Amália Baraona 

It's been a little over 1 year since I wrote in my Blog. The last post dates back to the 4th of July 2017. I did not feel the need to do so. Today I do. My father departed 5 weeks ago, on the 30th of May, leaving a void that I must learn to live with. It's a process... Family helps, friends help, music helps, but fundamentally, it's a solitary path. After an exciting evening watching the World Cup that he loved so much and during which we always called each other, I woke up t

..."If I go it will be trouble, and if I stay it will be double, so come on and let me know, Should I stay or should I go!!!" (The Clash, 1982) This song has been on my mind 24/7, in particular after meeting a bunch of classical young musicians from Macedonia who are going through the "should I stay or should I go" moment as they graduate and see no future in their country (they probably don't know The Clash 'cause they were not yet born in 1982!!!). The lyrics are about bre

Rainy grey windy days like today can be spent cuddling, sitting in front of the TV wasting life, or sleeping, which I often do like any of us, I guess...! But 2017 started in a very special way for me and to continue expressing myself through music and being happy as a person, these days I've been trying to work on who I am rather than what I do, where I go or with whom. It does sound too philosophical, but it has been very rewarding as well as painful, to be honest with myse

Yesterday I started writing a post on tributes & heroes inspired by 3 artists whom I greatly admire for their qualities as human beings and as musicians: Roberto Menescal, Nara Leão and Joyce. But in the last 48 hours, I could not stay indifferent to 3 young women whose names and achievements I had never heard of until now: Majlinda Kelmendi, Rafaela Silva, and Telma Monteiro became inspirational to millions of people around the world with their victories in the RIO 2016 Olym