I'm back from speaking at the Duke Conference. I loved it.

Below is a photo taken by Gary Wang - mentioned below - back in 1996. He and some friends painted over nearly the entire Duke bridge, wiping out everything except for a lone rose, which they incorporated into the "we were bored" phrase. He did not know me at the time -- and didn't know I'd painted that rose for my sorority, AOII!

Favorite moments at the Duke conference included:


Feeling 10 years younger because everything reminded me of my college years.

Conversations about the ontology/metaphysics/meaning of art and music and life.

Reuniting with my friend Juliessa.

And who would have thought Duke had produced so many artists? Just to name a few...


Ray Eddy went into consulting after graduating from Duke, then went back to Duke for a masters in teaching. He then worked for UNC at Chapel Hill in their student affairs office, before leaving them to start his own company, a band camp and band instruction group. There's more. He then won a job at Universal Studios as the stunt man who plays Indiana Jones. And I thought I had an outlandish career story!!



Ge Wang (a.k.a., Gary) forged a career in "research and education at the intersection of computer science and music." He is an assistant professor of music at Stanford, where he creates and uses audio software to build orchestral surround-sound musical experiences. And he has a talent for visual art, too: he never mentioned a word about it during the conference, but a quick visit to his website reveals his sketchbook portfolio.


Viswa Subbaraman has co-founded an opera company in Houston, Texas, where he is also artistic director and conductor. His talent as a conductor has won him a Fulbright scholarship and international recognition. He makes me want to listen to more classical music and expand my horizons.


Lynn Ennis is an artist who's main medium is other artists. That is to say, she's a museum curator at North Carolina State University in Raleigh. I was anxious to meet her, and was so glad to find her friendly and encouraging. I'm hoping she will soon join blogger and start writing!


Mark Mosrie is a renowned professional photographer based in Nashville, Tennessee. His portfolio speaks for itself, but I'll add one word: gorgeous. He's traveled the world, and the world is lucky.


Plus I met lots of students with interesting stories of their own. Who knows, maybe Dana Salah will be a voice we hear in the music world one day.