00:00:00.240 - 00:00:17.250

Alright, This is June 29th. I'm here at the Panama Canal Re Union with Dr Brooks, and we're gonna be talking about your time in the, uh, in the canal zone. And if you would like to start just with the beginning, uh, tell me a little bit about your childhood, What your parents did.

00:00:18.240 - 00:00:36.720

Okay, Great. Great to be with you. Finally and his appreciate it very much. When I was born back in the canal zone, my father was in charge of the cargo going through Atlantic to the Pacific side. He worked on a terminal, docks on my mother's from Bogota, Colombia, and she was, ah, housewife and had enough to do with me and my brother.

00:00:36.720 - 00:00:58.050

So we were brought up. We lived in, uh, new crystal ball and in order to say about where it was, it was right on the border between Colon and New Cristobal. It was called Fifth Street and Avenida Melendez on. I lived down there and I lived in a two story building other than the bottom floor.

00:00:58.440 - 00:01:20.740

Three quarters were there and I went to the elementary school, and Cristobal and I also went to crystal ball high school on. I graduated in 58 but meanwhile, in Crystal Ball High School is when I started my music career where I started learning about music. My mother wanted me to play the piano, so I started lessons with Professor Shuster.

00:01:20.740 - 00:01:32.710

He was from Germany on. He was there, and so I took lessons from him. And then I started take trumpet into high school and I was playing trumpet. But you know, I have to give a lot of credit to Mr George said. Who was my band director?

00:01:32.710 - 00:01:59.590

Orchestra director, Coral director. One man that did everything and he was so talented and he got me going on everything. I learned all the brass instruments Trumpet Cornett, baritone horn, Mela phone, you name it valve, trombone. I had to learn them all. And he let me conduct a little bit of times, too, because he needed, You know, somebody conducted at times even played bells and percussion and things like that and and the nicest part about living in Panama's.

00:01:59.590 - 00:02:17.540

I had a group, a little combo group. We played everywhere. We played in all the clubs. We played restaurants. We played for functions and for parties and And what's nice about today is three of us are together here that my trumpet player and you met my trumpet players sitting out just came in there.

00:02:17.550 - 00:02:38.890

Yeah. And then my guitar players here on myself, the other two we've lost in the time. And so But I got a career. I got a scholarship, a scholarship from a foundation, and I can't think of the name right now. Come into my mind around Ash errand.

00:02:38.900 - 00:02:58.860

And I went to do Kean University from Panama to Ken Universities, located in Pittsburgh. And I started out to be a music teacher, music, education and a pianist. Well, I saw how Maney really good pianist there are out there on. I don't have the hands really for being a piano player.

00:02:58.860 - 00:03:22.300

I got small hands, so I decided I'd stick with music education. Then I suddenly became really interested in conducting. I went to an opera, this friend of mine, who was a music critic for the Pittsburgh Post Gazette and for opera news. His name is Dr Robert Crone took me and I went to see a Knopper, and I said, Well, this spectacular, this man in front that's leading the orchestra, the singers, the chorus and everything.

00:03:22.410 - 00:03:40.610

I'd like to do that. So I began studying with him. His name is a maestro Carp. Richard Karp of the Pittsburgh Opera. And I began studying with him privately. They're on dso that became very much interested in conducting. So from there, then I got my masters e got my masters there, my masters.

00:03:40.610 - 00:03:59.910

And now I specialized in conducting in musicology because I figured I better start learning about history of music if I'm gonna be conductors. I know all about music and everything. And so then after that, it was Vietnam. Uh, I was a captain in the Army artillery during Nam, and I was there training troops, and yeah, not a pleasant time.

00:03:59.910 - 00:04:22.450

But anyway, then I graduated. I mean, I got released from the army, and then I went to Washington University in ST Louis, and that's where I went for my PhD and specialized again. My majors were opera conducting and musicology. And I had the opportunity to study with Leonard Slatkin, one of the great conductors still alive today one of the great conductors of ST Louis Symphony.

00:04:22.450 - 00:04:48.860

And I think he got the Washington, D. C. Symphony also. Now he does that. Then I went down to Florida because I couldn't take the cold weather. I spent all my life in Panama and growing up in nice, warm weather. And I got a teaching position in Pompano, Pompano Middle School and I thought Middle school for a year, year and a half, two years.

00:04:49.240 - 00:05:16.430

Then I started teaching in high school, and I taught in high school pumping a high school, you know, the school right? And then I taught there for two years, and then I decided. Then they went, and I got a position of Broward Community College. Okay, now it's called Broward College with our community college, and I was teaching there for about two years and I moved to Florida Atlantic University and I was a professor there because I had my PhD and everything.

00:05:16.430 - 00:05:38.170

So I was teaching Musicology orchestra, conducting any classes they wanted. I was beginning teaching there, and then that's when we decided, Let's put on orchestra together so because I had the college orchestra. So then we started a youth symphony on. I had some friends and people that we're very much interested and they wanted to support.

