Scoring Greta Garbo

Posted on May 19, 2013 | Leave a comment

It has been a remarkable process, creating the music and sound design for Swedish actress Ottiliana Rolandsson’s one-woman show “I Was Greta Garbo”, which only yesterday finished its first run at The Zephyr Theatre in Hollywood.

I Was Greta Garbo

Since I didn’t have the luxury of being there in person, perhaps the greatest challenge was going through every process via DropBox. But in spite of missing the face to face interaction with my co-conspirators, I have found it very cool to discover more of what is possible to accomplish via the Internet.

Capturing the essence of an enigma such as Garbo was indeed a tantalizing task. She was so brilliant, so multi-faceted, so powerful, so tender and so beautiful in her being and performance that anything I added would have to be simple enough to underscore the storyline, yet complex enough, deep enough and vulnerable enough to match her energy.

I decided that for me, personally, the essence of Garbo was seductive, sensual and deeply committed to the moment, but not a moment longer. Musically translated, I decided to create pieces of music that bore promise of a deeper commitment, but shamelessly and sometimes surprisingly would leave the listener wanting more. Of course, this needed to be done with enough grace and poise and subtlety to avoid arousing suspicion.

It is only in the scene of her death, or rather, in the scene where she realizes she is dead, that a release of emotion and a completion of form are reached in musical terms. And even here, I have consciously placed an eerie reminder of the stirring she left in the hearts of all who had the pleasure of witnessing her, on screen or in the flesh.

“I Was Greta Garbo”, starring Ottiliana Rolandsson, will be playing in Stockholm this summer, courtesy of The Garbo Society of Sweden. And I plan to be doing some live performances in conjunction with it. Feel free to stop by if you’re in the vicinity or are moved to make the trip.

Stay tuned at www.carolinewaters.com/shows.php or feel free to sign up on my email list for VIP notifications. All CDs are available at my online store.

Musically Yours,
Caroline

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Posted in Self Confidence, Songwriting, Life and Career, Caroline's Concerts, Communication, Musical Theatre, Creativity, Scoring for Film and Theatre

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Taxes, Our Brains and My Artist Self

Posted on May 6, 2013 | Leave a comment

Tax season is upon us and I am meticulously inputting data and adding up numbers. There is something extremely satisfying about seeing the result of a whole year mapped out in front of me, no matter how well I did or didn’t do. But there is also something extremely nerve wrecking about it.

As a self employed artist, I am really good at the art, music, production and performance side of things. But, in spite of the fact that I have taken numerous courses in financial finangelings, I am not as good at the bookkeeping and budgeting side of things. I have actually felt quite stupid for being so slow and not having everything perfectly lined up already the way I wanted to.

Imagine my relief as I discovered the scientific facts as they were presented to me by one of Norway’s leading experts on taxes: “Artists,” he said, “develop the brain differently and quite opposite from bookkeepers and finance savvy folks. As a matter of fact, the more you crunch numbers, the less you are able to let your creative mind do its thing and the more you creative you are, the less able you’ll be in terms of linear, financial, number stuff.” I don’t know if he said this so we would hire him instead of trying to figure things out on our own, but it kinda made sense what he was saying. It certainly made me feel better about myself.

I think it’s a good idea to know the basics of bookkeeping and budgeting and to keep abreast of the financial aspect oft things, no matter what we do for a living. But I also know, for myself, that in order for me to truly create from my heart and soul, I need to suspend all linear thoughts connected to outcome. I need to embrace the unknown, to welcome the deep and mysterious and abstract, to risk going out on a limb, to abandon all safety lines and to completely surrender to the moment, for however long it takes. When I do this, magic happens. And, as a result of the amazing surge of energy that naturally follows the joy of creating something truly heartfelt and original, all kinds of good things seem to naturally follow, like new ideas, new fans, more jobs and financial bliss.

The trick is to do just the right amount of bookkeeping and budgeting, so that we are free to create and bask in that energy when it comes our way. For me, it’s a work in progress, this balancing act. So, I continue to forgive myself for the imperfection that follows my attempt to balance the abstract with the linear. I continue to let myself risk being left naked and alone in the name of artistic expression. And, as I simply move forward, one moment at a time, life itself, gloriously, mysteriously and deliciously, has its way with me.

The sun is warming the streets of Oslo as I write this, creating a perfect illusion of summer. Once my taxes are done, I will walk those streets, take in the city life, shake off the numbers and let myself fall into the next chapter of my artist self. Feel free to join me, if you dare.

