In the Homecoming Podcast, award-winning pianist and author, Jessica Roemischer celebrates life's little moments. Through a compelling blend of story and piano music, Jessica conjures memories from childhood, reflections on nature, delight in our human experience, the arts, music, and more. Amidst t…
For this podcast episode, I am honored and delighted to present a new musical collaboration--with world-class guitarist, Garth Webber. Garth has played alongside the finest rock, blues and jazz musicians of our time--among them, Gregg Allman, John Lee Hooker, Dr. John, Robben Ford, Bill Champlin, Bob Weir and--Miles Davis--widely considered the most influential musician in the history of jazz. The episode interweaves piano, guitar and voice, inspired by the compelling insights of Miles Davis. Indeed, Miles Davis has an uncanny sense of what makes music powerful and affecting. With heartfelt gratitude to Garth for the joys of this 'duet.' Find out more about Garth Webber at www.garthwebber.com With gratitude to my sponsors: Roland Corporation Australia Haworths Shellharbour, New South Wales, Australia My dear Patreon patrons, and all supporters past and present. Your support will help me bring hope and inspiration to the world: Become a Patreon patron: www.patreon.com/jessica_roemischer More ways to support: www.pianobeautiful.com/donatecontact.html Thank you! Website: www.pianobeautiful.com Audios, Videos and Podcast YouTube: www.youtube.com/@JessicaRoemischer Vimeo: vimeo.com/user1976839 Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/7rjR3RqXhE35SMskX9Wjv2 Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/home…ca/id1420380439 Follow me on... Facebook: www.facebook.com/jessica.roemischer/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/jessica_roemischer/ LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jessicaroemischer/ Buy audios and my Award-winning Memoir Amazon CDs: amzn.to/3E2bAlT Amazon Memoir: amzn.to/3xu5wAo
As piano melodies flow through me, I offer insights into our lives, our world, and our souls. I'm inspired both by the beloved song, "Amazing Grace," born of a man's transfigured consciousness; and by an interview with Gregg Braden, renowned visionary and cutting-edge researcher/thinker. In a spontaneous flow, I share thoughts on who we are and where we're going, poised at this pivotal point in human life, and life on Earth. Gregg Braden is interviewed by Michael Sandler on his Inspired Nation YouTube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxW0OfIa2DM With gratitude to my sponsors: Roland Corporation Australia Haworths Shellharbour, New South Wales, Australia My dear Patreon patrons, and all supporters past and present Your support will help me bring hope and inspiration to the world: Become a Patreon patron: www.patreon.com/jessica_roemischer More ways to support: www.pianobeautiful.com/donatecontact.html Thank you! Website: www.pianobeautiful.com Audios, Videos and Podcast YouTube: www.youtube.com/@JessicaRoemischer Vimeo: vimeo.com/user1976839 Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/7rjR3RqXhE35SMskX9Wjv2 Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/home…ca/id1420380439 Follow me on... Facebook: www.facebook.com/jessica.roemischer/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/jessica_roemischer/ LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jessicaroemischer/ Buy audios and my Award-winning Memoir Amazon CDs: amzn.to/3E2bAlT Amazon Memoir: amzn.to/3xu5wAo
In this podcast, as I sit on an ancient sea-side lava field, I reflect on the intrinsic connection between us all - no matter where we are. I describe two stories - of my dear friend, Ren, who likewise found herself amidst ancient lava fields in Hawaii; and my Canadian friend and 'fellow' poet and writer, Brenda Peddigrew who, like many in the Northeast, has been struggling with the effects of widespread forest fires. The connectedness between us kindles the heart, evoking a reality that defies space and time - a quantum reality. I sing the song that Brenda heard as rain began to quench the fires of her home country - The Eagles' "Have You Ever Seen The Rain." For my YouTube video of that song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ia0OH_sGIbs Brenda Peddigrew's wonderful writings: https://www.amazon.com/Books-Brenda-Peddigrew/s?rh=n%3A283155%2Cp_27%3ABrenda+Peddigrew With gratitude to my sponsors: Roland Corporation Australia Haworths Shellharbour, New South Wales, Australia My dear Patreon patrons, and all supporters past and present Your support will help me bring hope and inspiration to the world: Become a Patreon patron: www.patreon.com/jessica_roemischer More ways to support: www.pianobeautiful.com/donatecontact.html Thank you! Website: www.pianobeautiful.com Audios, Videos and Podcast YouTube: www.youtube.com/@JessicaRoemischer Vimeo: vimeo.com/user1976839 Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/7rjR3RqXhE35SMskX9Wjv2 Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/home…ca/id1420380439 Follow me on... Facebook: www.facebook.com/jessica.roemischer/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/jessica_roemischer/ LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jessicaroemischer/ Buy audios and my Award-winning Memoir Amazon CDs: amzn.to/3E2bAlT Amazon Memoir: amzn.to/3xu5wAo
