July 7th, Day 1

Submitted by: Ofer dal Lal

Dear audience--friends, family and singers who were unable to tour,

On this long trip across two continents and an ocean, I get a strange feeling--I leave some precious parts of myself behind, on hold; and I am going toward other precious parts of myself, with hopes and vision for growth.  Yet despite the apparent separation or segregation of different parts of my life, it feels like the opposite. Am I leading a "holistic life"? What does it mean to be a "well rounded" person?

We all lead multiple simultaneous lives.  Our day-to-day is made of so many layers--internal world, hopes, memories we hold close, interactions with the outside world, jobs, search for fulfillment, our values, money considerations, family and close people who may love us and challenge us... plus so much more! How often do we let these layers mix?

Seems to me that the more we let the layers mix, the more "well rounded" we are, and to me, WomenSing's tour is exactly that. This coming week, these singers will be my family--we will eat together, sleep together and create memories together. We will be together dozens of hours, instead of our normal two-and-a-half weekly hours. We are mixing up layers of life, and although our singers took "a pause from life" to come on tour, this is not mere travel--they will work hard to create four excellent concerts.

The part I'm most excited about in this tour is our visit to Eleonas Refugee Camp and our singing there. Again, in our attempt to live a holistic life, our musical work must be informed by our values, and our contributions are made more meaningful with the sharing of music. As the world experiences rapid economic shifts, and the looming threats of climate change, more and more people might be displaced in and between countries. We cannot turn our back on people fleeing conflict or famine.

On this journey across two continents and an ocean, I feel whole--my job, my values, my art, and the part of me that likes to have fun can mix up and make me and others grow.

I look forward to getting to know our singers and companions better, to create memories, and to share them with you through this blog, pictures, and a richer musical experience at future concerts, informed by travel and outreach.

Yours,

Ofer dal Lal