00:05:38.170 - 00:05:57.550

They formed a little board of directors to raise money. We had to use symphony and they use Symphony became very well known. We got, uh, awarded many rewards state wise and nationally, too, with the various things we did. And then we decided, Let's go pro And then we went and we started to South Florida.

00:05:58.540 - 00:06:18.630

You know, the Florida Chamber Orchestra? That was the first name the Florida Chamber Orchestra. We had about 30 40 people professionals. Then we went from the Florida Chamber Orchestra, the Fort Lauderdale Chamber Orchestra. And then from there we went to Sinfonia Virtuous Ian Chorus of Florida.

00:06:18.880 - 00:06:42.830

We had the course. The famous chorus from the Presbyterian Church, right on Coral Ridge, Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church and Roger McMurray was the director there. Then, from after that, there was a an event that took place in Miami, the Symposium of the Americas and it done.

00:06:42.830 - 00:07:06.900

I mean, why don't we call ourselves a Symphony of the Americas? And so one of the board members came up with that suggestion and we said That's a great idea. And we became eso a symphony of America's. Until today, 25 years, Symphony America's nationally known and what made it also nationally known as We established a Festival of Florida music festival in the summer, which is 21 years old.

00:07:07.120 - 00:07:24.770

And the festival has now performed in six countries in Europe. All the countries in Central America, four countries in South America, five islands and Caribbean at the Kennedy Center and several states. I don't recall all the states, but it's pretty well known now and now we're going into our 21st year with the festival.

00:07:24.780 - 00:07:51.980

The festival is a it's it combines members of our orchestra and on then a small chamber orchestra from Europe. This year we have the, uh, Mission Chamber Orchestra of Rome. Every year we bring in a different orchestra from the Czech Republic or from the Hungarian Republic or from Italy, or whatever the case may be, they will come in and they join us.

00:07:51.990 - 00:08:08.860

And then we do. Concerts start out in Europe, and we do rehearsals like I did this year. I was in Rome and we did rehearsals. Five rehearsals, three concerts. We always do a new recording. That's why I have I have 30 recordings from from all over the world, which is which is nice toe have.

00:08:08.940 - 00:08:28.000

And then we do our recording. We do our editing and then we're done. It takes about two weeks. Then the orchestra comes over to Florida and it stays. We how's it? And we do like 15 concerts from Keys all the way up to Vero Beach, and sometimes you go on the West Coast and then way visit all the countries that I told you about before.

00:08:28.000 - 00:08:57.760

But this year we're only going to Panama for a week and we'll play too. 10,000 Children and we'll also play three gala concerts. Tumor for road. I'm a Rotarian. I'm also with sister cities Remember Sister cities and the Rotary concerts we do to raise money. Last year we raised money for the sandblast Indians of Panama, and this year we're raising money Thio to purchase milk for the poor Children in Panama.

00:08:58.140 - 00:09:15.320

Both both Rotarians. One is insured era and the others in the city of Panama. And then we do a special concert for Mr Herman Burn, who is such a wonderful person who is the person that is bringing culture and helping people throughout Panama, and he's he's the owner of the hotel.

00:09:15.320 - 00:09:37.590

And he's just a really gallant and wonderful man who really helps his country very much helps out with the Children. He has several schools, and he's educating all the people that he can help in Panama. And I'm here today talking to you. All right, well, thank you for the That was brief, but yeah.

00:09:37.600 - 00:10:02.640

And you've had just such a nen credible, illustrious career that's just brought you to so many wonderful places. Um, yeah, I've been in 50 countries. Yeah, that's a lot of countries. And so it's a lot of I need to go to more. Yeah, double that. Um, you you initially mentioned a German professor in high school who kind of first started you out with this.

00:10:02.650 - 00:10:24.210

Can you maybe describe to me what first drew to music and kind of what you know started this when my mother wanted me to play piano and she knew about Professor Fuster on dso. She said, you know, start with this. I stayed with him, and because of him, I got the scholarship on the piano to go to do Kean University.

00:10:24.220 - 00:10:41.020

So then and that was great. That's where I got my scholarship. And then, of course, my grades were good enough that they gave me my master's degree on scholarship. And then I applied to Washington University for my PhD, and they took me as a scholar. Also, e I was just very fortunate.

00:10:41.020 - 00:10:58.150

I was in the right place, right time, and I never paid a cent from my education. Eso all on scholarship. Thank goodness e have many people to thank for everything that's happened where I am. Yeah, definitely. What kind of re sources were available to you while you lived in the zone to kind?

00:10:58.150 - 00:11:13.040

I mean, you mentioned this professor and, um, you know, he taught you all these different instruments, but just, you know, playing in high school, Did you play the football games with with the band? I played football games. We played had orchestra concerts at the high school.

00:11:13.050 - 00:11:30.340

Sometimes they had special concerts for the for the public or whatever. Sometimes I would do a piano recital for Special group or someone whatever the case may be. But that was about it. It was kind of limited. We had to create our own. That's why we formed the little combo way played everywhere for bar mitzvahs.

00:11:30.340 - 00:11:46.100

We played for weddings. We played for birthdays. We played in nightclubs. We played for dances. We anywhere we could. First of all, we were getting paid. So that was good. So that was That was nice. You know, when you're that age and you're making a little bit of money and so having fun at the same time.

