like a rock.

jonathonpearson[altizer]

(professional name used in letters and e-mails: j. pearon)

 

the story: pearson was the cool, mysterious new kid at school in the seventh grade, and i wanted to know him. bad. he came to my after-school bible study and i offered him a starburst. we were kind of inseparable from that point on. one of my favorite memories is sneaking backstage at baldwin and listening to him play piano. a military kid, pearson moved to turkey after middle school (to my great dismay), and then to san antonio. 

your [soundtrack]: currently, "ravel piano concerto" for the left hand, "scheherazade","howard hanson symphony romantic symphony no. 2", ravel's "daphnis et chloe","bolero," and "sibelius symphony 2." 

as for real music, "he doesn't know" by fleet foxes, "love doesn't just stop" by standard fare, "dark fantasty" by kanye.

your [script]: anything wes anderson. lately i've been into old films like "the great ziegerfeld" and "whatever happened to baby jane." anything genuinely good. 

your [rough draft]: weissenborn etudes, herzburg long tones, and scale studies, and milde etudes and scale studies. i don't read... i play.

your [shade]: grey. it goes with everything.

your [inspiration]: i'll just do what inspires my bassoon playing. fritz wunderlich, luciano pavarotti, ella fitzgerald, patsy cline, judith leclair, and sharon kuster.

words to [live] by: i wrote some spur of the moment in a scholarship application letter that i think are awesome, ahem: "the joy i get from [insert what makes you joyful here] is greater than any paycheck could ever be."

you [love]: BASSOON.

you [believe] in: practicing.

your [escape]: making reed blanks and wrapping them with glitter gluegun glue.

your [origins]: nowhere. i'm a military kid, so i've been from everywhere. i hated it.

[fondest] memory: i used to be in a relationship that stirs fond memories, but now i am eternally single.

biggest [challenge]: balance. there aren't enough hours in the day for me to do everything i want, so sometimes my balance gets out of whack between school, friends, and bassoon.

a portrait of the artist.

you want to [meet]: i'd love to meet certain famous bassoonists, but i'm sure i will eventually, so i'm not worried about it.

[proudest] moment: getting accepted to all the fancy conservatories.

you want to [be]: professional symphony bassoonist.

[wildest] dream: new york philharmonic, philadelphia orchestra, boston symphony orchestra, chicago symphony orchestra, cleveland orchestra, berlin philharmonic. 

[pet peeves]: academic arrogance.

last [purchase]: textbooks and cane.

your [location]: ATX butler school of music. not super happy, but content.

childhood [ambition]: to get accepted to NEC and i did. so check that off.

most [embarrassing] moment: forgetting half my audition material at an audition in houston. mortifying.

[surprise] us: sometimes i walk around campus dressed up in frat great when i want to feel more accepted or respected.

i [like]: my drive.

i [am]: a music-monster. 

pearson, even after over four years of living apart, i still miss you too much. you define unique, and that's an incredibly inspirational trait. you are one of the more talented people i'll ever know -- creatively, intellectually...comedically. thank you for accepting the weird people. i'm a personal beneficiary of that. we share some wonderful memories, and i hope we'll make more soon. keep making music, euphonious friend. 

you are [delightful].