Ben Rivers' "Beauty For Its Own Sake" Third Movement Being Performed May 3rd

I'm excited to announce that the third movement of my piece, "Beauty For Its Own Sake", will be performed along with other pieces at the Undergraduate Composers Club on May 3rd.

The concert will be at 6:30PM on the UC Berkeley campus at Hertz Hall.

Being Aware of Your Attention

If we can learn the lessons of being more aware — paying attention to attention itself, and the lack of it — this will serve us well our entire lives, and is actually a highly valuable — and useful — skill to have.

As Einstein famously said, the way of thinking — or, as Ken Wilber would say, the quality or level of of consciousness — that got us into this mess, is NOT the one that contains the answers to this mess. This is, actually, a major challenge for most of us — and, interestingly, one which is not the same as, nor bound up in, nor limited to, whatever current context, (or challenge, or suffering) we find ourselves in. If we don’t fundamentally become more aware of where/how our attention flows, and find a way to navigate the ship of our being into "new ways of thinking" — (Einstein), or "levels of consciousness with greater depth and span" (Wilber), the same issues will come back again, and again...on other stages, in other times, on other days. While this seems like a drag, it's actually a blessing from, and the way of, nature: It's evolution presenting us with opportunity after opportunity to "get it."

No Challenge Too Difficult

One big thing Parkinson's disease has taught me, and continues to teach me, is that no challenge is too hard to face. There are two facets to this: First, even the most minor tasks of daily life can present seemingly insurmountable difficulties. Second, I really do face certain health, logistical and financial issues that would be considered very difficult and intractable even for someone with normal body functioning. Yet, the fact of living carries me forward to face these challenges whether I wish to, or believe that I can, or not.

By being forced to grapple with them, I oftentimes discover that my beliefs about what I'm capable of, even with the constraints the disease places upon my capacity to function, are not objectively real. If I can have an attitude of curiosity, exploration and discovery, it is easier (or at least more fun) to do even the difficult things. I make a lot of mistakes, but life seems to provide endless opportunities. So even when I mess it up, there's another chance.

Ben Rivers Berkeley Concert July 2014

Hello,

Through the joy of music, I'm excited to be able to share the experience and lessons I’ve learned about life and art through living with Parkinson’s disease.

With original songs, life vignettes, and poetry, I will take you on a journey through my particular approach to handling life’s challenges and joys.

It is my hope that you will have a great time, discover laughter, and leave the evening feeling lighter, happier, and with a sense of the unshakeable core we each have inside of us no matter what life throws our way.

Join me on July 19th at 6PM at at the Berkeley Arts Festival on University Ave.

Ben Rivers' "Shakin' with Joy" - San Juan Ridge - Full Event Flyer
Ben Rivers' "Shakin' with Joy" - San Juan Ridge - Mini Flyer
Ben Rivers - Artist Statement
Ben Rivers - Bio