My Revelation

Lately, I've been struggling a little with the question, "What's next?" This is a problem for many artists, since most of our livings are not predictable in a 9-to-5, annual-salary sort of way! Yesterday, I had a revelation in which I think I figured some things out.

Last post, I talked about the multi-faceted artist; for instance, I am a performer, teacher, and church organist. But through all this, I've been ignoring one of my biggest passions: composing music. I've been composing music from the time I was three and almost majored in composition rather than performance in college. I had a natural knack for composition and even premiered one of my pieces for the US Poet Laureate. But in my early 20s, I decided to focus solely on performance, thinking that I needed to put composition aside for awhile in order to excel in performance.

Years later, I've had a slap-me-in-the-face realization: I want to and can be a pianist-composer, and use each to the advantage of the other. I'd love to perform concerts with traditional classical greats and then include some of my own music as well. Think about it for a minute. In the 18th and 19th centuries, many musicians were expected to compose as well as perform (and also were often expected to improvise). Now, the vast majority of musicians focus on either performing or composing.

One question many artist try to answer is, "What makes you different?", or "What sets you apart from the thousands of other artists?" Well for me, no one else will be C.B. Johnson, concert pianist and composer, performing the classics in addition to her own compositions. Now I just have to compose some really great music. Here goes.