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Posted in Creativity, Life and Career, Self Confidence, Self Empowerment, Taxes

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Finding Venus in Studio City

Posted on March 18, 2013 | Leave a comment

First of all, a great big THANK YOU to everyone who helped make last month’s performance of Finding Venus a smash hit at the box office!!! I am so incredibly grateful for the amazing cast and crew and audience who co-created such a beautiful evening of music and love and consciousness expansion!

Because of this success as well as numerous requests, we have added a performance of Finding Venus at Mare’ka in Studio City on Saturday, March 30th! For tickets and more info, please go to www.carolinewaters.com/shows.php

We received a most beautiful review by A.J. Llewellyn: “It was a mighty wind the Goddess Venus ushered in that frigid evening as one of her daughters shed tears and heart blood to the rapt crowd as she shared the story of her life…” Click here to read more.

And I am eternally grateful to Ira Cord for his beautiful video. Here’s a little snippet from the performance. I am singing “And I Pretend” while Katisse Buckingham plays flute and beatbox, Jennifer Richardson sings backup and amazing actors Ottiliana Rolandsson, Marie Bergenholtz and Katia Moraes embody the emotion:

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Posted in Caroline's Concerts, Healing, Liberation, Musical Theatre, Songwriting

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Pippi, Love Songs and Finding Venus

Posted on February 5, 2013 | 2 Comments

Oh my, I seem to have hit the ground running full speed ahead since I returned to LA just a few weeks ago. Who knew that simply stating my commitment for the year would bring such delicious results so very quickly? I am rapidly expanding into the fullness of my bliss, and savoring every single breath of the way.

Pippi and Vocal Freedom
Last week, I completed my engagement as musical director, choreographer and pianist for Ottiliana Rolandsson’s show “Pippi Goes to Höllywood” with flying colors at the Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades.  The SWEA ladies were absolutely ecstatic and we had so much fun in the process!

Pitt Goes to Höllywood

And, this weekend, we completed the first Vocal Freedom seminar of the year in Culver City with a most beautiful expansion and deepening of voices and spirits.

An Evening of Love Songs
On Wednesday, February 13th, I will be performing An Evening of Love Songs along with Sandra Piller, Annie Calder, Sabrina & Craig and Diana Weynand. This, of course, to celebrate Valentine’s Day, the most blissful of them all. Feel free to join us if you are in the vicinity of The M Bar in Hollywood.

postcard-5.5inx8.5in-h-front

Finding Venus in Studio City
On Saturday, February 23rd, I will be performing my musical thriller, Finding Venus, with an exceptionally talented cast and crew at Mare’ka in Studio City.

Finding Venus in Studio City

Katisse Buckingham is joining us on saxes, flutes and beat box for this very special Studio City premiére of Finding Venus. Jennifer Richardson is playing her cello. Actors include Marie Bergenholtz as Mama, Aina O’Kane as Stefanie,  Ottiliana Rolandsson as Esther, Gary Imhof as Papa, Matthew Moore as Frank and Caroline Waters as Venus.

Hope to see YOU! Feel free to like our Facebook page and let your peeps know:)))

Love and Blessings, Caroline

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Posted in Self Confidence

Orgasmic Proportions

Posted on January 5, 2013 | Leave a comment

Yes, I have made quite a commitment to myself for this new and amazing year. For no reason other than the feeling of it being deliciously inspiring and tantalizing, I decided to dedicate 2013 to bliss, in its most potent exposure.

Caroline_500

 

Imagine the most delicious of all flavors embedded in each and every moment of being. Imagine holding, releasing, breathing, embracing, receiving and savoring the exquisite sensation of intentionally focused pure positive energy in every move, thought, word, note, pause and cadence.

The very notion of aligning my entire being, path, creations and interactions with the essence of this intensely focused yet amazingly reverberating and expansive energy is both thrilling and terrifying. It requires that I meet every single moment fully alive, fully present, completely receptive, heart wide open. It demands that I listen with all my senses and allow the well being of all that is to move me, without resistance, beyond ego, beyond comfort zones, into new, delicious and continually expanding consciousness.

Care to join me? Welcome to Vocal Freedom 2013!

All Love,
Caroline

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Posted in Communication, Healing, Liberation, Life and Career, Love and romance, Self Confidence, Self Empowerment, Vocal freedom

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Purpose, Gratitude and The Soul of Money

Posted on November 27, 2012 | Leave a comment

I have spent some time lately contemplating the purpose of what I do for a living. Some people argue that I should be making more money doing what I do. Some wonder why I am not making millions and living in some fancy mansion. For some reason, they aquate creative success with bling and stash. And, seeing that I am being fairly successful in the creative and performative department, they are surprised to find that I live such a down to earth lifestyle.