A chance encounter on a seaside path, led to insights into history and one of my favorite songs, "Amazing Grace." It also gave me pause to consider--what is 'grace, really? And what does it means for our consciousness to shift, so a new life on this planet can come into being. I cite, also, a conversation with Apollo astronaut, Edgar Mitchell, as he glimpsed our world, for the first time, from space. Here is my YouTube video of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibvQy8NzOdY This is the movie, "Amazing Grace," about William Wilberforce and John Newton: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeHY-L94Ya0 With gratitude to my sponsors: Roland Corporation Australia Haworths Shellharbour, New South Wales, Australia My dear Patreon patrons, and all supporters past and present Your support will help me bring hope and inspiration to the world: Become a Patreon patron: www.patreon.com/jessica_roemischer More ways to support: www.pianobeautiful.com/donatecontact.html Thank you! Website: www.pianobeautiful.com Audios, Videos and Podcast YouTube: www.youtube.com/@JessicaRoemischer Vimeo: vimeo.com/user1976839 Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/7rjR3RqXhE35SMskX9Wjv2 Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/home…ca/id1420380439 Follow me on... Facebook: www.facebook.com/jessica.roemischer/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/jessica_roemischer/ LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jessicaroemischer/ Buy audios and my Award-winning Memoir Amazon CDs: amzn.to/3E2bAlT Amazon Memoir: amzn.to/3xu5wAo
My grandmother made history as one of the USA's greatest theatrical costumers. Her business, "Mme Berthe Costumes," outfitted many of the stars and nightclub shows, including Lena Horne, Duke Ellington, Liza Minelli, The Cotton Club, Radio City Rockettes, and countless others, during the early to mid 20 century. As I was growing up, though, she was just my beloved "Tima," who'd swing me on the swings in the park. From my Grandma, my Mom emerged as an extraordinary woman in her own right, pioneering new understandings of education, and freeing the human spirit in her young students. She was immersed, too, in the beauty of music, dance and art, a gift which she gave me. These days, in late night conversations with my Mom, the personal and the span of history merge--of culture, arts and philosophy--as my Mom shares poignant insights and reflections--on my Grandma, herself, and me. With gratitude to my sponsors: Roland Corporation Australia Haworths Shellharbour, New South Wales, Australia My dear Patreon patrons, and all supporters past and present Your support will help me bring hope and inspiration to the world: Become a Patreon patron: www.patreon.com/jessica_roemischer More ways to support: www.pianobeautiful.com/donatecontact.html Thank you! Website: www.pianobeautiful.com Audios, Videos and Podcast YouTube: www.youtube.com/@JessicaRoemischer Vimeo: vimeo.com/user1976839 Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/7rjR3RqXhE35SMskX9Wjv2 Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/home…ca/id1420380439 Follow me on... Facebook: www.facebook.com/jessica.roemischer/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/jessica_roemischer/ LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jessicaroemischer/ Buy audios and my Award-winning Memoir Amazon CDs: amzn.to/3E2bAlT Amazon Memoir: amzn.to/3xu5wAo
On Father's Day, I remember my beloved Dad and the gifts he's given me - humanity, song and a glorious vision of the world. This episode includes an excerpt from one of our conversations - the first that I've published. Happy Father's Day Dad! I love you always With gratitude to my sponsors: Roland Corporation Australia Haworths Shellharbour, New South Wales, Australia My dear Patreon patrons, and all supporters past and present Your support will help me bring hope and inspiration to the world: Become a Patreon patron: www.patreon.com/jessica_roemischer More ways to support: www.pianobeautiful.com/donatecontact.html Thank you! Website: www.pianobeautiful.com Audios, Videos and Podcast YouTube: www.youtube.com/@JessicaRoemischer Vimeo: vimeo.com/user1976839 Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/7rjR3RqXhE35SMskX9Wjv2 Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/home…ca/id1420380439 Follow me on... Facebook: www.facebook.com/jessica.roemischer/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/jessica_roemischer/ LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jessicaroemischer/ Buy audios and my Award-winning Memoir Amazon CDs: amzn.to/3E2bAlT Amazon Memoir: amzn.to/3xu5wAo