00:11:46.110 - 00:11:59.120

How did you guys come together and form that? In high school? We all were in the in the orchestra, in the band, on one day, at a pub on my trumpet Player said, Let's get together He came over and we started playing. He started his excellent trumpet player.

00:11:59.130 - 00:12:11.480

He could play jazz and everything, you know. So then we said, Why don't we get a couple more? We got a drummer on then. Then we sat at two guitars and then we're really we were hot. Then you have a name for your band way. Never.

00:12:11.480 - 00:12:27.650

Did you know? Yeah, to the CHS group. Everyone just knew. Get ahold of one of them and they get together. E don't recall the name. You know, it's a good I'm gonna ask Eddie today way had a name. I'll call you and tell you, but I don't recall now.

00:12:27.650 - 00:12:49.060

We were just known as the Zone Ian's, you know? Yeah, way were the first ever be on Armed Forces Network down their first live group because the Armed Forces Network was the only American radio station on then, you know, there's a lot of Panamanian stations, but our forces network heard about us and we were live on television.

00:12:49.840 - 00:13:07.330

That was That was big down there, then. Definitely. Kids, we're talking 1956 57 you know. OK, so we're going back. Did you have a genre of music that you all like to play? Or was there Ah, specific song or things like that? A routine we had.

00:13:07.330 - 00:13:21.230

We had our favorite songs. There were several of them, but we had to learn a lot of repertoire Spanish wise to s. So we had to play all the Spanish numbers plus American numbers, of course. All the rock numbers because, you know, they all want to dance.

00:13:21.240 - 00:13:35.650

So we had to dio, you know, my singer was really just like Elvis. +123 o'clock, four o'clock rock and Bill Haley And you know all those songs we knew we knew them all. That must have been a lot of fun. Yeah, it was a lot of fun.

00:13:36.040 - 00:13:53.270

How is it transitioning from, you know, warm Panama Canal Zone and all your friends They're up to Pittsburgh. When you when you had to move stateside was that, Well, it was difficult because I didn't know anybody. But, you know, I finally got to meet people in college like that.

00:13:53.270 - 00:14:05.760

You really do as you know. You know, when you go suddenly you're out of your element and then suddenly you gotta build yourself back in. But the funniest part. I'll never forget this Pittsburgh. There's a bluff. I don't know if you've never been to Pittsburgh, but it's up.

00:14:05.760 - 00:14:21.220

Top two canes up top and the wind comes blowing down the Monongahela and whips through there. And this is like September, and I had the shirt, a sweater, a jacket and an overcoat, and I'm standing on the bluff. They're looking out and thinking, What am I doing here?

00:14:21.230 - 00:14:35.290

It's freezing, and the dean of men happened to come by and say, Oh, you must be the student from Panama, recognized, just like that I said yes. Yeah, he says you'll get used to it. Well, I never ever really got used to it. You know, you don't.

00:14:35.300 - 00:15:05.080

My blood is so thin, you know, I had to wear, you know, sweaters all the time. But I love Pittsburgh. Great, great city. Many things to do much to learn. And same with ST Louis. Mhm. Mhm. Um, it was a music scene in Pittsburgh. Incredible. Incredible opera, the Ballet Symphony, all the you know, there's pit right, and there's Carnegie, which is fantastic.

00:15:05.090 - 00:15:21.660

In fact, one of them later and ironically, the dean that used to be at Carnegie Sydney Hearth. He was a soloist, and he was also the concert master for the Pittsburgh Symphony. Later he went on to be the concert master in New York for Zubin Mehta.

00:15:22.120 - 00:15:46.290

But later, when I had my symphony, I and I was guest conducting in South Africa and Durban, South Africa. I invited him over to be a soloist with me in Durban, which was fantastic, and we had a lot of things to talk about, you know? And I used to call him because do Kean University offered me to dean of the school of music twice, and I just wanted to be a conductor.

00:15:46.290 - 00:16:03.790

So I called Sydney Heart and I said, You know, you're soloist all over the world you perform and yet you're the dean. He said, Well, it's very, very difficult and it hinders your your professional life. If you wanna be that, you gotta be a dean, you gotta be around.

00:16:03.790 - 00:16:19.270

You have to go and recruit you have He told me all the things you have to do, and he said, But you know, that's up to you your choice. So I stayed as a conductor, but to Cain's always in my heart, absolutely, and then transitioning from there to ST Louis.

00:16:19.640 - 00:16:37.760

Uh, that came about when I got out of the Army on I was offered a scholarship. I applied there because I wanted to study, uh, conducting. And they had a Fanta. And as a matter of fact, what's phenomenal was my adviser, Harold Blumenfeld was a great opera aficionado.

00:16:37.760 - 00:16:55.200

I mean, he knew every little detail. Well, the school, first of all, is you know, Washington used the Harvard of the West E. It's really fantastic school, and the school of music is well known all over the world. And so I was fortunate that I could study with Lenny Slatkin at the same time.

