Hourshid + Mehrshid Afrakhteh – Identical Twin Classical Pianists

Coffee with Hourshid + Mehrshid Afrakhteh – identical twins who are both  classical pianists. htwinsm (at) yahoo (dot) com

Hourshid and Mehrshid, or H+M as they call themselves, are similar in appearance, personality and passion for the piano. They are perfectionist when it comes to the piano. Electric pianos do not meet standards, “we have spent so many years perfecting our touch. It’s a waste to now play an electric piano. The sound is already there, it’s not an instrument. With a real piano you have to create the sound.”

I first met H+M at a “mishmash” jam in South Etobicoke. In attendance were a range of musicians from well dressed and formally trained (i.e. H+M) to long haired self-taught hippies with many flavors in between. The music erased socio-economic boundaries.  One of the hippies said in appreciation of the twins, “those chicks are good”.

Their education which is ongoing, is impressive. Born in Tehran, Iran, encouraged by parents and teachers, H+M began taking private piano lessons at age 13. At 15 they began studying with Paris educated Mitra Dabirian, who for the next three years prepared H+M for the Metz National Conservatory in France. Due to the entrance age restrictions of 18, they had to pass the entrance exams on the first attempt. Were they nervous?  “No, we did well.” Confidence! There were three pieces played over 30 minutes. Imagine your life direction being decided in 30 minutes! Mitra had given them many opportunities through home and embassy concerts to become comfortable in front of an audience.

They lived in Metz for 5 years, graduating with a Piano Advanced degree. A typical week of a piano student is: one piano class per week along with various theory classes in music, composition, chamber music, ear training for hearing harmony, intervals, harmonic language of music to identify music style, and of course, a lot of piano practice. They also had to learn French to write their exams. They were accepted to the conservatory with limited French based on their English.

It was a truly cultural experience. They met other musicians, went to a lot of concerts, and theatre, performed in festivals and home concerts. Their teacher Mireille Krier, was demanding, “we couldn’t lay one false note”.

Initially, limited French made it difficult to speak to classmates and teachers. Once they learned to speak French they found the French to be very giving people. Charles Beisse and his girl friend Katherine Kohut were but one example of French hospitality.

In Metz, Charles introduced himself when he noticed the twins singing (“not too loud”) while going for a stroll. Were they musicians? He had a lonely piano in his home. Both the piano and his family would be very happy if they would play it. At that time H+M were practicing at the Conservatory, which was cramped. Wonderful! They had made a new friend and found a piano which was waiting just for them to practice on.

Charles circle of friends were loyal to culture. If someone gave a concert everyone would attend. This included H+M’s concerts, sometimes on the no longer lonely piano. H+M also ventured into children’s theatre. They assisted Charles with his children’s marionette program. Each child made a marionette. On the final day of the one week program there was a performance for the parents. The twins composed music to accompany the children’s singing.

Following their studies in Metz, H+M took a double Masters at Laval University in Quebec City with Artuto Nieto Dorantes . The first Masters was one and a half years in performance followed by a one year Masters in pedagogy (teaching). The program brought everything together for the twins. They are demanding teachers and can accommodate a wide variety of students “All pieces aren’t good for everyone. We have to be very careful about choosing pieces for students and how we teach them to practice”.

In comparing Metz and Quebec, H+M feel Quebec is more relaxed. “People are more free here. In France it was rigid, lack of perfection is not accepted. Teachers are addressed with the formal vous.” At Laval, the twins enjoyed more artistic freedom. They are free to incorporate Iranian percussion with their piano playing and have played drums with their Laval professors.

If you are looking for a piano teacher, H+M are your girls. I have a feeling taking lessons from them means you are going to practice. Watch out for where they are playing, mark down the date and get there early.

Hourshid + Mehrshid can be reached at htwinsm (at) yahoo (dot) com

Colour Theory – Sylvia O’Brien

10am coffee with Sylvia O’Brien, owner of Colour Theory, www.colourtheory.net

Silvia is original and lively. She could be from Boston or Chicago, except for her down to earth soft spoken-ness.  It’s not surprising to find out that Sylvia is an artist. The funky intellectual glasses, well they are just plain fun. They bring out a hint of quirky independence in an otherwise sophisticated look. She has opinions that are not exactly like everyone else’s, and probably everyone wants to be a bit like Sylvia. She is a trail blazer, who engages challenge with an adventurous un-jaded spirit.