This podcast celebrates the simple acts of love and faith - in one's self, in another, in life itself. It's inspired by the great John Hiatt's beautiful ballad, "Have A Little Faith in Me." With love to all, Jessica Here is my YouTube video of this song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7-b8Y241nw With gratitude to my sponsors: Roland Corporation Australia Haworths Shellharbour, New South Wales, Australia My dear Patreon patrons, and all supporters past and present Your support will help me bring hope and inspiration to the world: Become a Patreon patron: www.patreon.com/jessica_roemischer More ways to support: www.pianobeautiful.com/donatecontact.html Thank you! Website: www.pianobeautiful.com Audios, Videos and Podcast YouTube: www.youtube.com/@JessicaRoemischer Vimeo: vimeo.com/user1976839 Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/7rjR3RqXhE35SMskX9Wjv2 Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/home…ca/id1420380439 Follow me on... Facebook: www.facebook.com/jessica.roemischer/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/jessica_roemischer/ LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jessicaroemischer/ Buy audios and my Award-winning Memoir Amazon CDs: amzn.to/3E2bAlT Amazon Memoir: amzn.to/3xu5wAo
This podcast celebrates the sun in all its glory, within us and shining down. As we let our inner essence shine, we transform ourselves and each other, creating a new world. I sing "Here Comes the Sun," The Beatles' great anthem to light. With love to all, Jessica Here is my YouTube video of this song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alXtfcwKACc With gratitude to my sponsors: Roland Corporation Australia Haworths Shellharbour, New South Wales, Australia My dear Patreon patrons, and all supporters past and present Your support will help me bring hope and inspiration to the world: Become a Patreon patron: https://www.patreon.com/jessica_roemischer More ways to support: www.pianobeautiful.com/donatecontact.html Thank you! Website: www.pianobeautiful.com Audios, Videos and Podcast YouTube: www.youtube.com/@JessicaRoemischer Vimeo: vimeo.com/user1976839 Spotify: open.spotify.com/artist/7rjR3RqXhE35SMskX9Wjv2 Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/home…ca/id1420380439 Follow me on... Facebook: www.facebook.com/jessica.roemischer/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/jessica_roemischer/ LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/jessicaroemischer/ Buy audios and my Award-winning Memoir Amazon CDs: amzn.to/3E2bAlT Amazon Memoir: amzn.to/3xu5wAo
I'm restarting my podcast with heartfelt appreciation to all my listeners, new and established. This podcast celebrates the light in all its glory. As we embrace it, our hopes and dreams come to life, creating a new world. I sing "I Shall Be Released," Dylan's great anthem to freedom. With love to all, Jessica Here is the interview with Archbishop Desmond Tutu: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHszI1n-CJY Here is my YouTube video of this song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gPB13XVVT4 With gratitude to my sponsors: Roland Corporation Australia Haworths Shellharbour, New South Wales, Australia My dear Patreon patrons, and all supporters past and present Your support will help me bring hope and inspiration to the world: https://www.pianobeautiful.com/donatecontact.html Thank you! Website: https://www.pianobeautiful.com Audios, Videos and Podcast YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JessicaRoemischer Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/user1976839 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7rjR3RqXhE35SMskX9Wjv2 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/homecoming-with-jessica/id1420380439 Follow me on... Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jessica.roemischer/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jessica_roemischer/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessicaroemischer/ Buy audios and my Award-winning Memoir Amazon CDs: https://amzn.to/3E2bAlT Amazon Memoir: https://amzn.to/3xu5wAo
Dear Friends, This concert is inspired by stories of faith - of people overcoming enormous odds and devastating circumstances to embrace the possibility of healing, hope and love. As I share these stories, I accompany the words with the music I've been requested to play in prayer and upliftment, including gospel, blues, hymns, popular melodies, and original compositions. Please join me twice each week for inspirational concerts, live streamed on Facebook and YouTube - Monday/Thursday evenings, EST US (Tuesday/Friday mornings, Sydney) Tune in on my Facebook Inspirational Piano Concerts Page: www.facebook.com/JessicaRoemischerPianoConcerts Personal Profile page: www.facebook.com/jessica.roemischer/ YouTube www.youtube.com/user/JessicaRoemischer Your donations make my concerts possible, on www.pianobeautiful.com Thank you, with love.