00:16:55.210 - 00:17:12.570

It was only two years I studied with him. But still, family is a great, great mind, A great conductor and a wonderful person. He had an interest in helping young students and conductors s Oh, that was great. But the school itself was phenomenal, you know, they had the greatest professors that you could think of.

00:17:12.570 - 00:17:31.340

Knowledgeable. Oh, my gosh, I knew everything, but I was fortunate to be able to go there, and I really enjoyed. Plus, my wife is from ST Louis. My wife, Sharon, is, uh, Houston. She's a professional ballerina. She danced with the immunity opera, which is, Ah, theater that seats 14,000 people.

00:17:31.350 - 00:17:48.270

And she worked with Bob Hope, Julius LaRosa. The list is unbelievable on she got a scholarship to do cane. That's where I met her. And she was a former Tamar. It's in, uh, do Cain, temperate since the world renowned, they travel all over the world, the great folk music of the Serbian and Croatian music that they do.

00:17:48.640 - 00:18:04.930

And so I met her there, and so then I figured, Well, let me go to Washington University will be at least I'll have a grandmother because my daughter was born. My daughter was born when I was in the Army. So she's a Army brat on Fort Gordon, Georgia, when I was there.

00:18:04.940 - 00:18:24.150

So when we went there was perfect because we had her family there and my family then retired and moved to Fort Lauderdale. So after I got my PhD, I said, We've got to get out of this weather Back down to the warm back down to the warm eso I came down Thio, Fort Lauderdale unemployed.

00:18:24.160 - 00:18:41.180

My wife had a job because she had bachelors of music education and she was cheaper than someone with a PhD. So she got a job immediately eso I had. I went to work in a tie shop on DSO until the time that I find they finally needed somebody.

00:18:41.190 - 00:18:56.270

So I was teaching at Pompano Middle School, 6th, 7th and 8th graders with my PhD, but it was great. I enjoyed it so much, working with those kids and teaching them and everything. And like I told you before, I slowly moved up in the education process.

00:18:56.640 - 00:19:21.170

So but I've been through it all. Middle school, high school, college graduate work, everything. So it's good knowledge for me. Experience. Yeah, eso When I'm talking to students, we dio we do a lot of playing. So we played over 10,000 students every year in Broward County on DWI played over 10,000 students and just two weeks with our festival eso we reach a lot of kids.

00:19:21.180 - 00:19:45.590

We try to help them as much as possible just for the exposure of the music. We're not trying to make them all musicians because there aren't that many jobs out there. But to be exposed to music and to go Thio ballet and go to the opera and go see drama and go see you know, all these things that can really, uh, help the continuation of these cultural just cultural enrichment for deprivation, right?

00:19:45.600 - 00:20:06.560

Mm. Mhm. Um, can you describe your graduate research in the course of studying how you know, getting a PhD in this? It's just interesting to me as a grad student, it was very challenging. I enjoyed it very much. My courses were very specifically aimed at being a conductor.

00:20:06.570 - 00:20:27.000

Your training piano training a lot of history of music, a lot of conducting, uh, in that in that specific source. But we also had I had to learn four languages, so I already knew English and Spanish. So I said, Let me take Italian. They said All right, But you still now you need one more.

00:20:27.010 - 00:20:41.920

In fact, there was three languages and so I said Italian and say no, You speak Spanish, Italian. So they said, They said, I have to learn German, which was great because I conducted in all those countries over there, and at that time they were communist countries.

00:20:41.930 - 00:21:01.400

But they had all one time been, you know, ran, uh, occupied by Germany during the war. So they mostly spoke a lot of German. So that's how I got through my conducting, speaking German and English back and forth. So and then I had private lessons which, like and I had private lessons with my people.

00:21:01.400 - 00:21:16.280

But it was a matter of, you know, you're on your own, these other courses, these you come to the classes. Here's the research. We had one of the best libraries, I think, still in the United States. It's a separate music library by itself. Ah, whole building.

00:21:16.940 - 00:21:39.910

You know, usually most universities have a section. This is a complete with recordings with scores, hundreds of musical scores and books and things so that that's what made it so great. I mean, people from all over the world would come in and would do research and sign in and borrowed because they were from from all orchestras would come in and students from everywhere would come to their to just do it.

00:21:39.920 - 00:21:59.130

So I had the greatest opportunity because it was perfect, you know? So But, like I said, you have to You have to do it on your own. You want to do what? You gotta go hard work at it. Yeah. Um, So you mentioned these really wonderful initiatives that you've started in Fort Lauderdale.

00:21:59.130 - 00:22:13.390

How receptive is the music scene in Fort Lauderdale to these? I mean, yeah. Is there kind of a culture there already that you're feeding off of? What do you say that your e think I was a building one of the the only the one that was there?

00:22:13.390 - 00:22:27.250

It was really great. Orchestra was a Fort Lauderdale Symphony. At that time. They had the opera, but the operas in Miami and at that time there was very little culture. But now they have orchestras everywhere in Florida, which is great. They have a wonderful orchestras in Florida.

