Musing With a Maven: Melissa Foster
Earlier this year I was joined by a high school friend turned music expert to discuss the inspiration and themes in my work. What you see is often partially inspired by music, a story or even an idiom. Melissa Foster joins me from Chicago, once again, for a very real conversation on where we are at for the New Year.
Melissa Foster is an Associate Professor of Instruction in the Department of Theatre at Northwestern University. She is currently on the Musical Theatre Voice Faculty in the School of Communication and simultaneously serves as a Faculty in Residence on Northwestern’s campus. Her accomplishments go on and on beyond that- and I am so excited for her success. As the inspiration for this table is the song, “What are you Doing New Year’s Eve”, we chatted about that and had a deeper exchange about the realities of looking back and looking forward in what is an ever changing and challenging world. Here is our chat:
JASON: Hello, my friend, I’m glad to have you back as the Warmhouse Story Music Maven and discuss music and moments surrounding the New Year. My work for this vignette and post was the classic song, “What are you Doing New Year’s Eve”. I know the emotions that this song evokes in me, but tell me about how you interpret the song and its many versions.
MELISSA: First, thanks for having me! When I was listening to the versions of the song, I was realizing that different versions make me feel and think different ways. You know the classic Ella Fitzgerald version has such lush sweeping orchestral takes. It's full. It's huge. It's nostalgic as part of a bygone era that is so classy and sophisticated. You can’t help but think of the beautiful evening gowns and balls and pearls and glamorous things that we don’t necessarily need. It reminds me of that opulent era. The end of the year is beautiful and bittersweet. I think that might be why the year ending makes me sad sometimes. In hard years you just want to say goodbye to the challenges of the past year and move on, but every year I also have something I’m thankful for. In Ella’s version I feel that mix of feelings to finish a chapter and start a new one.
JASON: I love that. I feel much the same about Ella’s version. I’m also moved by the sentiment of asking humbly for a special someone to be your love for the new year. The romantic build up and unassuming tone also reminds me of a bygone era. I get all mushy inside. What other versions do you like?
MELISSA: In a more celebratory way, when I hear a different version like Patti LaBelle's disco rendition, I feel excited and ready to go and PAR-TEE! I feel young and full of anticipation of the year to come- just like people anticipate their evening out. Disco has that fun four on the floor beat and the space galactic feel. In that version, I think that we drink in the anticipation of the night. I also like a cute version by Lizzie Hilliard on the ukulele. I think she harmonizes with herself and it's bouncy and fanciful. It’s flirty, fun, and simple. That version reminds me of mulled cider and sitting around with a group of friends and playing board games. I think I like that most of all because it reminds me of what I love in the simple things.
JASON: Agreed! There are so many different versions of the song. It is fun to explore them with you. I think that the most nostalgic version inspired my Warmhouse Story vignette full of crystal, china and formal place cards. Dressed up in lavender and black, the looks definitely remind me of a time gone by. I love to go there in my mind. But presently, the world has us all shook up with variants and travel worries. We carry the weight of ongoing uncertainty. In our home we are always trying to balance the good and the bad. It is so hard. How has it been for you as you reflect on the end of one year and the beginning of another?
MELISSA: You know 2021 has been interesting for me and my family because we had to figure out how to achieve our goals amidst a global pandemic and utter chaos. We were living in a way that we didn't have any practice training or preparation for, and I'm reflecting on the year holistically. I'm so grateful that my loved ones are healthy and that I was able to be with them. I have such a strong support system and love system in my in my family and in my friends. I’m proud of my resilient daughter and her schoolmates. They managed through so much. I’m grateful to a caring community that turned to each other for support. I also am proud of myself and how I managed to reinvent some goals of my own. It could've been time for a complete shut down or a break and I did I did not choose to go that route. I was able to turn lemons into lemonade and take advantage of a time when things were slower. I know that's a very common statement, but what I have noticed is that with the return of some normalcy and capitalism the pace is not only gotten back to normal but faster than ever. I want to go into 2022 figuring out a way to bring back some of that simplicity and stillness.
JASON: I appreciate the complexity of what you are going through and share the sentiment. It is a reality that we are expected to be more productive than ever. It was ok during lockdown because there was less to do at large. Now it is extremely difficult to maintain that 2020 productivity and do the other important things in our lives. I find that simplicity and stillness in my studio. I think we need to collectively give each other grace and space and dial back the intensity. For 2022, I hope to take this idea head on by showing people that taking time to escape creatively can do much for mental wellness. If we are to heal, we need the time and space to focus and do that work. My friend, I wish you all of that in 2022. I appreciate you taking the time to chat with me. I hope you all have a very Happy New Year!
MELISSA: Jason, I wish the same for you all, too. Happy New Year!
JASON: Cheers to us! *virtual glass clink*
