PC: Tom & Sue Friedman

There are moments that arrive quietly, yet alter the course of one’s creative life. For us, that moment came in the spring of 2024, as we stood along the banks of the Platte River with David’s parents, surrounded by a few hundred others, watching the sun sink below the horizon. The sky shimmered with movement — the rhythmic silhouettes of cranes gliding gracefully overhead, their haunting calls echoing across the water.

In that instant, time seemed to suspend. We were witnesses to something ancient and sacred — a migration that has taken place for millennia, a pulse of the earth itself. It was then that we knew: we needed to document this wonder, to honor it through film and music.

For me (Darci), having grown up in northern British Columbia, the migrations of birds marked the turning of the seasons — a living calendar written in wings and song. Each autumn and spring, I would watch the skies fill with Canadian geese and trumpeter swans over the Nechako River, a reminder of the natural rhythms that shaped my childhood. When I moved south to the United States for university, I felt the absence of those migrations deeply. That sense of loss — and longing for connection to the cycles of nature — became part of my creative language.

In sharing our experience with friends, we spoke of our awe, our wish to create a documentary film that could capture even a fraction of the wonder we had witnessed. Little did we know that those very friends were members of the Crane Trust, a conservation organization dedicated to protecting these magnificent birds and their fragile habitat.

Through their kindness and generosity, we were invited to spend three extraordinary days and two nights at the Crane Trust in March 2025, filming the migration from the blinds at sunrise and sunset. The staff at the Trust — from field biologists to coordinators — welcomed us with warmth, patience, and incredible hospitality. They accommodated everything, even a flat tire along the way, making sure we had what we needed to bring this vision to life.

We owe a great debt of gratitude to Tom and Sue Friedman, Kylee Warren, Matt Urbanski, and so many others who contributed footage, guidance, and encouragement. This film became a true collaborative creation, woven together from the eyes and hearts of many.

Of course, the journey was not without its challenges — outdated computers, cancelled venues, and the ever-evolving demands of independent filmmaking. Yet through every obstacle, the purpose remained clear: to honor the cranes, the land, and the mystery of migration through art.

Now, after months of editing, composing, and dreaming, we are honored to share this work with the community.

✨ Premiere Event ✨

📅 Wednesday, October 9 | 7:00 p.m.

📍 Cathedral Arts Project Cultural Center

3900 Webster Street, Omaha, NE

cathedralartsproject.org

🎥 Taking Flight: The Eighth Wonder of the World

Directed by Darci Gamerl

Produced by Bel Canto Duo

🎶 Featuring a live original film score performed by

David Downing, cellist and looping artist

and Darci Gamerl, oboist and composer

A reception will follow the performance.

🎟 Admission is free, but seating is limited.

Reserve your place by calling 402-551-4888

or emailing fverhulst@archomaha.org.

Our heartfelt thanks go to Jerry Brabec and the entire team at the Cathedral Arts Project, whose belief in this work helped bring it to life.

This premiere is not simply an event — it’s an invitation. To witness the beauty of the cranes. To remember our connection to the earth. To let music and image remind us that wonder is still all around us.

We can’t wait to share this journey with you. 🌿🕊

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Santiago Rusiñol, Erik Satie in his Room, 1890

The Velvet Gentleman, the Starving Artist & The Truth We Hide

When the Image Doesn’t Match the Reality

There’s something deeply unsettling — and quietly inspiring — about how the outer appearance of success so often hides an inner struggle.

I was struck recently while reading about Erik Satie, the French composer, and Albert Einstein, the physicist. Both cultivated striking public personas, but lived lives far more modest and complex than most realized. For anyone who teaches young musicians — as I do — their stories offer both wisdom & insight.

Erik Satie: The Velvet Gentleman in the “Cupboard”

Erik Satie (1866–1925) is remembered for the dreamlike beauty of his Gymnopédies and Gnossiennes — music that still feels radical in its simplicity — and for his carefully cultivated persona as “the velvet gentleman.” He owned a dozen identical gray suits, wore a bowler hat, carried an umbrella, and gave the impression of quiet, eccentric elegance.

