Reflecting on my 28 Dec concert with Wayne (Adaptation of a Fb post)

It's always strange, going through the emotions of putting on a concert. Very different to any other type of gig, my self-produced concerts entail months of preparation and lots of personal investment. Because I'm a perfectionist (a blessing and curse, let's be honest!), I tend to obsess about every last detail of every aspect of the event. What I'd like to achieve, in future, is to have an assistant do those detail-orientated tasks for me, so that I may spend a lot more time focussing on the music itself.

Anyway, judging by comments from the people who attended, it was a very enjoyable evening. I was extremely happy to have held the concert in the District Six Museum, a place with special meaning to me. What surprised me was the number of people who said they'd never been there before.

I also loved the fact that the refreshments were summery and healthy, lovingly put together by my dear friend, Shanaaz. Another aspect of the evening that touched me was how many of my friends actually knew each other - it was like a reunion!

Having my immediate family - my mom, my sister and my children - there, added to how incredibly special the night was for me. Other family members' presence also meant a lot to me. And then there were my friends, some of whom I've known almost my whole life, and others I met fairly recently.

Basically, having an opportunity to share my original songs with people I love and respect is one of the biggest blessings in my life. Being accompanied by my mentor, Wayne Bosch, is a feeling I can't adequately describe. Wayne's mastery of the guitar, coupled with his sensitive interpretation of my songs, makes the whole experience quite surreal, in a way.

Having my son as the MC was very special to me, although he admitted it felt very different to when he had his drum kit between himself and an audience.

And then I have to be honest, my highlight (besides Wayne's beautiful music) was my daughter's solo set. She sang four songs, while playing her ukulele. Someone commented that, with her flowing dress, bare feet and flower crown, she looked like Shakespeare's Ophelia. Not only was she as pretty as a picture, but she sang so beautifully, I had a lump in my throat throughout her set. She situates herself in an interesting genre - I'm not even sure what to call it, but I suppose "Indie" would best describe it? She has a lilt in her voice and, at age 16, a touching mixture of a child's voice and an adult's voice. What struck me most was her ability to convey layers of emotion, without making it look like she was trying very hard.

Ok, so I'm her mother, and I'm biased, but all I can say is: look out for a vocalist called Summer Dawn Geffen. She is here to stay.

Thank you to everyone who helped make the evening a success. May the feel-good ripples last long enough to inspire you to do something awesome with your own passion in life.