Dear Friends, This concert is compelled in my heart by the African-American experience--the unfathomable suffering and oppression--and the healing and witnessing that's being called for. Beloved hymns and spirituals will accompany the reflections, I share with heartfelt appreciation, experiences offered by a dear friend, India Elaine Holland-Garnett, and include readings from the Declaration of Independence, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr. and author, James Baldwin. Music includes, "Amazing Grace," "Battle Hymn of the Republic," "America the Beautiful," "In the Garden," "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot. Join me twice each week for inspirational concerts, live streamed on Facebook and YouTube - Monday/Thursday evenings, EST US (Tuesday/Friday mornings, Sydney) Tune in on my Facebook Inspirational Piano Concerts Page: https://www.facebook.com/JessicaRoemischerPianoConcerts Personal Profile page: https://www.facebook.com/jessica.roemischer/ YouTube https://www.youtube.com/user/JessicaRoemischer Your donations make my concerts possible, on https://www.pianobeautiful.com Thank you.
In this live-stream piano concert, I play to the tender heart in each of us. The music is infused with prayer for the people of Lake Tahoe and Eastern California, as fire is posing catastrophic threats to life and property there. I also play to those in Louisiana, in New York City and the Eastern US, in the wake of Hurricane Ida; and to all those suffering, and enduring hardship, on this beautiful Earth. #CaldorFire #Louisiana #HurricaneIda #NYC #Healing #Prayer Tune in Monday/Thursdays 9pmEST US - Tuesday/Fridays 11am Sydney on my Inspirational Piano Concerts Page: https://www.facebook.com/JessicaRoemischerPianoConcerts Personal Profile page: https://www.facebook.com/jessica.roemischer/ Your donations make my concerts possible, on https://www.pianobeautiful.com
This concert celebrates the power of music, intention, friendship and love, especially in these pivotal times. I share prayers for the people of Louisiana amidst the hurricane, who are enduring the fires in the Western USA, individuals who are in need of healing across the world, and how the music and beautiful vibrations we create can have a profound effect, now and into the future. Songs include, "Take the Long Way Home," "Saints Go Marching." "Time After Time," "Have a Little Faith."
On a cool, rainy Sunday morning in Sydney, I was inspired to create this little concert, as an affirmation, as encouragement, to experience awe and wonder, with love...It is a wonderful world. Join me for Live-streamed concerts, Monday and Thursday evenings, EST US/Tuesday and Friday mornings in Sydney, on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/jessica.roemischer/ YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/JessicaRoemischer Donations and Patreon support are gratefully accepted at: https://www.pianobeautiful.com Visit the new Patreon page at: https://www.patreon.com/jessica_roemischer?fan_landing=true
This live-streamed piano concert is inspired by a fortune that read, "To dare is to lose one's footing momentarily. To not dare is to lose one's self." The music and stories you'll hear are dedicated to the experience of moving from the familiar, in search, with uncertainty, and also with hope. Music includes Tom Petty's great anthem, "Free Fallin," Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone," "Can't Help Falling in Love," "Here Comes the Sun," and more. My Patreon Membership page - https://www.patreon.com/jessica_roemischer?fan_landing=true My Website - https://www.pianobeautiful.com "Love Song to the Earth" video, where I perform at the edge, overlooking the ocean - https://vimeo.com/493115225
Amidst lockdown here in Sydney, I find that a marvellous friendship, and the vast expanses of the sea, converge in depth and love. The ebb and flow of conversation - and my daily walks near the ocean - open my heart to the subtle realms of the spirit, present and near. Piano music - the glorious Scottish ballad, "Loch Lomond." Dear friends, my life and work are supported by donations...if you enjoy these podcasts, please consider donating at https://www.pianobeautiful.com. Thank you. xo
This concert conjures the dreams and visions that arise through music. It's inspired by the special challenges of living as an American 'ex-pat' in Australia...like the inability to find Fig Newtons when I crave them! Through music and story, this live-streamed concert flows from early musical influences to the present time, as the past and present meld into, ultimately, a special July 4th tribute for all from the good ol' USA. Music includes, "Drift Away" by Dobie Gray, "Fire and Rain" and "Sweet Baby James" by James Taylor, "America the Beautiful," and "Waltzing Matilda," to express the melding of experiences that I have, an American living here, Down Under. My live-streamed concerts take place twice weekly on my YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/user/JessicaRoemischer and Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/jessica.roemischer/ Donations are gratefully accepted at https://www.pianobeautiful.com
