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Cheer up the littles ones – or your own inner child – with mezzo soprano Beste Kalender

June 2, 2020 | by Liz Parker
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While my expertise is in classical music and styling the performers, I’ve always been a huge fan of the “Lifestyle” section of any newspaper. What’s trending in food, fashion, and any aspect of relating to others? COVID19 continues to trend, despite the many distressing headlines happening in North America, and COVID19 will, for some time yet. In this series, I’m speaking to people who are figuring out ways to prevail during the pandemic.

Beste Kalender is an opera singer who – in a previous life – was a researcher in developmental and music psychology. She is also a music development teacher for little kids, and currently running a bi-lingual (Turkish and English) video project of tunes and tales with puppets, an endeavour she started during the lockdown to entertain and educate little children stuck at home. Whenever I scroll through Instagram, I always stop and check out what she’s doing – her online presence is extremely engaging, and I was so taken in by her visuals, warm and engaging presence, and puppets, I didn’t even realize at first it wasn’t in English. She posts in both English and Turkish.

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Ontario officially shut down on March 17, 2020. How was your business or career going before then? Before the shutdown, I had a pretty busy performance schedule for the rest of the season. On March 12, I was in Alberta, getting ready to perform in Edmonton Opera’s  Candide.  We performed our dress rehearsal and were having a celebratory meal when the news hit us that all events and public gatherings of more than 250 are being cancelled across Alberta. This meant that our Candide had to be cancelled as well. It was surreal. That same night, team #eocandide decided to have a proper “wake”… we sang and hugged each other, before I took the next flight to Toronto the very next morning. On my trip back, I had a feeling that this was just the beginning … Soon afterwards, Ontario decided to shut down as well and the rest of my season started slowly but surely slipping away… (I know…DRAMA!)

Edmonton Opera dress rehearsal for Candide , March 12, 2020

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What changes have your made to adapt to the “current normal”? It was hard to grasp this new reality at first. No one could predict what would happen next. With the rest of the season getting cancelled and everyone being stuck at home, I decided to sit back and wait it out. Since then, I have binged a number of opera and theatre performances online, took a couple of online university courses, and read some more about positive psychology in order to have a better understanding of that magical thing we all try to have in our lives: “Happiness”. Then I opened up all the scores I need to study for the next season and started working on some beautiful music. Those engagements might also get cancelled or postponed but that is no excuse to avoid learning some delicious new repertoire when you have all the time in the world.

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Let’s talk about how you’re doing. We’re all looking for coping mechanisms – what are yours? I cope through creating, meditating, and connecting. In early April, I have started a “tunes and tales with puppets” video project for children who have been stuck at home. I also started cooking new recipes I never had the courage to try before – I guess the quarantine made me a little more adventurous. Apart from that, I am trying to meditate regularly before I start my day.  I became a huge fan of the Calm App. Now that we have limited “in person” access to others, I also try to connect with more people online, including friends and family in Canada, Turkey, and across the globe. I think I appreciate life, art, and my loved ones even more now.

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It’s hard to watch the news. Let’s focus on the positive … what positive thing(s) are you discovering about yourself during this time? I am a very positive person in general. But having most of my family back in Turkey and not being able to visit them as originally planned this summer has been really difficult. Thank goodness for Zoom and WhatsApp. As to things I have rediscovered about myself, I am more resilient and resourceful than I thought and I am really thankful for everything in life: my family, friends, my artistry, beautiful music, my native culture and my adopted home, beloved Canada! Regardless of the uncertainties in our future at this moment, I know that I will find my way to happiness, and a way to spread some cheer to others.

Beste’s favourite spot in Antalya

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Have you found a way to “help with the cause”, no matter how insignificant it may seem to you? I don’t know how significant it is but my bi-lingual project “tunes and tales with Beste The Mezzo” seems to spread some cheer in Turkey and Canada. The project started because I felt terrible about little children being stuck at home. Also April 23 was the 100th anniversary of International Children’s Day in Turkey and I knew I had to do something to cheer up the little ones. I already had a puppet for Little Red Riding Hood, so that was the very first tale I told to test the waters. I am leveraging my experience as a music development teacher for toddlers and my research degree in developmental and music psychology. I create most of the puppets myself and combine the stories/tales with pieces/tunes from operas or children’s songs with relevant themes. I also add some parent education moments to the episodes, in order to provide the parents with some tips on how to best support their little one’s music and language development. The episodes in Turkish are now being livestreamed by Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s online Library Project. The English ones are slowly gaining a wider online audience as well.