00:22:27.250 - 00:22:49.560

They're wonderful ballet companies, and it's just now it's got a lot of culture there, and this is good because the Children now can become involved more. There's more opportunities open up. When I got there, the work that many opportunities S O. That was I was fortunate to be able to have a group of people that were in very much interested in starting on my executive director, Renee Lavonte.

00:22:49.940 - 00:23:20.020

She Lavonte family, very wealthy family with one that spearheaded many cultural endeavors and worked hard with the with various universities, Nova University. There the the Labonte family founded the air center there and hearing center there another cultural, other different cultural buildings and things that there. So it was those people that were very much interested in building Fort Lauderdale building south Florida.

00:23:20.130 - 00:23:35.980

They're the ones that deserve the credit for bringing the arts and bringing culture and bringing great educational institutions because we did not have some fabulous institutions in Florida as you know you're a part of so But, you know, back in the fifties, they were all getting started.

00:23:35.990 - 00:24:01.700

So because of all these wonderful people that had visions and put their money and their hard work behind their vision to help and education and culture, that's why for it is where it is. Um, can you maybe describe the logistics involved in coordinating these things? When you when you're entering into a say whether, you know, you're kind of starting maybe from the ground up, Were there any challenges?

00:24:01.710 - 00:24:19.530

You still challenges everything. There's a challenge. I mean, you know, whatever you come up against, your biggest challenges finances for Bernard's. Because, you know, you know, people have to donate and then ticket sales is think of sales is only 30% of your presentation, that's all. That's all it is, is 30%.

00:24:19.530 - 00:24:38.110

So you have to get out. You've been depend on the banks, and you have to depend on people that want to donate. And these are the people that keep the arts rolling. So you have to go out and, uh, beg, borrow or steal eso meet people and the press.

00:24:38.120 - 00:25:02.160

Yeah, so you have to network constantly. You're constantly doing that you're spreading and and it's something that will always you see in Europe, a conductor spends 90% of his time studying music, learning new scores, learning music, listening to music and 10% administrative. Here. The conductor spends 90% of his time administrating and 10%.

00:25:02.160 - 00:25:20.360

It's a shame that's what I like to go to Europe. When I conducted the Berlin Symphony, that's a great orchestra. And many I was fortunate enough to conducting. Probably. Well, let me let me just mention the Kennedy Center on. Then there's the video theater in Budapest, which is a great theater.

00:25:20.740 - 00:25:42.930

There is also in Argentina, theatrical on, which is a very well known and established. And then there's one in Amsterdam. The come on, I can't think of it will come back to later, but they're all these great theaters which helped my career when they saw you've been there open, you know, they just don't want.

00:25:42.930 - 00:26:07.090

And I was in Cape Town. I did the Cape Town Opera in South Africa. So there was. I was wonderful to be able to do that. We're still trying to think I don't know you can't help me. So it was in Amsterdam. It's very, very famous theater.

00:26:07.330 - 00:26:30.090

We'll come back. Yeah, we can. We can look that up. So in what direction do you think the scene in Fort Lauderdale needs to head? Oh, it doesn't need. The head is just keep going the way it's going, Okay. E mean, they're They're very talented administrators, very talented artists, very talented conductors, everybody that's working there, our top notch people.

00:26:30.090 - 00:26:46.760

And they're going in the right direction. That's good to see. I mean, every city. Miami For a lot of male Hollywood, Boca, Palm Beach, they all have their wonderful organizations. They're all going in the right direction. That's great to hear. Yeah, they know they are working hard.

00:26:46.920 - 00:27:02.460

It's just that I always want to tell the people that live there, support the arts, whether it's ballet, opera, symphony or drama supported because it's good for the Children. It's good. It brings income in, you know, the arts. People come in to see tourists. We have a lot of tourists, is you know.

00:27:02.470 - 00:27:15.000

Okay. So no tourists can go catch a symphony. They could go. So what is happening? They're coming in, especially the Europeans when I come in and they have more money than when we do because they have the euro eso When they come in, they're spending a lot more money.

00:27:15.010 - 00:27:29.160

So when they come in, they want to see a show of any sort of kind. We have the biggest one of the best theaters ever. The Broward Center for the Performing Arts on That's my home. So I'm very fortunate there. So they come in and they buy tickets of that, they're gonna use a taxi.

00:27:29.240 - 00:27:49.560

They're gonna eat somewhere in the restaurant. They're gonna have a hotel bill there, and they're gonna buy lots of things because they have the euro, which is almost double. And and the Brits have the pound and so right. They fly over here for $400 we fly for 800 right, so they have a lot more money to spend, and that's what we want.

00:27:49.560 - 00:28:06.950

We want the tourists to come and keep feeding into our our economy and arts is a good way to do it. Arts and sports. Yeah, and that Yeah, that down on the riverfront. So it's such a gorgeous buildings, it's just incredible, you know, they're redoing it.

00:28:06.950 - 00:28:25.660

They're building their fixing up, refurbishing big theater, the green, and then later the do ours, the the amateur theater bond. Then they're gonna build a whole new building, a structure in front of the restaurants and everything A Z go down the hill There you still be able to see the waterway, the intercoastal askew.