This episode is inspired by stories of faith and friendship. I read from the beloved tale, "The Little Prince," and share a poignant experience, in which a friend develops a beautiful connection to a horse, patiently allowing him to become comfortable as she gains his trust. I finish with the song, "Have a Little Faith," by John Hiatt, which sums it all up. Donations are gratefully accepted at https://www.pianobeautiful.com
One evening at a local Starbucks, I had an extraordinary encounter - my mom's spirit came to me, unbidden. In the days that followed, I'd realize that healing is possible; that underneath the hardship, is her enduring love; that the veil between this side and the other is thin, indeed. My mom, a pianist, cherished the music of Claude Debussy, and my playing of it. Thus, this podcast concludes with Debussy's "Claire de Lune," performed with loving appreciation for her. Donations for my work are gratefully accepted. You can donate at https://www.pianobeautiful.com/donatecontact.html
My reflection on a glorious energy that's in our midst. When we allow ourselves to sense it, the feeling of its presence, close and near is healing and reassuring... Music - "Hallelujah," arranged by Jessica Roemischer Tune in to my weekly live-streamed concerts on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JessicaRoemischerPianoConcerts YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/JessicaRoemischer Donations of any amount are greatly appreciated: https://www.pianobeautiful.com/
A live-streamed piano concert dedicated to the many expressions of, and longing for home. I share stories and memories of my home town, of my own search, reflections on faith and finally, a poem written by my father shortly before he passed - a poem that celebrates renewal, and the perennial cycles of nature. Piano music includes spirituals, popular themes, originals and the beloved Canon in D by Pachelbel. Tune in to my weekly piano concerts on my Inspirational Piano Concerts Page: www.facebook.com/JessicaRoemischerPianoConcerts Personal Facebook page: www.facebook.com/jessica.roemischer/ YouTube Channel: bit.ly/3atAiit Donations gratefully accepted at: www.pianobeautiful.com
A live-streamed piano concert dedicated to healing for the listeners, and all who need it. As people join together, we're lifted by the music and our prayers. Piano music includes hymns, spirituals, blues, rock, popular music and originals. With blessings to all. Tune in to my weekly piano concerts on my Inspirational Piano Concerts Page: https://www.facebook.com/JessicaRoemischerPianoConcerts Personal Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/jessica.roemischer/ YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/3atAiit Donations gratefully accepted at: https://www.pianobeautiful.com Thank you!
This podcast is a live-streamed concert. For Easter/Passover, I celebrate our ability to prevail against all odds. The music and stories are uplifting and hopeful. From hymns and spirituals, to blues, Motown, gospel, rock, classical, sacred and secular become one as I celebrate the spirit of a New World. Wonderful to share it with you here, and thank you for listening! Weekly live-streamed concerts can be found on my YouTube channel - https://bit.ly/3cLuWRo
At this challenging time, I’m asking for your support to create a vision of hope and healing - an inspirational video called, "A Love Song to The Earth." It's a dream I've long held. Amidst these uncertain times, it's a dream whose time has come. This podcast describes my vision...of performing high on a bluff overlooking the vast Pacific Ocean, as I share a story of love for all of life. You can watch a 'trailer' and donate at GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/a-love-song-to-the-earth Thank you so much, Jessica
With heartfelt wishes to you and your for Thanksgiving....this beloved Shaker hymn, arranged for piano. Blessings, Jessica www.pianobeautiful.com
On the anniversary of my beloved dad's passing, a miracle occurred - my family lineage became revealed to me, a legacy I'd resigned myself to never knowing. The generations unfolded, back in time to my great-great-great-great Russian grandfather who lived in the 1700's. I discovered, too...my family name is uncommon enough as to suggest that everyone with that name is related, and form a single family. Piano music: "Dushinka," traditional Russian love song, arranged and performed by Jessica Roemischer
They say that, "home is where the heart is." More than ever, we each need a home, a place--no matter how small or seemingly unremarkable--where we feel at ease, at rest, at peace. Amidst the flux and challenge of the world, we each need a haven. There, we can find ourselves renewed. Piano music: "Haven," composed and performed by Jessica Roemischer