Sylvia is someone that you could trust to remember to water your plants as per highly detailed instruction as well as pick the colours for your living room.

In fact, helping clients choose colours is what Sylvia does. Her business, Colour Theory is the culminations of 35 years of helping people choose colours. “I have a developed a system that gets to the crux of a client’s colour preference. It’s a powerful tool.” And unique, no one else has it.

Born in Halifax, Sylvia had an escape plan from a young age. She attended an art program at H.B. Beale Secondary School in London Ontario, followed by the Novia Scotia College of Art and Design.

Sylvia started as a painter, took up silversmithing and then switched to sculpture. “The sheet metal was a natural extension of the silver and I stopped painting. Then I dropped both and began sculpting. I got a grant, it was hard to get and when I did get it, it was small.  I did minimalist sculptures, boxes, wedges, everything  geometric. After 10 years of struggling I decided to re-invent. Sculpture wasn’t commercial enough, you have to be around a long time for a return. I was sick of not getting an income. I was 28 and eating popcorn for dinner, there was no heat in my studio. When I was 12 I decided to be an artist. What does a 12 year old know about reality? Not a lot.”

Sylvia went back to school to study fashion design and designed fashion in Toronto for 20 years. Her first label, Point of Departure (POD) by Sylvia O’Brien, was futuristic corrugated clothing made to look like packaging. It worked on an art level, showing in wearable art shows. “Fashion was supposed to be the opposite of art. It was conceptually interesting but no one wanted to buy it. This sounded familiar.”

In the 80s Sylvia designed clothing lines carried at Holt Renfrew, the Bay, Eaton’s, Ogilvies and boutiques.  One of her last fashion ventures was a sportswear line, Silkan by Sylvia O’Brien, “it was beautiful.”  After 20 years of an up and down economy that was not always kind to fashion designers, it was time to re-invent.

What does any organized person do when they need to find a path through unclear waters? Make a list:

• Design dog clothes
• A marriage counselor
• A colour specialist

There was no profit margin for pet clothes made in Canada, eliminated the first item. How to combine the rest of the list into one occupation? Sylvia’s husband, John Kleiser, “a cabinet maker with great ideas” of J.G. Kleiser, divined the idea in 1999 while working on a home renovation. John observed the husband and wife fighting over their new kitchen colours. Sylvia had always helped friends and neighbors with choosing colour for paint/fabrics/decorating. John introduced Sylvia to the couple and they became her first client.

“Nothing that they chose for their kitchen matched. It was a challenge, they were really happy in the end.” Sylvia spent the first half hour just listening, “after all it’s their space.”

The wife liked turquoise, the husband liked brown. Sylvia picked a moss green for the walls. Coincidentally moss green is the marriage of turquoise and brown. “The job is part marriage counseling and part colour therapy. It’s like creating a soup. Every client is different. I sell information and confidence.”

Clearly it is a good idea to listen to your husband, “I wouldn’t have thought it was a viable business.”

Sylvia has a wide range of clients both residential and commercial, surprisingly, including creative professionals such as graphic designers and interior designers. Depending on the client, Sylvia will choose a variety of material in addition to paint, including  roofing, eaves troughs, flooring, cabinetry, drapes and furniture colour.

The biggest surprise of Colour Theory? “After 20 years in clothing there were no thank-you’s from anyone. I love the genuine appreciation from clients in this business.”

Colour Theory, built from the ground up by Sylvia O’Brien, demonstrates that we can sculpt a career which is rewarding in terms of activity and compensation. It’s refreshing to know that in our formulated world, success based on an abstract untested idea is possible for an individual with talent, drive and the desire to listen.

Chasers Fresh Juices – Richard Chase

A coffee and a smile from Richard Chase, Chasers Fresh Juice owner   www.chasersjuice.com

Chasers has an inviting juice-appropriate exterior. Orange trimmed for a sunny look and feel, with a tiny tiny sprinkle of trendy Queen & Bathurst. The two big comfy yellow Adirondack chairs are the perfect spot to enjoy your just- moments-ago-made fresh juice, and possibly, a brownie if you are in that sort of mood today. If not, you can try a brownie the next time you drop by.