00:28:25.660 - 00:28:48.780

Go by there. So it's gonna be and they're building a whole new education building a $20 million education building in the back. So for kids and for classes and things will be working very closely with him specifically. And Americans will be working very, very close to this new education because fortunately, my wife is director of education at the Power Center for the Performing Arts.

00:28:49.100 - 00:29:07.660

So she's got a very astute position working with everybody in the community. And whenever she needs musicians, orchestra, people are orchestras right there. So, yeah, we help. What's the time frame on that project, like Do they have they just started, So within two years, they should be done with you.

00:29:08.240 - 00:29:27.380

That'll be, that'll be a great addition to that entire area. There's the building is a phenomenal before, had those resource is there and again, like you said, just bringing the revenue to that area. You know, downtown. The riverfront part? Yeah, the whole even stretching all we have to commercial people stay in Fort Lauderdale in various locations.

00:29:27.380 - 00:29:44.630

Those hotels and restaurants. They will. They will benefit from it to. Absolutely. And you all go out to that mall with small way out. Sawgrass progress. Yeah. So they all go out there. Tourists, especially. Oh, this the crowd from Latin America and South America. They all fly up there.

00:29:44.630 - 00:30:03.610

They do weekend shopping's They fly up and they go for the weekend and they shop is sawgrass filler Suitcases and fly back. Yeah, you could spend a few days at that. Place's amazing. That's huge. Yeah, I'd love to hear more about your travels. Do you have?

00:30:03.620 - 00:30:28.500

Yeah, that's Ah, story within itself. Trying to think. Uh huh. I don't know where to start. Yeah, well, I'll tell you, I could tell you some stories when I started traveling and I was visiting countries like Bulgaria, Romania, Hungaria, Poland, Of those countries were all communist countries.

00:30:28.510 - 00:30:47.060

Okay, when you're invited, you're invited by the government. Okay? Because the government controlled everything. The government's over there controlled all the arts. They control the when you're when you play in an orchestra, you also are getting not only pay what you're getting insurance or your instruments.

00:30:47.060 - 00:31:07.690

You're getting hospital insurance. You're getting dental insurance. You're getting getting all the benefits of being employed by the government. No matter that I got a say that even the Communist countries did that So And if you notice in the communist country, those people that were allowed out and came back were usually sports or artists, you know, So they were the ones who do.

00:31:08.110 - 00:31:25.860

But I've had experiences in one experience that I was coming from Hungaria and I was going to Romania and we took the train. And so the train reached the border and it stopped. And then one of the the conductors or we call them that run up and down.

00:31:25.870 - 00:31:48.700

Yeah, not not the one that weighs baton, but they train conductor came through it. Yeah, came through and said, We're looking for the Americans were looking for the American. I said, Oh, my gosh, Now what? Because So, yeah, and they found me and said Yes. The police want to see you so thes two guards come up and knock on my I had a compartment.

00:31:48.700 - 00:32:01.230

I opened a compartment. I said I thought to myself They want the coffee. I'm bringing coffee into Romania. So I put the coffee up and I ate it, you know, because I'm bringing to a friend of mine, a conductor and Romania on. They came in and they said I used the American conductor.

00:32:01.240 - 00:32:20.350

I said yes. Could you give us your autograph? Eso sure. E thought they were stopping me for some reason or something. They wanted my autograph, which was kind of cool Eso Then they stopped the train that for that, though. And then we went on and I went in the thio Romania.

00:32:20.360 - 00:32:50.990

I really like Romania lot. The very talented people. Well, do you have a favorite spot that you visit often? Or Italy? Yeah. Rome, Italy. I got allergies. That's why I'm, uh really Panama. I was born in Panama, raised in Panama. I love Panama. I have an apartment down in Panama now, and we go back and forth and so, you know, I feel comfortable in Panama, but I feel comfortable.

00:32:50.990 - 00:33:08.770

I visited a lot of countries several times. I like Aruba, for example. I visited. And so I've been to Hungaria many times. I like Hungarian. Hungarian people are also very talented. E I mean not only talented, brilliant minds come out of Hungarian the city, architecturally or just It's just gorgeous.

00:33:08.780 - 00:33:27.690

Beautiful. It's right on the river there. And so so I like Hungaria. I've been there many times. Hungaria. One of my one of my best tours was in the Orient when I was invited to conduct. I made a tour where I flew to Korea, conduct in Korea.

00:33:27.690 - 00:34:00.590

And then Then I went down into, uh, Singapore on. Then I went over to Thailand. Now, before Thailand, there's another country around the corner. No mhm on the mainland. Er yeah, right on the mainland, there's Singapore. There is I want to say Malaysia. Malaysia. Yes, Malaysia.

00:34:00.600 - 00:34:19.150

So I conducted there in Malaysia. I liked that a lot. That was great country. And I learned a lot about the Oriental people and knowing you know, nothing virtually no such a different atmosphere than Europe or Taiwan was another country that I conducted. E spent two weeks there.

