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GAWS Buskaid Interview
April 9th, 2001

Q: What was the most rewarding aspect of being involved with Buskaid?

A: Just spending time with the kids and seeing them perform tonight was probably the most rewarding aspect of. And just seeing the response that the audience had to their talent... they're just incredible. That's probably it.

Q: What was your favorite piece from tonight's performance?

A: All of them! There was one piece that they did, that really slow one, when Rosemary first got up on the stage. I can't remember whose it is or what it is... when she first got up, and she started really really slow and there was just a lot of violin solos, and I know the piece by heart but I just couldn't tell you what it is right now.

Q: Was it Adagio..?

A: ..for Strings or something? Something like that. Yeah. That's probably one of my... and just all of them, I love everything, I just love watching them play and their personalities coming out of it.

Q: During the recent Yahoo Chat, you mentioned that you would be meeting the kids soon for the first time and that you were nervous about it. How did that go?

A: The first time I met them was on the 3rd Street Promonade. They played... it was the day after they arrived from South Africa. I went down to the 3rd Street Promonade and I met them. They were already playing and I met them there and I kind of hid behind a tree and watched them play for a little while and then I took them out to dinner at the Broadway Deli. And so we all sat there (laughs) and ate deli food.

Q: What do you hope that the audience gained from the performance? What do you hope that its effect was?

A: Well, first of all, I hope that, I know that people had a good time. I hope that they continue to make donations towards the schoool. I hope that they continue to be insupport of music and art education in schools and try to fight for the maintenence for those programs in our school system. I hope that they start to realize the importance of teachers and educators and mentors in kids lives and how that can affect their lives and the way that their lives turn out. And also I hope, you know, that somebody out there tries to start a similar program here or... everything! I hope everything comes out of it.

Q: Would you like to say anything to those out there on the internet who contributed towards this but didn't actually get to see it?

A: Thank you to every single person who donated anything - time, money, just caring about this in any way. If you came, ifyou weren't able to come, if you... anything. Just thank you for even thinking about it and wanting to come or being excited about it and putting your energy into conceptualizing what it might be like. Thank you for supporting this and for supporting everything, every place that I put my energy and um... I think that's it. Thanks!