Let’s look inside.

Richard is friendly. He takes an interest in everyone that walks in. He will remember your name, your favorite juice, and that you prefer granola bars with chocolate. With any luck, he may ask you to sample something new on its way to the shelves for the first time.  You will not get that tedious lesson in Renaissance Italian names for small vs medium glass sizes, instead Richard will catch up on news with you.

There is a juice menu on the wall to your left, goodies such as brownies and granola bars (sometimes with chocolate) directly in front of you, and to your right a fridge containing more goodies. Behind the front are various industry sized slicer dicer machines where the juice is made. They make a lot of juice. In one week Chasers goes through one skid of oranges, half a skid of grapefruits, one skid of lemons, one skid of limes and a lot of other fruit.

Richard is passionate about juice. He credits Chasers’ success to his attention to detail. Chasers juice is made with live fruit only. The dead kind (i.e. has been through cold/hot pasteurization) is without living enzymes and vitamins.

Richard’s crew is a team of clear skinned, fit, James Bond beauties, all energized by the important task of making juice. ”Everyone that comes on board gets a really cool energy kick.” There is very little turnover, most of the staff have been at Chasers between two and five years.  Staff bonuses are quite common.  So is loud music. “I’m a fun employer. I like to educate my staff in music from the 80s. We listen to a lot of music. ACDC steps up the speed of everything, it’s about getting everything out by noon. Everyone gets their work done.”  You can see as well as hear the band – there is a sound system complete with video monitor perched above everything. It all works beautifully as if knit together by a smiling Zen master.

Mention must be made here, as I am on the topic of music at Chasers, of Jimmy Buffett. Richard is a humungous Jimmy Buffett fan.

Future plans for Chasers? A collage will be painted, adding a little more artsy flavor. Follow me on this – beginning on the left wall the collage will form a path to the fridge then onto the fridge, illustrating the lifecycle of Chasers juice from creation through sales.

Richard is looking for a larger location. He needs more room for the fruit skids and comfy afternoon nap couches for his customers. As with all important steps in business, Richard has told the universe of his intention “find me a bigger space, I’m also looking for a retail partner. ” Is it really that simple?  “I put the intention out there. I need some really good people to work with. I’m very grateful to be able to find the right person/item/help. It’s a leap of faith, but it works.” Synchronicity is a popular topic amongst Richard and his staff.

For the holidays Richard stocks gourmet gift baskets, with things that you can not find anywhere else – healthy nuts, organic honey, Chasers’ granola (a must try, I’m hooked), 76% pure chocolate, and of a large variety of juice. Cranberry, peach, apple cider, and the regular staples from orange juice to combination drinks, such as my favorite spinach drink.

HOW CHASERS BEGAN

In 2001, while browsing through MSN Richard came across a partnership opportunity for a Toronto juice bar Mio Frio. It was a comfortable spot where people came in mid day for a juice and a nap on the big loungy couches; also the first WiFi coffee shop. Good as it looked the four locations lost money. Richard began looking for another juice revenue stream. On a hunch Richard approached Blowfish Restaurant & Sake Bar about an idea he got from his wife, Pamyla Love www.pamylalove.com. She wanted a nutritious non alcoholic drink served in a cocktail glass. It was a  success, paving the way for Chasers, four years ahead of the juice craze, to become the premiere fresh juice supplier in Toronto. This is a very cool rescue plan. Everything packaged up and in production long before anyone else understands the demand.

One has to wonder, what if Richard had not browsed through MSN on that day in 2001?

In 2004 Richard began supplying restaurants with a selection of fifteen juices. Chasers was the first juice seller to make fresh pomegranate, mango peach, pure ginger and mixed berry drinks. He expanded his menu to include cactus pear, papaya, lychee juice and passion fruit. In the first two months he had thirty restaurants on board and was working by himself. Five years later, Richard employs twelve people.  Chasers customers include: Mark McEwan ( North 44, Bymark, McEwan’s Gourmet Grocery), Blowfish Restaurant & Sake Bar, Ki Restaurant, Vertical, Hazelton Hotel, Holt Renfrew, Ruth’s Chris Stake House, Liberty Noodle, F.A.B Concepts (12 restaurants including Murphy’s Law, Mill Street BrewPub etc), and Joe Bidalli’s.