Amidst the up-welling of consciousness about racial divides, suffering, disenfranchisement, I share memories of my youth...a girl born into a progressive, broad-minded family, and yet one who was buoyed by being white and middle-class. The complexity of my own story, as is the case for each of us, is a microcosm. As we seek to create a new world, whites and blacks together, our stories and music can be the ground for true equality and deep healing. Piano music: "Goodnight Irene," by Huddie Leadbetter - "Leadbelly" - arranged and performed by Jessica Roemischer
This podcast is about my recovering from a bad fall. An experience that's given me an unusual opportunity to reflect on life, my life, all of life...our human lives. All that's happened in my decades on Earth. And it feels like God, the Universe, Life itself is saying, now is the time to come home to yourself, to who you truly are, to find yourself resting and at home, in the loving embrace of the Goodness that actually surrounds you. Piano music: Pachelbel's Canon in D, arranged and performed by Jessica Roemischer
One stormy afternoon on the vast Australian ocean, the waves roiling, a handful of surfers endeavored to ride the power of the sea. As I looked on, together with dozens of others, what I witnessed was astounding. Then, two other miraculous occurrences unfolded, leaving us all feeling as if we'd entered a dream-like reality. Piano Music: "Amazing Grace" by John Newton, arranged and performed by Jessica Roemischer
In a span of three months, my life has shifted dramatically, as has the world. A new chapter is opening in our individual and collective lives. The values, dreams, visions and convictions we hold dear are essential. They will shape our future. In that light, I share two guiding influences: modern physics, which reveals the inter-connectedness of all things, and nature, in which I find healing and solace. Piano music: "In the Garden," arranged and performed by Jessica Roemischer
At this time of massive change and upheaval I ask, what is it that I can offer? What can I contribute from my own convictions, from the deepest truth that I know? I find myself journeying into the depths of the human experience, into that which we share, no matter who we are - into that which makes us one. The song that keeps coming to me is the heart-rending Scottish ballad, "Loch Lomond." Piano arrangement and performance by Jessica Roemischer
As I sit easily on the sand, looking out to the vast, blue horizon, I find myself cherishing this time of pause...because the natural world around us is regenerating. We have been given a blessed opportunity to perceive nature liberated from us! It's said that, "Whatever we do to the Earth, we do to ourselves." Indeed, if the Earth heals - as it's doing amidst our collective sequestering - we do. If its living beings are freed from trauma and disruption, we are freed, too. These insights can empower us to change direction and create a beautiful and very different future. Piano music improvised by Jessica Roemischer
Instead of returning to 'normal,' what if we fuse our human inventiveness with a newfound awe for the living world. In so doing, we'll find ourselves riding a force that's emerging...one that will guide us and protect us, and move us into a new future on Earth. Podcast concludes with a 17-minute piano improvisation inspired by the power of the waves and the beloved hymn, "Amazing Grace." Piano music by Jessica Roemischer
Sometimes the smallest details hold the most meaning. So it is, as I gaze upon a photo of my dad's old home. It's not the grandeur of the Victorian house in which he lived that buoys my mind and heart, but rather a little gas tank he'd installed at the end of the garage. From that tank, my dad would fill my car when I'd visit, happy to help me. That memory carries all the feelings of love he had for me, and that he still has. Piano Music: Pachelbel's "Canon in D" arranged and performed by Jessica Roemischer
This podcast features an improvised piano piece I've titled, "Toccata." A Toccata has to do with 'touch,' with fast-moving passages and repeating musical figures. What you'll hear arose spontaneously as I played one evening. The truth is, I've had similar experiences at the piano for more than a half century. Letting my fingers wander and explore, I'll find myself delighting in a spontaneously-emerging sequence of notes, then spinning these 'riffs' into unfolding melodies and textures. I hope you enjoy the music. I hope this finds you well. With love, Jessica
With the widespread restrictions, children have in many ways been liberated from the educational structures that confined them. Near the ocean where I live, they're often allowed to play freely, enjoying themselves, discovering life in ways that are truly meaningful. Piano Music: "Il Est Ne Le Divine Enfant," traditional French carol - arranged and performed by Jessica Roemischer
