Print
Being a musician is much more than playing an instrument. Choosing the right instrument and making music can be a life-changing experience. Being a musician is more than a talent, or a hobby; it’s building the skills needed to be the player and make the music you want.
Rob Thorsen is a dedicated and experienced instrumentalist, confident in his musical abilities and vision, who has been performing for more than 40 years. His bass croons with a warmth while weaving creative instrumental textures.
Thorsen is also familiar with other instrumental sounds. He played baritone ukulele at age 6, classical guitar at 8, then flute, saxophone and tuba. He acquired his first electric bass at a garage sale at age 19 in San Francisco and fell in love with the instrument.
How united is our community? Do we have the ability to make a difference? Establishing a united community requires time, responsible individuals, intense effort and collaboration.
Aziz Purmul felt a duty to stand and build a united community when our nation stood divided. In 2016, Purmul established the “We Love Our Neighbors” project to bring communities together. He recognized that we cannot move forward as a community and reach our goals without creating the opportunity of reaching out to different groups, as well as being and feeling heard. Through “We Love Our Neighbors,” he has been able to connect churches, synagogues, mosques to promote understanding and mutual respect by learning about each other’s cultures, faiths and style of living.
Print
Exploring new cultures will not only provide valuable experiences but will also dispel our unconscious preconceptions about people and foster an open mind.
When Steve Slocum and his family lived in Kazakhstan for five years, they learned the Kazakh language and allowed themselves to be absorbed into a hospitable culture.
“The culture was a fascinating mixture of Islam and indigenous customs. It didn’t take us long to fall in love with the Kazakh people,” Slocum said.
Though he and his family went as missionaries, “as I unconsciously and consciously compared my culture, and the outworking of the Christian faith in it, to the culture of the Kazakh people, seeds were planted for new ways of thinking,” said Slocum, who now lives in Pacific Beach.
Someone San Diego Should Know: Dinora Reyna [The San Diego Union-Tribune]
This summer, we witnessed the nation turns its attention to racial equity and the needs of communities of color in a way that was unprecedented in recent years. Long before summer, and immediately following it, individuals such as Dinora Reyna, committed to approach their work through a racial justice lens.
“There is so much power left on the table, people left in the dark and in the shadows –- that is who I fight for. …There are too many gaps, too much racism, too much pain in San Diego that center me and push me to grow as a leader and human,” said Reyna, a faith-based organizer in San Diego.