Not bad for a rescue plan.

Fit Firm ‘n Fab – Davelle Morrison

A big smile from Davelle Morrison, owner of Fit Firm ‘n Fab www.fitfirmandfab.com.

Fit Firm ‘n Fab was created by Davelle while speaking to her abdominal-perfect cousin, Funk Roberts.  An idea for a women’s fitness weekend emerged, a name was brainstormed, a web site put up and the first retreat was delivered four months later in August 2009.

The Fit Firm ‘n Fab team is Davelle Morrison, Funk Roberts, and Laura Dischepola. Davelle and Funk lead various fitness activities (bootcamp, meditation, yoga, abs – of course! and more) and Laura designs the meals served on the weekend as well as runs nutrition and cooking classes.  Have a look at their pictures and bios>>> www.fitfirmandfab.com/team.html

Davelle is uplifting and inspiring; she makes you feel that you can move to your next step. Along with the message of what you can do, Davelle facilitates how, “If someone wants to loose weight they need continual motivation. They need to surround themselves with motivating people.”

The weekend is held at Still Point Yoga Retreat Centre in Picton, Ontario. Doesn’t the name sound relaxing? Seventeen-eighteen women share a house. A central meeting place is the large dining table where everyone, eats, shares and relates. Its forty eight hours of immersion into fitness, nutrition, wellness and a motivating atmosphere. You get the exercise of a boot camp, a supportive community that transpires from breaking bread at a 20 place dining table, and exploration into issues like eating addiction.

Davelle describes addictive eating and how the weekend helps participants:

“Everyone has an addiction. It’s not just cocaine or alcohol. We use substances to mask our feelings. For example, some people choose to eat too much sugar. I recommend that they sit and breathe … get to a place where your mind can be settled.”

“Find out what your addiction is and what are you masking. Meditate in the morning and think about it. Think about it before you grab that chocolate bar or extra helping. Why are you doing it? Are you really hungry or are you trying to mask something. Can you instead call a friend or family member to talk to about what’s going on inside you? Wellness is also about the mental aspect. “

“The retreat is away from Toronto. There is too much buzz here. At the retreat the treadmill stops. You can focus and get out of your head, spend time doing nothing.”

What was the most rewarding experience? “The final day of the weekend, hearing what everyone got out of it. I thought about it in May and executed in August. Wow!  People said it helped kick start them. “

What was the biggest surprise? “How well it went. Everything seems to pull together. It felt like ‘getting it in the whisper’ (one of Davelle’s favorite Oprah Winfrey expression).”

Future plans for Fit, Firm ‘n Fab? Already launched is an online Body Transformation Course over 8 weeks. Each week participants get a package with something new, a compilation of knowledge and experience from the Fit Firm ‘n Fab team. Davelle is interested in working with companies involved with women’s services. Davelle and Laura (the team nutritionist) are working on a US radio syndication program.

While I was asking questions – what are Davelle’s favorite and least favorite exercises?  Favorite:  boxing and kettle bells. Least favorite: abdominal work.

You may be wondering, as one does when one sees someone with an up and coming business – how did she put the pieces together to create Fit Firm ‘n Fab?

Davelle has developed her career by connecting the intuitive dots, ”I follow the path, I listen to my gut. It’s having the courage to take risks.” Davelle is generous with her optimism, if you spend any amount of time with her, some of it will certainly rub off on you.

In 2005, on a Sivananda Yoga retreat in Paradise Island, Bahamas, through conversations with various yoga instructors, Davelle decided to become a yoga instructor. She took her teacher training from Still Point Yoga Centre (Picton, Ontario).

Next question – should she open a yoga studio? Davelle, being on the strategic side, did research and took a business of yoga class. She raised funds as a volunteer for the Yoga Festival Toronto, run out of the National Ballet School. While the festival was not a huge success, Davelle had the opportunity to learn a bit of the this-and-that of running a yoga studio from several yoga studio owners. Davelle decided her best option was to have a virtual store front.  Her first business, Karma Fitness, sending yoga instructors to businesses, did not take off. Good thing, it gave Davelle and her team time to create Fit Firm ‘n Fab, which most definitely has taken off.