00:34:19.290 - 00:34:33.800

I did the Beethoven festival. There s so I was driving up and down Highway one. They have won highway up and down the island that you go up and down. I was doing the various cities. They're performing with several different orchestras in Taiwan. Also very talented, wonderful people.

00:34:34.190 - 00:34:53.260

So that was that was an experience. Do you Oriental tour? Yeah. You've been all over the world. Yeah. Still a few places. Probably. I'd like to see or go back, but I you know, Rome, Budapest, sh and and South America, Argentina. Argentina is a wonderful place.

00:34:53.270 - 00:35:11.610

Where is Argentina like it was? Well, it z sickly. A lot of Italians that came over from the war. They settled there. But it's it's very cultural. I mean, they're very culture. They have great ballets operas. They have the great Teatro Colon, which is world famous in Buenos Aires.

00:35:11.620 - 00:35:33.480

On they have another in Rosario, another city heading north along the river. And it is a theater, a natural cycle and great artists from the past, you know, like, um Mario Lanza and all those all sang there and everything. So it's a great theater, and it's a wonderful so you can close.

00:35:33.490 - 00:35:54.980

She can cut and paste. Yeah, this is This will be Thanks. So those are the great cities that were we all. And I was fortunate to have my wife and many of those places. So do you get to travel a soften as I can? You know, it was very important work full time.

00:35:54.980 - 00:36:16.290

It's Brower's and they're so hard to get away a little school Busses that role in down second e wanna put my my my address on e gonna put my email of it. Okay, E, My personal email is not on here, but all my business is official business.

00:36:18.230 - 00:36:40.330

There you go. That's why. Did I think that's what you want? Yeah, I'm sure. Okay. I'll sit over here. We're almost done. Right. Thank you. Thistles for you. Thank you. 25 years of the festival I was telling you about. Oh, that's great. And we picked the very best we thought.

00:36:40.330 - 00:36:54.390

I hope the other people think, too. Of the of the recordings we did with all the various orchestras. Thank you. I'll be able to listen to that on my way home on the drive home. Thank Wow. That's That's great. Thank you. So much concentrate on your driving.

00:36:54.400 - 00:37:14.680

Yes. I'll try not to get lost. I don't have any CDs in my car, so this will be excellent. Toe have one. Yeah. And here is the season. We just finished with its brochure. Okay. And here is the new season coming up. So if you're in there, you're in town.

00:37:14.680 - 00:37:28.460

You wanna ever attend one of these? Call me. I got comp tickets for you. E know somebody's great e. No, My brother loves this kind of stuff too, and always talks that he wants. Toe do this. So that be something that we've could have fun doing together.

00:37:28.470 - 00:37:45.940

You could look at reading to this and fill in. You know, whatever you want. Now this is the festival I tell you about. This is the last stuff that we did from the orchestra. Remediate from Hungaria. There was last year and it's an orchestra of Hungarians came over and it was last year's festival.

00:37:46.350 - 00:38:09.330

This year we have the Rome Mission Chamber Orchestra. Those brochures weren't there, Sharon their own festival? I mean, yeah, the one was the one with the she I don't know. Maybe I missed him. The one with the I thought they were in here. Yes. Maybe I missed him.

00:38:09.340 - 00:38:31.270

Jim, you want me to go get him? Because you know who wants all right? Yeah, I'm sorry. That's alright. No problem. Thank you. So this is the the season, This upcoming that. Probably all these people right here. Okay. Okay. Sounds very deadly. You like getting your exercise?

00:38:31.270 - 00:38:51.960

Thank you. Yeah. Alright. So I thought we just conclude talking a little bit about, you know, just just being able to return the Panama after you've gone and, you know, final thoughts on living in the zone. And we've even asked before, um, you know, opinions and kind of reactions, toe.

00:38:51.970 - 00:39:14.330

Um um the 1964. When when the zone was turned over back to Panama and just kind of general thoughts. Well, I go back and forth The Panama I've always gone back and forth the Panama all these years e try to get back as much as I can and because, you know, my parents stayed there and then my brother is living there now.

00:39:14.340 - 00:39:32.140

So and I was born in Panama. Dual citizenship, Panamanian citizenship in the U. S. Citizenship. And, uh so I always go back. I mean, you know, you're born airy and we love it. So it's a wonderful place and everything as far as being turned over, I was.

00:39:32.150 - 00:39:50.620

It was given. I'm not really happy about it. The Canal zone people were just for gotten A so far as I'm concerned and and thank goodness for u F is going to keep the tradition off government. The Pan Canal people because we were very important people.

00:39:50.630 - 00:40:07.990

I mean, you know that canal is very important. Now they're building a third lane there, and so and when Panama got it, that's That's why they became to Dubai, Central America because of the Panama Canal. Plus, they were smart enough to keep the U. S dollars their currency on DSO That that makes a lot of difference.

00:40:07.990 - 00:40:24.140

And you could tell e any other Latin American country you go into it doesn't compare with Panama. E mean just economy is phenomenal, so I hope they stay democratic and they realize that with what a jewell they have there. And there are a lot of businesses from all over the world there.