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Supposing we get the news it’s all over, and the whole world has been vaccinated. Do you predict your life will return to the way it was, or different somehow? No way …  life will never return to the way it was. I have much more appreciation for everything in life than I had before. I will sing louder, create more works of art, and do my very best to help people in their pursuit of happiness. Life is too short to be unhappy or stressed over society’s understanding of success and happiness.

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What advice to give others going through a hard time right now? Hang in there and be safe, friends. We will find our “new normal” with a little more appreciation for each other and for mother nature. As for classical musicians, music is not just a job for us. It is part of our identity, it is our passion! We will be back with our art ever stronger … and more inspired than before! We should all try to focus on our wellbeing and keep actively pursuing our right to make a decent living as professional artists. Covid will pass but the world will continue evolving, hence our business model in the arts will have to evolve too. Best(e) Wishes to everyone!

Facebook:@bestekalendermezzosoprano/@sopranodanmasallar Instagram: @bestemezzo @sopranodanmasallar

Tunes and Tales: The Pied Piper of Hamelin

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Categories : Life, Managing your headspace, Music, Pandemic

Prevailing Files – personal trainer Kenyla Ly

May 26, 2020 | by Liz Parker
 · No Comments

While my expertise is in classical music and styling the performers, I’ve always been a huge fan of the “Lifestyle” section of any newspaper. What’s trending in food, fashion, and any aspect of relating to others? Well, right now, COVID19 is trending, and will continue to do so, for a while yet. In this series, I’m speaking to people who are figuring out ways to prevail during the pandemic.

If you follow me on social, you’ll know I reference #TheDom on a regular basis, which is how I refer to my personal trainer, Kenyla. To say she’s been a huge influence in my life is an understatement. She forces me to confront fears and discomfort every week in our sessions, currently done online. Born in France to Cambodian parents who fled the genocide, Kenyla earned her Masters in law, but found her purpose as a personal trainer which she studied when she came to Canada. I’m so grateful she did, because she changed my life in so many ways, teaching me proper technique for exercising, and listening when I’m nervous about the next torturous move. What I love most about her is her sense of purpose – she just wants her clients to be strong and live healthy lives. Apart from her dominatrix tendencies, she is VERY kind-hearted and thoughtful.

Tell us in three sentences or less what you do. As a personal trainer, I help my clients to reach their fitness goals to get stronger in their daily life, whether it’s to learn how to squat, stand up from a chair, properly deadlift to carry their kids without injuring their lower back, or doing pull ups to compete in a Spartan Race. I used to train my clients in the weight room at their gym or my gym, Cardio Go in downtown Toronto.

Ontario officially shut down on March 17, 2020. How was your business or career going before then? I decided to start my own personal training business September 2019 and has been able to grow my clientele since then, especially at the beginning of 2020 as people decided to take care of their health and fitness.

How has your business or career changed since March 17, 2020? Since the lockdown, everything changed: gyms had to close down and social distancing was implemented. Unfortunately, many of my clients lost their jobs which led them to review their priorities and as a consequence couldn’t train anymore. So my business decreased significantly but I was fortunate enough to have the support of a handful of loyal and amazing clients that were still able to keep working on their health. To get them stronger, I used to program many barbell, kettlebell, and dumbbell movements. To coach, I was used to using verbal, visual, but most importantly, tactile cues (physically moving my clients into the proper position, touching the muscles that I wanted them to focus on, to make a muscle-mind connection.) Now, I have to be creative and find way to keep working on their strength with limited equipment or none at all in their own house. I coach exclusively with verbal and visual cues – so I’m improving my English, all the time, ha! And you’d be surprised what household items can be used as equipment.

Such as …? Liquid laundry detergent makes a good weight, and it even has a handle. The edge of your sofa. A wheelie dolly – that’s 22 pounds. A broomstick, pots filled with books, socks on the slippery floor, and finally, your own body – make it fight gravity! For more ideas, you’ll have to watch me on Instagram.

What changes have your made to adapt to the “current normal”? This exceptional situation called for a lot of adaptations and flexibility. I found ways to train virtually 1 on 1 on Zoom, Hangout, FaceTime, and WhatsApp.

