[img]541|left|Carter Dewberry||no_popup[/img]One thing I love about where I live is that I can be myself — a musician — and my neighbors LIKE me. This is a big deal.
I spent my early adulthood being a closet cellist — literally. In part thanks to flimsy construction, my college dorm and apartment neighbors only thought it was cool that they had a musician down the hall until the first time they heard me play. Apartment managers thought I played everything from a trumpet, trombone, bass, to a squeaky violin. Even a few cops got to know my name. I ended up often practicing in hallways or closets when the college practice rooms were not available.
One reason I bought that first house with my ex was so that I would have a home where I could make some noise… in the form of Bach and Brahms. There I as often as not played duets with neighborhood weed whackers and crying babies — not the ideal chamber music partners, but welcome nonetheless.
Moving to Santa Ana was a dream. When I met my downstairs neighbor, afraid she would ask me to put a triple thick rug under my practice area and stick to playing lullabies, I received a welcome surprise. She informed me that she and her boyfriend loved hearing me so much that she wanted to know if she could pay me to do a surprise concert in my loft for her man on their anniversary as they ate in her space. Talk about a shift!
The downstairs neighbor moved a few years ago. The new couple who bought the loft told me I was the deciding factor in their decision to buy. (They had heard me teaching a lesson while previewing the space.) They LOVED the idea of being surrounded by music.
My next-door neighbor comes to all my concerts… and harasses me if he doesn’t receive a show announcement on a regular basis. My other next-door neighbor used to have a recording studio. Finally, I am where I belong. For this, I love living in an artist village!
Ms. Dewberry, an accomplished cellist, completed her DMA in Chamber Music Performance from UCLA in December 2005. She received her MM in Cello Performance from UCLA in June 2002 and her B.M. in Cello Performance from Western Michigan University in April 1998. She also holds a B.A. in French with a minor in Women's Studies and Philosophy.
Her website is www.carterdewberry.com
She may be contacted at carter@carterdewberry.com
