Finding Beauty

Dr. Amanda Kemp is an activist, playwright, poet, actress, writer, and educator, but her underlying mission is no less than a plan to heal the world. A survivor of foster care and sexual abuse, this Stanford and Northwestern graduate seeks to create a "Tribe of the Heart" dedicated to unity that grows out of true authenticity. With her book Say the Wrong Thing and her performance troupes Theater for Transformation and Inspira as resources, she seeks to connect with people who are more interested in coalitions than conflict.

Amanda's is the final interview in either season one of Finding Beauty, or the whole series. Either way, it's a fitting conclusion to what has been--at least for me--a very special experience.

Eva Thompson proves that some of the most remarkable people you will ever meet aren't famous. That said, my mother is well-known. Her dedication to others guarantees it.

My mother comes by her lifelong association with church music honestly. My great-grandfather, Austin Richardson, planted five African Methodist Episcopal Churches in her homeland, Bermuda, and both of her parents were pillars of their respective churches. Also, her great-grandmother was an organist and pianist, and her mother graduated from the New England Conservatory.

While I am grateful for my mother’s musical genes, I appreciate her mainly for her kindness, generosity, humility, and strength. The kind of woman detailed in Proverbs 31, she is a wonderful role model.

Robin Fay Massie is gentle and vulnerable, but oh-so strong and passionate. My “homeland sister” shares my Jamaican roots, but my affinity for Robin has much more to do with who she is than her ancestry.

I met her playing in the Philadelphia-based Black Pearl Orchestra. She introduced herself with a smile that immediately let me know this was a person who radiated warmth and light. Later, via Facebook, I discovered that she was the driving force behind Musicians of Mercy, a collective of DC area performers who come together to raise money for charity. Facebook also gave me a window into how very busy this conservatory-trained violist is. Yet, she seems to always have time to lovingly respond to comments or create revealing, sensitive posts that speak directly to the heart.

Although Haley Simons was a constant presence in my youth, this interview was our first in-depth conversation. We were co-competitors in piano; when I saw her name among the entrants in a music festival class, I knew I’d have to bring my “A” game. When I read a recent article about the important work she is doing to ensure that creativity receives equal educational emphasis with reading and math, I decided to reach out to her on Facebook, and then to ask her to be a guest on my podcast.

Our discussion was delightful, insightful, wide-ranging and warm, covering subjects from motherhood to pop music to the “soul-destroying” practice of turning music into a battleground. Haley is soft-spoken but extremely passionate, with a keen intelligence and steely determination. She is also funny and self-deprecating—just a really cool person, in general. She is very serious about her mission, however, because she truly believes that the arts and creativity in general are indispensable to human survival. Looking for another important reason to contact your congressperson? Listen to this!

Geoff Hicks has been likened to Nat King Cole. While the caliber of singing and piano playing is comparable, this is inaccurate, because Geoff’s sound is unique. For years a fixture in major Boston hotels, Dr. Hicks is not only a graduate of the New England Conservatory, but also of the Andover Newton Theological school, allowing him to minister to souls in both sermon and song.

That said, most of his compositions are instrumental, and include the piano. It was after hearing some of his preludes that I decided to interview him (he has written twelve sets, as the fulfillment of a promise). His story is truly amazing, and includes time spent in Europe and Africa, along with brushes with such legendary figures as John F. Kennedy, Louis Armstrong, and Marian Anderson, to name three who have inspired him, in the way way that his dedication to using his gifts, which include spreading love and kindness, will inspire you.

Alicia Thompson is an Atlanta-based pianist and educator whose students have included the children of elected officials and well-known rappers, professional basketball players, and the like. Her teaching philosophy is rooted first and foremost in caring for each student, an approach that has created lifelong bonds between her and many of the families who have come to know her.

My conversation with this passionate musician and dedicated mother was both enlightening and surprising (did you know the link between Stevie Wonder and Chopin?), even though we grew up in the same house. And yes, I am the sibling in the title.

Philadelphia-based composer and multi-instrumentalist David Cohen is a cancer survivor who exemplifies the phrase “beauty for ashes.” While he never suffered from the disease himself, he watched his beloved wife, Tatyana, die of ovarian cancer, a process that nearly stripped him of his will to make music. While she was alive, he became an active advocate for patient-centered care, a role he continues today. After her death, he recorded a farewell to his life as a musician, which won an unprecedented award.

In the end, David never gave up music; the passion was too great, and, as he notes, his wife would never have wanted that. Instead, he takes his guitar into hospitals, playing for and talking with “amazing people.” He also took his guitar to the U.K, where he set up a tour that included a stop at the famed Troubadour in London, launching pad for storied artists like his idol and inspiration, Joan Armatrading. I'm sure you'll find him as amazing as I do.

Dr. H. Leslie Adams has worked hard to stay “middle of the road.” Some of us—myself included—may prefer to passionately skew in one direction or the other, but Leslie’s efforts make him very happy, and he is so sure of his own inner compass that he truly doesn’t care what anyone else thinks.

Leslie’s self-assurance is also reflected in his music, which deliberately chooses the lovely over the edgy, shunning outside influences. This doesn’t mean his pieces lack tension, however. One thing is certain: his style is unmistakable.

I wanted to interview this internationally-acclaimed composer, whose works have been commissioned by the Cleveland Orchestra and performed by such eminent singers as Denyce Graves, because he exudes joie de vivre, and I sought to know his secret. His childhood can’t be replicated—it sounds like something out of a fairy tale—but his quest to express himself, on his terms, embracing all people equally, is both fascinating and, although his particular journey is decidedly unique, something to consider as a life goal.

Carl Ellenberger is a man of boundless curiosity and equal energy. A retired neurologist, he founded the Mount Gretna music festival, which is now a year-round series of diverse concerts featuring world-class musicians. Until very recently, Dr. Ellenberger made at least cameo appearances playing the flute, holding his own with performers whose life’s work is their instrument. His latest project is a book about the interactions between music and the brain; the ability beautifully is another skill he picked up as part of his neurology training.

Despite all of his accomplishments, Carl remains humble. He may have doubts about whether or not he has made enough of a difference, but I don’t. I’m sure that anyone who has attended a concert at Mount Gretna agrees with me.

Chris Gees knows Oprah. Chris Gees knows Beyonce. And Chris Gees has seen some of the most celebrated women in the world at their most unadorned, without their makeup, and without their Spanx, often in their sumptuous homes. Yet, Chris continues to treat everyone he meets with equal respect and kindness. If the way he dealt with me during the process of creating his podcast is typical (and I suspect that it is), each person he works with comes away feeling important.

When I decided to call my podcast “Finding Beauty,” I was talking mainly about inner beauty, or the kind of beauty we can find in life experiences. Still, I wondered how this top cosmetologist and hair stylist—who is also a singer, actor, and radio personality with a knowledge of costuming—would define the word. Without giving anything away, I must say that I loved Chris’s answer.