrought, and it has the intimacy – the immediacy of communication that chamber music should have … even if he composes nothing else – unthinkable – he has already given us something to listen to.”
NATIONAL REVIEW

“Greenberg pieces reveal a major talent …The orchestration is remarkably assured, showing a keen ear for how sections of instruments can complement and play off each other. There’s a clear sense of direction and purpose to the work, a build-up of drama and tension that ends with a blaze of high-spirited energy …Greenberg creates real music, fresh music …The disc provides an introduction to a composer who has probably only just begun to surprise the heck out of us.”
THE BALTIMORE SUN

Oh..there's one thing I forgot to mention...

He's only 14 years old...



http://www.jaygreenbergmusic.com/


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