Roddy Long

Musician, violinist, Juilliard graduate. educator, tutor and conductor @NYOS Fan of Edinburgh and Star Wars..

[Justin Sherin @wychstreet]

Judi Dench was on Graham Norton last night to push her new book about her life and work with Shakespeare. After making the point we quote Shakespeare daily without knowing it, this happened:

[Stephen Hough @houghhough]

"I want my art to be joyful" David Hockney's lovely show @_LightRoomLDN

[Roddy Long @RoddyLong]

@susantomespiano @tmdtapodcast We also inherited the inner game of tennis ..transcribed for musicians ! So we owe them something.

[Roddy Long @RoddyLong]

@musojane @susantomespiano @tmdtapodcast Wonderful to hear , this didn’t exist when I was at Juilliard .

[Susan Tomes @susantomespiano]

When I hear #Wimbledon commentators describing all the support today's young players get (psychology, nutrition, physio, communication skills) I realise that - in my generation of UK musicians at least - there was none of that at all. How different would ... etc?
@tmdtapodcast

[Matthew Bourne 💙 @SirMattBourne]

I also remember feeling so euphoric after seeing this film and this scene in particular! The music, the kiss, the beauty of these two actors -unforgettable! Thank you and RIP #JulianSands #RoomWithAView

[Roddy Long @RoddyLong]

Great loss, what a legend !!

[NYOS @NYOScotland]

This July NYOS Development Orchestra welcome back conductor @NataliaLuisB for a performance in the wonderfully atmospheric @greyfriars_kirk in Edinburgh, performing Carreño’s 'Margariteña', alongside Tchaikovsky’s Symphony no. 5. Join us! https://t.co/sT15qyoEno
#NYOS2023

[Roddy Long @RoddyLong]

@matthaig1 You are so missed , how exciting Matt, love your books !

[Roddy Long @RoddyLong]

@frasercontra Very kind and lovely to me as well !! What a terrible loss .

[Anthony Princiotti @tonyprinciotti]

Another Mahler reminiscence, this one from his daughter Anna, who was not quite 7 years old when he died:

[Roddy Long @RoddyLong]

@NoisyMV Terfel, a renowned fabulous opera star with an amazing voice , Bocelli sounds like a dying cat !Actually liked the performance until Bocelli walked on .

[Anthony Princiotti @tonyprinciotti]

A set of Mahler reminiscences from members of the New York Philharmonic who worked with him during his tenure as the orchestra's Music Director (1909-1911). The subject is his highly-distinctive walk:

[Billy Oppenheimer @bpoppenheimer]

In 1997, at the age of 27, Matt Damon won his first Academy Award for Best Screenplay ("Good Will Hunting").

After Damon won the Oscar, he went home, sat down on his sofa, & looked at the award.

As he looked at it, he was suddenly overwhelmed by a heartbreaking thought.

"Imagine chasing that, and not getting it, and getting it finally in your 80s or your 90s with all of life behind you and realizing what an unbelievable waste of your life...It can't fill you up. If that's a hole that you have, that won't fill it."

"My heart broke," Damon said. "I imagined another one of me [not getting that award until I was] an old man, and going like, 'oh my god. where did my life go? What have I done?' And then it's over."

Takeaway 1:

Many successful, rich, famous, etc. people talk about chasing success, money, fame, etc., getting it, and realizing that it didn't feel like they thought it would. That it didn't, as Damon said, fill the hole they had.

One of my favorite analogies for this pattern comes from Sam Hinkie.

Hinkie was asked about what he's learned from reading Robert Caro's books—about some very successful, rich, famous, etc. people.

"I think of it like the Pacific Salmon," Hinkie said. "They spend their whole life making this journey upstream to spawn in this one spot. And as soon as they do, they die. That's largely what Caro shows you."

Takeaway 2:

Before he was a big-time comedian, Hasan Minhaj was asked if he thought he was going to become a big-time comedian.

“I don’t like that question,” he said. “I fundamentally don’t like that question.”

Because that question implies that he is only doing comedy as a means to some end (success, money, fame, etc.).

“No, no, no,” he said, “The set I get to do tonight at 7:20 PM is the win. I get to do comedy—I won. It being predicated on doing X or being bigger than Y—no, no, no. To me, it’s always just been about the work."

"The work is the win," as Ryan Holiday once told me.

- - -

"It's such a gift to be able to [do] something and to love it for the sake of it...I see people with talent, with all those things. But the one thing they don't have is just that love for doing it for the sake of it...So if there's anything, just find joy in what you do for the sake of it." — Rodney Mullen

Follow @bpoppenheimer for more content like this!

[Roddy Long @RoddyLong]

@ANethsingha Congratulations Andrew .. so proud to see you today conducting!!

[Roddy Long @RoddyLong]

@NYOScotland @Natalialb Well done everyone , fantastic concert!!

[NYOS @NYOScotland]

The unmistakeable opening of Grieg’s Piano Concerto performed by the phenomenal Scottish Pianist Ethan Loch alongside NYOS Development Orchestra under the baton of inspirational conductor @NataliaLB. For more clips, news & reviews sign up here: https://t.co/0KCwwaVR5c  #NYOS2023

[NYOS @NYOScotland]

First rehearsals with outstanding pianist Ethan Loch on day 4 of the NYOS Development Orchestra spring course. Everyone was delighted to meet and perform alongside Ethan for the first time. Grieg’s Piano Concerto already sounds amazing! Tickets https://t.co/mtPgHDNUsN #NYOS2023

[Roddy Long @RoddyLong]

@stevenosborne Wow .. wish I could come !