Amidst the pandemic, the rhythms of our lives have changed. Day and night are blending into each other. There's a slowing of time, and an opening into a deeper awareness of ourselves. At home, on a rainy evening in Sydney, Australia, I remembered a poem I'd composed when I was sixteen years old - long before any of us could have anticipated our present realities. The poem evokes the experience of stillness, of introspection. It conjures, I think, the feeling of night, especially now. Piano music: "Reverie" and "Clair de Lune" by Claude Debussy. Arranged and performed by Jessica Roemischer
As I spend these days walking slowly along the ocean's edge, I find myself subsumed by the presence of the sea--its power and vastness. Now in this time of great change and flux, a new life can be born...not so much from "making it happen," but by being formed and moved, in surrender to a force and presence greater than myself. Piano music: "Gymnopedie" by Erik Satie, performed by Jessica Roemischer
Amidst the global pandemic, there's a push to get back to normal. But what is normal, REALLY? What are we actually trying to get back to? In this unprecedented interruption of daily life, we have a sacred obligation: to reckon with the suffering that's endemic to human life, and to life on Earth because of our presence--the often invisible background hum of "normal." This podcast mentions the work of the Compassion Prison Project. Here is the video and website: https://compassionprisonproject.org/ Piano music: "Reverie" by Claude Debussy, arranged and performed by Jessica Roemischer
Alone at home, as many of us are these days, I find that the inner recesses of my heart are revealed--of love found and then lost--these emotions are bubbling to the surface amidst the stillness. Piano Music: "Smile" by Charlie Chaplin, arranged and performed by Jessica Roemischer
Wherever you are in the world, if you open the window you may notice that the sky looks a little brighter, the air smells fresher, the insects are more numerous as they alight here and there. Amidst this global health crisis, we've all been forced to slow down...and yet, this is a blessed opportunity to begin to listen to and feel that which is enduring and good, true and infinitely loving. Improvised piano music by Jessica Roemischer
Inspired by a sound recording of the renowned poet, Walt Whitman - a 36 second reading of his glorious verse recorded in 1888 - I find myself reflecting on the power of the human voice, of what it means to journey back through time - both historical and personal. Inspired by his reading, I find myself rummaging through my files, trying to find a poem that I knew I had to re-visit, a poem written in my teens, at the beginning of my own life's path. Now decades hence, I realize, that poem was prescient. Strangely and beautifully, what I wrote then has come to pass. Improvised piano music by Jessica Roemischer, including the original composition, "Haven."
Inspired by the meaning and significance of sound, and the vision of a sacred realm of love--a 'Divine Milieu'--I play the piano and reflect on human life and our future. Improvised piano music by Jessica Roemischer
In the quiet of the evening, as I improvise at the piano, I reflect on the meaning of sound. My mind moves back through time, to the moments of my earliest existence in my mom's belly as she played the piano; the transcendent experiences I've had as the pianist I've become; the rustlings of the ocean in my midst now; the memories of my dear aunt in the final moments of her life, as I whispered in her ear. Indeed, sound is with us from the very beginning to the very end, and beyond...Improvised piano music by Jessica Roemischer
"Wise men say, only fools rush in..." the words of that great Elvis Presley song ring in my mind and heart as I feel the pangs of grief, of love lost and, strangely, of intimations of the future, like glimmers on the vast ocean. Piano music improvised and performed by Jessica Roemischer
I have a vision and hope. Now that we're affecting every life form on Earth, we'll open our minds and hearts to what sustains us - this glorious planet that's the perfect distance from the Sun. Piano music performed by Jessica Roemischer
Here I read a poem that honors the women who moved thousands of miles from the British Isles to a strange and desolate land - the Australian Outback. The poet is George Essex Evans, a man, who describes the plight of these women with uncanny sensitivity, empathy and love. Piano music: "Loch Lomond," traditional, arranged and performed by Jessica Roemischer
I have a dear friend whose memory extends back through the decades, and whose ancestors were early settlers in Australia. Over tea, she reflects on the meaning of the letters people exchanged when there was no other means to connect with one's loved ones, thousands of miles away. Piano music: "Loch Lomond," traditional, arranged and performed by Jessica Roemischer
When we allow the feeling of the land - of the natural places in our midst - to permeate our cells and psyche, all manner of revelations come to us. Piano music: “Haven,” composed and performed by Jessica Roemischer
Why there's nothing as good in life as a marriage between two minds...and hearts. Piano Music: "Wending My Way," composed and performed by Jessica Roemischer