I am the living product of a musical. Literally. In 1983, my parents met in Phoenix Theatre’s production of Fiddler On the Roof. My father played Fyedka, the Russian who sweeps the daughter Chava (you guessed it… my mother) off her feet. So my parents were married twice: first on stage, and then again at the altar. A career in musical theater seemed almost comically predestined for me. I remember from an early age, we’d sit in the living room listening to dozens of shows, from the classics to the obscure. I’d see productions around town, including those at Grand Canyon University where my Dad taught stagecraft, makeup, and musical theater history. My first role was in Pippin at GCU when I was in second grade. I played Catherine’s young son, Theo...and my Dad played King Charlemagne. You’d think pursuing the dream of Broadway would have been my sole path.  

 

But my parents weren’t as one-sighted. They saw I had a knack for music, rhythm, and creativity. So even before I did a show, I began piano lessons, which I continued until graduating college 17 years later.

 

As I grew up, I started picking up different instruments and becoming half-way decent, from guitar, to trombone, to drums, to accordion. My parents said, “Go for it”.  The high-school musical became a yearly thrill I couldn’t wait to do...but a passion for songwriting also blossomed during the same time. I had written music here and there, but discovered how much I loved to write songs. And what did my parents think?  They never said, “Now Ross, remember your roots…stick to the theater…”  No, they were crazy enough to let me go to college to study what I wanted to: songwriting.

 

I’m blessed they never discouraged me from trying new things, but by the time I was halfway through college, I started to get carried away. What is it...jazz piano? music programming? opera?  Sure!  Yes...opera.  My voice teacher at Belmont, the world-class tenor Tom Studebaker, encouraged me to sing with Nashville Opera, and suddenly, another career was on the table. I was singing in three or four operas a year, and even went to a summer opera program, the Castleton Festival in Virginia, to study German, sing Mozart, and dive into whole other world of performing.

 

The juggling act definitely began to take its toll. I was beginning to feel like I couldn’t keep all the plates spinning the same way I always had. I knew that pretty soon, someone was going to lose, and it was three careers against one of me.

 

I was ready to throw in the towel, cut (what I thought were) my losses and stop trying to do it all...when suddenly, I came to a realization. I needed to alter my thinking: I couldn’t be the best at everything I started...that was never going to happen. But there was no reason for me to quit all for the sake of one. In fact, there were a few reasons to keep me juggling all of my passions--to this day. In Stephen Sondheim’s book, Finishing the Hat, he shares three guidelines for writing a musical, so I thought I’d try three of my own pertaining to living a creative, inspired life. The first I wrote about a couple weeks ago, called 2 of the 3 (read about it here). My second mantra, which I’ll write about next week, is this:

Cross-training creates clarity.




Ross

Upcoming events: Singin' Sautrdays at The Parlor Hollywood @ 10PM! Free.