But his private life told a very different story. Satie lived in a tiny, unheated apartment in Arcueil, just outside Paris — so small that many have called it a “cupboard.” He slept fully clothed, using his coats as extra blankets. Each day he walked miles across Paris to his favorite café, where he would compose. After his death, friends were stunned to discover the poverty he had endured, hidden behind the careful image he presented to the world.

Society’s Blind Spot: Valuing the Artist, Not Just the Art

Satie’s story resonates painfully today. I have watched friends, mentors, and colleagues — some of the most brilliant, dedicated musicians I know — work like dogs their entire lives, only to find themselves in failing health, without disability coverage, and unable to make ends meet.

These are people who have brought beauty, meaning, and connection into countless lives. And yet, when their bodies give out, when arthritis, hearing loss, or illness set in, there is no safety net.

We live in a culture that consumes art ravenously but forgets the artist. Society prizes affluence, speed, and productivity over reflection, beauty, and depth. The market will pay millions for luxury goods but balks at paying a living wage to the people who create music, dance, poetry, and theater — the very things that keep us human.

And somewhere along the way, we even romanticized this hardship. We created the myth of the “starving artist” — as if suffering were the cost of entry to authenticity. But poverty does not make art more profound. Art flourishes best when its creators are safe enough to take risks, to explore, to bring their deepest work into being.

Einstein & Mileva: Collaboration, Recognition, Reality

Albert Einstein’s first wife, Mileva Marić, adds another dimension to this reflection. A brilliant mathematician and physicist in her own right, Mileva collaborated with Einstein in his early years. Their letters show them working side by side, sharing calculations, refining ideas.

Historians debate the extent of her contribution to Einstein’s most famous papers, but her influence on his intellectual development is clear. Her story reminds us that genius is rarely solitary — even the greatest breakthroughs are nurtured in a web of relationships, often with contributions that remain invisible.

A Different Model for the Future

Both serial grey suit connoiseur's, Satie & Einstein’s starving artist stereotype - the solitary genius myth— all of these are costumes. They are curated images that hide the struggle, the partnership, the economic realities behind the art.

My goal is to help musicians build careers that are whole — careers that are not just successful on the outside, but sustainable and nourishing on the inside. This means teaching them that they have a right to financial stability, to healthcare, to rest — and that creating a life where art and well-being coexist is not a luxury, but a necessity.

When we invest in artists, we invest in the collective health & soul of society. We build communities that can heal, that can imagine new, prosperous futures, that can hold complexity and joy. And we dismantle, piece by piece, the false glamour of the starving artist, replacing it with a model of the thriving artist.

💌 Join the Conversation

If Satie’s hidden poverty and the myth of the starving artist strike a chord with you, I invite you to help rewrite the story. Share this post with a friend, a colleague, or a student who needs to hear that thriving as an artist is possible.

Subscribe to Sounding the Soul to continue the conversation — about music, creativity, healing, and building lives that are sustainable inside and out. Together we can create a culture that values not just art, but the artists themselves.

#BelCantoDuo #SoundingTheSoul #ArtistLife #ErikSatie #ThrivingArtist #MusicMatters #HealingThroughMusic #EndStarvingArtistMyth

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Art, Advocacy, and the Power of Music: Reflections on Ben Folds 

Last week in Sioux City, we were lucky enough to experience a performance that was more than just a concert — it was a reminder of why we do what we do. Ben Folds graced the stage with a rare combination of humor, storytelling, vulnerability, and virtuosic musicianship. The classics were all there — the audience sang along, laughed together, and yes, more than a few tears were shed during The Luckiest.

But what stayed with me long after the final applause was not just the music, but the message.

The Advocate Behind the Artist

Ben Folds has long been an outspoken advocate for the arts. Many people may not know that he was the first Artistic Advisor for the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center — a role he held until February 2025, when he resigned due to changes under President Trump’s leadership of the center. During his tenure, he curated the innovative Declassified: Ben Folds Presents concert series, which brought together the NSO and a wide range of contemporary artists.