Here’s the thing, though. Although I write and perform words and music for a living, and always appreciate a generous exchange, I don’t do it for the money. I do it because it is a calling. I do it because I believe that I can change the world for the better by using the talent that I have been given as best as I can and follow my bliss. And I also believe that when we show up consistently and do the work that is required of us in order to follow our bliss, all else will follow. No exceptions.

The truth is, my desire is not to have millions or live in some fancy mansion. My desire is to simply do what I do and have sufficient income to sustain my life and my creativity, so that I can continue to tell my stories and sing and teach and write and create good vibrations  in the world at large. At this very moment, I am ecstatically happy and perfectly content. I am so grateful that I get to do what I do and I am thrilled that I have a fairly simple and down to earth life to go with it.

For example, I prefer walking, hiking, cross country skiing and riding my bike to motorized transportations. I prefer sharing a pot of tea or a bottle of red wine from Trader Joe’s in the company of beloved friends to fancy parties in grown-up clothing. I don’t have a clue why people make such a fuzz over fashion, hair dues, shoes and accessories. And I prefer small cosy homes to stone cold mansions.

I read a brilliant book about money called “The Soul of Money”. The book is written by Lynne Twist and talks about the true value of money and how we can think of it and use it in the most rewarding of ways. Lynne worked side by side with Mother Theresa for over ten years and has single handedly raised more than a hundred million dollars for charitable causes. In the book, she talks about sufficiency versus abundance and how we can change the world by replacing greed with generosity. She talks about how money, just like water, will become poisonous if there is no movement, if it simply collects in one place, and how it will not only gain momentum, but gain value as well, as it flows.

I am so grateful that I am able to be completely satisfied in the moment, as I am, perfectly imperfect, in progress yet complete, with powerful dreams and aspirations leading the way. I am truly, truly happy for my life, for the beautiful angels that continue to grace my path, for every obstacle that inspires new creativity and for the world I live in, which grows more fascinating every second. Do you realize how much good there is to be done, how many opportunities to love, to create, to sing, to dance, to listen, to embrace, to savor, to cry, to let go, to be all the amazing things that we are to ourselves and to each other?

Thank you for being part of my life, my journey and my music. Thank you for reading this! Do you know what a difference you make in my life? In the lives of each and every person you talk to, listen to or touch in any way, simply with your being? YOU make a difference, no matter how much money you make or spend. Don’t forget it. I sometimes forget, but  this serves as a good reminder;)

Love and Blessings,
Caroline

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Posted in Communication, Healing, Liberation, Life and Career, Self Confidence, Self Empowerment

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Anger Management

Posted on October 25, 2012 | Leave a comment

Anger has been building under the surface of my usual oh so cheerful exterior expression. I’m not sure why. It just feels like there’s a storm brewing. And since I am not distracted by my usual business, I am feeling things more intensely. There is no apparent reason for the intensity of my energy. Nothing has happened to piss me off or annoy me in any way, shape or form. Life is good. Friends and family are as lovable as ever and my creativity is highly inspired.

I wonder at times like these, if I am picking up the feelings of the world at large, if my anger is a result of the anger that is brewing on a larger scale. There certainly is enough of it to be seen and heard on television and on the radio. But then I am reminded that the world at large will only appear to me as I perceive it, that is, it will only reflect back to me what I resonate with. So, I am back to square one: What is this anger, this discomfort within me? What is it trying to teach me?

My body is not helping at all. It is repeatedly disobeying my strict orders. My legs will run to the store to buy cookie dough ice cream even though I am on a cleanse and they’ll refuse all other forms of exercise, like hiking up Themescal Canyon or doing the Culver City steps. What is up with that? I love hiking!

As I ponder the situation, I am led to a very simple conclusion: It is time to surrender to a higher power. It is time to stop giving myself these strict orders. It is time I stop pretending I can control anything at all. It is time to allow this energy that is brewing to come out and play. In itself, it is not angry. I suspect it is only my trying to control it that causes the discomfort and subsquent feeling of anger.

What on earth will happen as I let this energy unfold, as I let myself be moved without trying to tame or hinder or restrict whatever may come? Will I connect with other “unruly” energies that seek to end oppression? Will we unite on a higher level of consciousness? Will our truly organic expression create a whole new playing field? The answer is, I have no idea.

This I do know: If I continue the current course of action, which is to try to move forward with the same restrictions and limitations that have suppressed me, however well meaning, in the past, my anger will surely intensify. The only solution I can see, at this point, is to release resistance, say bye-bye to judgmental notions and say a great big YES to the new unlimited version of my energetic self.

Here we go…

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Posted in Self Confidence