Let’s talk about how you’re doing. We’re all looking for coping mechanisms – what are yours? Despite being into fitness and eating clean, at the end of the day, I am French, and I can’t give up my pastries. I indulge in places like Nugateau on Queen Street, and Hadren Verrier on Dundas. Both make gorgeous pastries. It is a way for me to maintain my roots in France right here in Toronto!

With Nugateu pastries!

It’s hard to watch the news. Let’s focus on the positive … what positive thing(s) are you discovering about yourself during this time? This pandemic allowed me to re-evaluate my priorities and core values. I used to put my career first and always run everywhere to develop my business but as the lockdown was implemented, it forced me to take a step back, put a pause on everything. I realised how fortunate I was to be healthy and alive. It made me more appreciative of my closed ones; I used to “pass by” my partner as we were so locked in working long hours, but now we cherish our moments on a daily basis. Every day I take the time to FaceTime my grandparents who live in south of France, call my parents in Paris, I Google Hangout with my best friends from law school every weekend who are in Valencia, Martinique, Paris … It is teaching me to overcome some of my fears such as speaking live in English on different social media, or my fear of dogs (very irrational but I’m getting a puppy!)… I’m learning to cook, create videos … a lot of growth is coming out of this 😀

Have you found a way to “help with the cause”, no matter how insignificant it may seem to you? The only thing in my means is to help people to stay healthy and remain active. In order to keep motivating the world to move, I post weekly workouts that people can do: body weight, free weights, or household items and organize group workout Zoom meetings. What I enjoy the most is to check on my loved ones on a daily basis by a simple text or video call to make sure they are doing well.

Follow Kenyla on Facebook @Keny LA and on Instagram @ke.ny.la where she regularly posts “Technique Tuesdays” and “Fitness Fridays”.

#PrevailingFiles #TheDom #Covid19

The Dom wearing Ace Kouture!

Categories : Life, Pandemic, The Unmodelly Body

It’s all about the pivot …

May 8, 2020 | by Liz Parker
 · No Comments

It’s May 8, 2020, and we’ve all been self-isolating since mid-March. Everyone is trying to figure out a new way to keep some income coming in, including me.

Everyone is pivoting. While of course we’re all stressed out, in an attempt to focus on the positive, it’s good to see businesses and individuals figure out a new way to stay afloat.

Businesses that weren’t social media savvy won’t let themselves be caught with their pants down again. They’ll get websites or update any that are neglected, get their Facebooks pages going, Instagram and Twitter accounts sorted, and learn to update on a daily basis to keep their customers in the loop on how to make non-contact purchases.

Restaurants of any kind will have take-out or ready-made grab-and-go options. Clothing chains will have a few standard pieces that won’t change for the foreseeable future, so you can just order them online, knowing they’ll fit. Makeup companies will do the same with their colour palettes.

I’m seeing musicians who didn’t build a social media following realizing that not all posts are frivolous or mindless and it is possible to make intelligent posts that aren’t all “me, me, me”. They are building their online fan base now. Musicians who are already active online are investing in high quality mics for at-home performances. Everyone has learned how to Zoom.

For me, I know I won’t be styling photo shoots anytime soon, or returning to working retail which I did during my 40’s, something I really loved – working the fitting room of Banana Republic and later on, Ann Taylor. It’s exhausting work, but I loved making a difference to people needing a wardrobe for various occasions, from a first date somewhere posh, to returning to work after a mat leave, a big job interview, or some other milestone.

I am pivoting by moving my students’ piano lessons online, and I got my teaching website up, pianoteacherliz.com – something I’d been meaning to do for a couple of years, and the pandemic forced me to get on it. If people need their wardrobes weeded out, I can do that online. When it’s okay to gather again, and if the client is still not comfortable having me wear a mask and style them up close, I will carry on choosing their wardrobe in advance online, which is something I did anyway. I needed to see them on camera, and see how their clothes looked on camera.

We’re all pivoting. How are you pivoting during this time? I’d love to hear your stories.

Liz

Categories : Life, Music, Pandemic, Photo shoots

Tags: pivoting

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Topics

  • Life (3)
  • Managing your headspace (1)
  • Music (4)
  • Pandemic (6)
  • Photo shoots (1)
  • The Unmodelly Body (1)

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