He even recently released a live album of NSO performances from the Kennedy Center — a project he has described as both a celebration of that collaboration and a quiet protest against the direction of the institution after those changes (as covered by NPR).

His action spoke volumes, reminding us that advocacy is not always about speeches or statements, but about standing firm in your values.

He has testified before Congress, championing the importance of the arts — not as a luxury, but as an essential component of a healthy society. He reminded us that even though only around 6% of orchestra funding comes from the federal government, that support remains crucial. It keeps orchestras alive in communities across the country. And in an era where public funding faces uncertainty, private donors and grassroots support are more important than ever.

Folds put it beautifully: orchestras are an indicator of the health of our society. When they thrive, so does the culture around them. When they begin to falter, it is a warning sign that something deeper is amiss.

From the Percussion Section to the Front of the Stage

For those perfectionists out there, Ben also shared a more personal story — his early aspirations to become an orchestral musician. He was a percussionist, worked tirelessly, studied at conservatory, and dreamed of a chair in the Cleveland orchestra.

He never won a job. And if you know the audition process, you know how grueling, competitive, and — frankly — subjective it can be. Panels sit behind screens to preserve anonymity, but history has shown that bias still finds a way in. Orchestras now place carpets so that panel members — cannot hear the difference in footsteps and guess the gender of the musician walking in. 

Ben Folds shared that, while he never became a member of an orchestra, his career came full circle — he now plays with orchestras, in front of them, as a soloist. And given the eloquence, humor, and heartbreaking beauty of his lyrics, it’s hard not to feel that he ended up exactly where he was meant to be.

Where Orchestras Go from Here

What struck me most is how Ben’s voice — both literally and metaphorically — crosses genres, generations, and audiences in a way that is unique and powerful. And that, in many ways, is where the future of orchestras lies.

We must write and program music that is meaningful, relevant, and accessible to people’s lives today. We must make concerts affordable, inviting, and woven into the fabric of our communities. Orchestras are not just entertainment — they are cultural indicators, community-builders, and in many ways, healers.

Science backs this up: music and the arts lower stress, improve mental health, foster empathy, and create social cohesion. They bring people together. They change lives - and goodness knows, we need more of that right now.

A Closing Moment to Remember

The best part of the night came at the very end. Ben Folds stood on top of his piano bench — smiling broadly, arms outstretched, palms pressed together in a prayer of thanks — and directed his gratitude to the orchestra.

It was spontaneous, heartfelt, and full of respect. In that moment, the room felt like one ensemble: artist, orchestra, and audience, connected. It wasn’t just a concert — it was a collaboration, a celebration, and a reminder that music can still bring us together in ways words alone never could.

💌 Join the Conversation

I’d love to hear from you.

What performances have reminded you why the arts matter?

How have orchestras or live music shaped your sense of community?

Share your thoughts in the comments, send us a message, or post on social media with the hashtag #SoundingTheSoul so we can keep this important conversation going.

#BelCantoDuo #SoundingTheSoul #CreativePartnership #MusicAndFilm #TakingFlight #InterdisciplinaryArt #ChamberMusicReimagined #HealingArts #ArtsAndWellness #SandhillCranes #EnvironmentalStorytelling #ArtistCollaboration #NewMusic #CraneMigration #DocumentaryPremiere

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PC: Tom Friedman

A History of Transformational Duos

History is full of partnerships that not only shaped art but redefined what was possible. Julius Caesar and Cleopatra didn’t just unite two great powers — their alliance altered the course of entire empires. Stravinsky and Nijinsky gave us The Rite of Spring, a work so daring that it provoked a riot at its 1913 premiere. The friction and brilliance of that collaboration changed music, dance, and even audience expectations forever.

And then there are the beloved duos who gave us some of the most enduring melodies in the musical theater canon — Lerner & Loewe, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Gilbert & Sullivan. These creative pairs built worlds together: Camelot’s court, Oklahoma’s prairie, Gondoliers’ Venice — all places we can still visit through their work.