00:40:24.670 - 00:40:40.350

It's totally changed now, but there's still the areas you could go visit that are still beautiful, the mountains and the rivers and the oceans and, you know, traveling up towards the Costa Rican border. And even if you wanted to get into dense jungles and things of that sort, you can still travel south.

00:40:40.360 - 00:41:00.440

And there's a lot of jungle still left, which, which is beautiful to see on the beaches, are just gorgeous. It's just a lovely, beautiful place. It's a paradise. It really is a paradise, you know, And I've been in a lot of countries. Compare. So that's the reason why I decided to go back and and you own a condo there, Have an apartment.

00:41:00.480 - 00:41:20.370

Okay, on what side of the on the Pacific side? A Pacific sites, right by the jalape, a theater. Its's scenario called San Francisco s Oh, that's a nice place. Yeah, it's beautiful and we like it. We go down and stay whenever we can come back, you know, nothing fancy, but it's a nice apartment in a nice area, and I'm happy to be there.

00:41:20.440 - 00:41:35.390

Have my friends coming. Sometimes I let my daughter and people stay there, you know? So that's what's nice about it. So I do have my daughter now is also She used to be head of the Seas program, which is a very special education program. Broward County.

00:41:35.400 - 00:41:58.150

But because of funding, you know, they had toe cut back, and I still do some of the seas program would. She's there now with my two grandkids, and she's teaching ballet in the Broward County schools. So that's she's happy. And she loves it to herself. So she's lives in If you go out towards I'm tryingto specifically.

00:41:58.340 - 00:42:14.900

Well, I guess you'd call it Western. Okay, Yeah. Out 5 95 5 95 Western. But I think it's called the lakes or the land E. Just call it Western. Yeah, he's out there. You know how many subdivisions they got? They got. It's hard to track. My gosh.

00:42:14.910 - 00:42:30.320

Yeah, So far west. Far enough. And close enough. You know, so bright eyes that your only child I got my own child, my only child and two grandkids. We just came back from Rome. I had my daughter, her husband and two boys, and Sharon, five of us.

00:42:30.390 - 00:42:52.920

Six of us were there, so we had a good time. Yeah, the beard would be a lot of fun. But as far as Panama, Panama has grown, I think, to the better of everybody. I really dio the skyline bigger than Miami skyline. It is beautiful tall buildings, a lot of businesses, great restaurants, great shopping, great shopping malls.

00:42:53.300 - 00:43:14.790

And you can eat practically anywhere. And it's not expensive. They've kept. And I hope it keeps that way. They kept the prices down. Were you know, you can go out. You don't have to spend a lot of money. I'd love to be able to visit. After doing these interviews and coming here two or three years in a row, you should just yeah, should go down.

00:43:15.110 - 00:43:30.120

And if you do go down, call me. And, well, you know, you can give me some tips about traveling around. And not only that, but I'll help you with the restaurant with the hotels, E no people that Oh, no. Maybe I could get you a discount.

00:43:30.130 - 00:43:41.920

Yeah, because zef innately you know, I'll send you my our friends, that house us and feed us everything on. I like to send them a lot of times I said I'm just playing tourist people. But then I called him I said, this is a good friend of mine.

00:43:41.920 - 00:43:58.830

I need a discount. Okay, We'll give you 10. 15. They'll say 10. I said, how about 15? Okay. Mm. Well, thank you so much. That's something I'll have to keep in mind. Yeah, sure. When you go down. Definitely. Yeah. Keep in touch. Because I'd love to be ableto visit.

00:43:59.400 - 00:44:20.250

Um, what does your brother dio? That he's staying? He's kind of retired. He's involved in real estate here and there. But he's retired, and he's got a home in the city. His wife is a pharmacist on duh. He's looking out in the interior to buy a nice house up on the mountain somewhere there so they could use it for the weekends, you know?

00:44:20.260 - 00:44:36.360

Ah, lot of the Panamanians. Do they have the houses out? They use it for weekends or for a week off or something. Or holidays and things like that. They own a house in the city. Yeah, and I've even heard two of a lot of Americans choosing the area to retire.

00:44:36.370 - 00:44:51.480

It is one of the biggest largest. Is it boom tires? Yeah, and we're getting a lot of retirees from Europe. Mhm What are the? What's the real estate like? Is it pretty pricey, or is it? Well, it used to be about five years ago. Very, very good.

00:44:51.480 - 00:45:12.500

Now it's going up. It's going up, but it's still cheaper than Florida. Maybe four. Yeah, of course. We've had, you know, the real estate crunch in the last three years or so. So even Florida is pretty good still to buy. Yeah. Yeah. All right. Well, is there anything you'd like to add to conclude with?

00:45:13.290 - 00:45:33.490

No. Except I'm thankful for anybody that helped me in my career. And I was very fortunate that God gave me a gift. And I thank the university for everything they're doing to help Panama and and to do what it is for the canal zone. Canal Zone was a very unique place to be his own.

00:45:33.490 - 00:45:37.610

Ian is very unique. Yeah, These stuff