A Couple Points Of Light, Part 2: #Songs Of Comfort By Sara Swain

      On March 13 master cellist and internationally-renowned nice guy Yo-Yo Ma,

...performed a beautiful rendition of "Going Home" from Dvorak's "New World Symphony" and then posted it on Youtube. 
     Here's the Youtube  link for Yo-Yo Ma's performance of "Going Home." :
                                 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrBOkHfvNSY

         This heart-touching song was the starting point of a project Ma conceived and named #Songs of Comfort.
         #Songs of Comfort was a call by Yo-Yo Ma to musicians everywhere, encouraging them to post online videos of themselves playing their music in an effort to bring some comfort and cheer to  people during this time of sickness, anxiety and isolation brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.
        Musicians from all over the world have answered Yo-Yo Ma's call and have been making and sharing music videos online.

        Among them is Chicago cellist Sara Swain.

       Sara is a member of the Evanston Symphony and also manages Foundation and Government Relations for the Chicago area music festival Ravinia.   
          In addition, Sara is a master baker of special-request birthday cakes,       

...even if the request is for an Elsa shark cake.

     She's a connoisseur of chocolate chip cookie dough by the bowl - not the ice cream, the actual dough -

...though she'll eat the ice cream, too.

      Sara is an aficionado of all things sparkly and fun,

...and, of course, of the cello;

...and Sara is a former housemate and  close friend of my daughter Claire.

      Of such a sunny good nature is Sara that her fellow sunny good-natured cellist Yo-Yo Ma would doubtless be proud that her job once entailed the opportunity to hold his Stradivarius before one of his Chicago performances.

   (She probably gave Yo-Yo Ma's Strad some extra-good karma).     
      Like cellists everywhere, Sara is a devout disciple of Master Ma. And so when he asked musicians to share songs of comfort Sara's response was, "When Yo-Yo Ma says, 'Jump!' I say, 'How high?'"
      On March 20 Sara joined the #Songs of Comfort project and since then she has jumped high, indeed. Instead of posting a cello piece, she has posted a cello piece every day on her Facebook page and intends to continue posting a song a day as long as there is a need, in her words, for "some calm during these turbulent times." 
        And so Sara is the second point of light in my "A Couple Points of Light." series. (For the first see the post from 5/28/2020:  "A Couple Points Of Light, Part 1: The Gift Of Laughter From Mark R. Harris").
        So far Sara has performed and posted a song every day, 77 songs as of today. 

      Her  #Songs of Comfort repertory is full of the cello classics:
        Bach,
       www.facebook.com/sara.swain.77/videos/10163588265840150/

      Mozart,
      https://www.facebook.com/sara.swain.77/videos/10163554642900150/

        Fauré,
www.facebook.com/sara.swain.77/videos/10163147222995150/

...and Webster, among others.
      www.facebook.com/sara.swain.77/videos/10163554605420150/?t=8   

      But she also takes requests, among which have been for:

       "Yesterday"
www.facebook.com/sara.swain.77/videos/10163162480715150/?t=15www.facebook.com/sara.swain.77/videos/10163168351785150/?t=6

       "I Can't Help Falling in Love with You"
www.facebook.com/sara.swain.77/videos/10163535596785150/?t=2

      "A Whole New World"
www.facebook.com/sara.swain.77/videos/10163572160065150/?t=6

       "Hallelujah"
www.facebook.com/sara.swain.77/videos/10163181587640150/

      "Ashokan Farewell"
www.facebook.com/sara.swain.77/videos/10163162480715150/?t=15

...and "She thinks My Tractor's Sexy" by Kenny Chesney.
https://www.facebook.com/sara.swain.77/videos/10163514011495150/?t=84

      Several days ago Sara played the hauntingly beautiful Vivaldi Sonata in E Minor, calling it a sad song for her sad city, yet offering the hope that "we can come back from this- and stronger!"
        www.facebook.com/sara.swain.77/videos/10163593480525150/?t=80

        You can find Sara Swain's #Songs of Comfort on her Facebook page.
        The songs are lovely.
        As is Sara.

                                        YOU NEED SOMETHING GOOD TO READ.
"HAIL MARY," SEQUEL TO "EQUAL AND OPPOSITE REACTIONS," IS NOW AVAILABLE ON AMAZON.

"A hilarious, bizarre, sometimes ribald tale." -R. Bruce Logan, author of "As The Lotus Blooms"

"Liszkay continues to dazzle with fresh and funny characters from beginning to end." -Daniel B. Oliver, author of "The Long Road"

Buy it on Amazon:
https://www.amzn.com/1684334888