Why do these stories matter? Because they remind us that something alchemical happens when two creative minds collide. The give-and-take, the challenge, the laughter — they turn raw ideas into something transformative.

Why Two Is Better Than One

Bel Canto Duo thrives on this same magic. Our most powerful music doesn’t emerge from one of us in isolation — it’s born in that shared space where a melodic fragment meets a harmonic twist, where one of us asks, what if we tried this?and the other replies, yes, and…

Creating alone can feel like trying to sculpt in the dark — you have the material, but you can’t see the shape clearly. Collaboration turns on the lights. Suddenly, you’re not just writing a piece; you’re discovering something new together.

And here’s the secret: working as a pair makes the work better. It deepens the emotional language, builds momentum, and allows for ideas that might be too wild, too quiet, or too risky if left to a single voice. Collaboration gives those ideas permission to grow.

Beyond the Safe and Expected

Stravinsky and Nijinsky didn’t set out to create something polite. The Rite of Spring was designed to shock, to disrupt, to wake the audience up. That’s what creative partnerships can do: they give us courage to go beyond what we thought possible.

For Bel Canto Duo, this has meant stepping boldly into interdisciplinary work — projects that push us out of our comfort zone and open new creative pathways. When we premiered our commissioned work Four Cather Tableaux in 2023, we had no idea that it would become the seed for an entirely new direction in our artistic practice.

That premiere eventually led to Taking Flight: The Eighth Wonder of the World, a full-length documentary that combines our original music, live performance, and the breathtaking spectacle of the Sandhill Crane migration.

📽️ Watch the Trailer: https://youtu.be/oL88VkUL5lc

I never thought I would add “filmmaker” and “director” to my resume — but here we are. This is what happens when we lean into the unknown: the work grows beyond what we imagined, and so do we.

Partnerships in a Changing Landscape

The artistic landscape has shifted dramatically — audiences are seeking experiences that feel personal, transformative, and relevant to their lives. We’ve embraced that shift by partnering with universities, mental health and wellness professionals, and visionary non-profits that are willing to take creative risks.

These partners understand that art can be more than entertainment — it can be a tool for healing, education, and connection. They are often the ones willing to experiment with nontraditional formats: a performance inside a nature preserve at sunrise, a concert paired with neuroscience research, a film screening that becomes a communal ritual.

Yes, many organizations are tasked with generating profit — and we respect that reality. But there are ways to reach audiences outside the traditional chamber music mold. We will always love our hardcore chamber music fans (you know who you are!) — but we also want to speak to the curious listener who might never have stepped foot inside a concert hall. This work meets them where they are and invites them into the experience.

The Joy of Risk-Taking

There’s a thrill in the unknown. When we create, we often don’t know what the final piece will sound like until it arrives. That willingness to risk failure is what gives the work its vitality.

Collaboration helps us take those leaps safely — we know the other person is there to catch the idea, refine it, or say, let’s try again. That shared courage is what makes the music resonate so deeply with audiences.

An Invitation to Collaborate

This year, we’re looking to expand that magic. We’re opening the door to new collaborators — composers, filmmakers, scientists, poets, conservationists, presenters, dreamers. If you have a project, an idea, or a question that needs to be explored through sound, story, and image, we’d love to hear from you.

“Magic happens when we gather around the same creative table. Let’s see what we can make together.”

💌 Join the Conversation

Who’s your favorite creative duo in history — in music, art, science, or life?

Drop it in the comments below. We’d love to hear what collaborations have inspired you.

And if you’re part of a university, organization, or creative team looking for a partnership that challenges the ordinary and brings people together, reach out to us.

#BelCantoDuo #SoundingTheSoul #CreativePartnership #MusicAndFilm #TakingFlight #InterdisciplinaryArt #ChamberMusicReimagined #HealingArts #ArtsAndWellness #SandhillCranes #EnvironmentalStorytelling #ArtistCollaboration #NewMusic #CraneMigration #DocumentaryPremiere

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