Chefin’ with Stefan

Chefin’ with Stefan @ Home with the Maestro

Stefan Sanders Music Director

On Thursday, March 12th, an hour after their dress rehearsal, the New York Philharmonic (NYP) announced the cancellation of that evening’s performance as well as the remainder of their performances through the rest of the month. Kela, my awesome wife, and I were so excited to be in New York together that week, where I was working as the assistant conductor for the NYP and guest conductor Valery Gergiev. With reports of the virus beginning to surge in the New York area, we left the next day and, barring a couple of road trips to Fayetteville, NC, where I also serve as music director, we have been home in Spartanburg ever since.

This time at home has been a revelatory experience; mandating a period of sacrifice, reflection, and creativity for us. Accustomed to a busy travel schedule and the circuit of energy that flows around rehearsing and performing regularly, the abrupt halt was difficult. Here we were, suddenly isolating at home, learning about this virus, taking precautions to keep ourselves and others healthy, and beginning to figure out what the next steps would be for our Philharmonic.

Throughout the last several months our thoughts kept returning to the concept of health.

From personal to public to that of an organization, health has revealed its value in every way to us. Personally, this time has inspired an even deeper affection for nutritious food and a craving for daily physical activity. As you can

see from many of these photos, I love food. I love to cook it, I love to learn about it, and I love to eat it. Food, like music, has long been a form of self expression for me, and, in the absence of all of the music making, I’ve been reminded of how similar they are. Both crafts fuel a quest to better understand our shared humanity and it is the greatest joy sharing these passions for food and music with people.

Both crafts require practice in order to develop enough technique to allow for genuine self expression. During this time at home I have really enjoyed practicing… bread. Requiring intermittent attention over long periods of time, bread, in particular sourdough bread, is the perfect pandemic activity. With just three ingredients: flour, water, and salt, sourdough bread is fascinating, delicious, and, because of the process of fermentation, nutritious. We went all the way down the rabbit hole of nutritious bread making and even purchased a grain mill for making our own flour from whole wheat berries. I know…I know.

Many of these photos are of the bread we’ve made over the past few months. They certainly didn’t start out looking this way. But, with passion and practice, the loaves started looking and tasting better and better. Some of the other photos here are of homemade pastas, curries and stir fry from the wok, and more sourdough baked goods: english muffins, crackers, and croissants.

Another source of inspiration during this time has been Spartanburg herself. Prior to the pandemic, the longest stretch of time I’ve spent in Spartanburg since moving here was just four weeks. Being present for the entirety of Spring’s breathtaking awakening and evolution into summer has renewed my awareness of and connection to nature. I am grateful to have been present for these glorious seasonal changes. Spartanburg is the most beautiful place we have ever lived.

However, it is the people of Spartanburg that have provided that most precious commodity in challenging times — hope. When our intrepid administrative team of Kathryn Boucher, Executive Director; Courtney Oliver, Marketing and Special Events Manager; Peter B. Kay, General Manager and Composer in Residence and I started having daily meetings via Zoom in late March, the future seemed uncertain at best. One plan gave way to the next and ultimately we have arrived here, the digital concert hall experience, for now. But, it is your belief in the Philharmonic’s mission, your love of music, your support and flexibility as we maneuver through this uncharted terrain that imbues us with the hope, keeps our organization healthy, and inspires visionary strategies towards a brighter future. As for Kela and I, we have never felt more at home.