SECRETS OF LONGEVITY
Dear Friends,
There's lots of news to share with you, as I've been away "on assignment" these last few weeks. My thanks to Crystal for taking the helm of these Friday messages to you all!
Firstly, a very special concert hall dear to many a musician's heart turned 100 recently. Coolidge Auditorium at The Library of Congress almost managed to celebrate on the day itself - October 28th - except for that whole government shutdown thing that was happening in the U.S. Named after philanthropist Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge, it is part of a building that was meant to emulate in some ways the Paris Opera House, though the concert hall is just a small portion of what is known as the Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress. I've performed there on a few occasions over the years, most notably once being given the honour of performing on Fritz Kreisler's famous Guarneri del Gesu, which is part of their instrument collection on site. The hall has since re-opened and hopefully people will be back there in short order to experience music in what is an excellent acoustic in a warm, embracing atmosphere - in no small part because of Anne McLean's efforts. She is the senior producer for concerts at the library. Congratulations to you, Anne, and here's to the next 100 years of music at the Coolidge! Check out this article for more interesting info:
Some of you may have seen an article recently about doctors in Montreal now being able to “prescribe music” to them via tickets to hear the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. Known as “social prescriptions”, it follows the ever-growing data pile that suggests that listening to music is great for your health. Going to a live concert reduces isolation, releases endorphins, gives some people new and novel experiences that they might otherwise not be able to access (prescription tickets are free of charge!). It’s a win-win scenario. Here’s a great article describing it in more details:
Another recent article came out in the news this week about the longevity of folks living in two specific towns in this country - Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, and Parksville, British Columbia. People in these communities often live into their 90s and even 100s. Some suggest that it is living by the water (who doesn't love living by the water?), others the sense of community that each town has independently built over the years etc. I have been to both of these communities on multiple occassions and can tell you they both have thriving, active interests in music! People come out to hear live music in droves! A connection? Yes, I believe so. Here's a link to that article in the Globe and Mail:
I am thrilled to tell you all that we have now surpassed our November fundraising goal, and are extremely thankful to all of you who gave in support of this special initiative. Your support goes to help SSM's longevity in the community, and with your continuing positive response to what we offer, you can be sure we're not going anywhere! Who knows, we might even make it to 100 one day....
If you want to help us reach even higher, you can still support us as we reach the end of our current fiscal year (November 30th), or make a donation on Giving Tuesday, which this year lands on December 2nd. More information in the links below.
Thanks again to everyone! I'm happy to be back in the saddle here...see you in 7 days!
Mark and the SSM Team