After photographing Jane Erwin Hammett, a local acting and singing coach, mentor and performer whom I had the privilege of working with this year, I started trying to articulate this connection so many of us (me included) have to music. She shared her passion for resonance with me, and explained how it can be used to calm anxiety. She mentioned that things want to vibrate at the same frequency as a neighboring object—they seek accord naturally. Carrying her tuning forks with her, she demonstrated the healing power of sound.

It got me asking, “Why do I sing classical music, or any music?” Everyone has their own answer, but for me, it’s about connection—to myself, to the composer, to all of thousands of singers who have sung that piece in its history, to all of the thousands or millions of audience members who have been moved by it. Through music, we are all vibrating at the same frequency, in harmony with each other, with humanity. It’s extraordinary. This is our richly textured cultural and human legacy.

My work as a photographer, I hope, allows me to evoke similar deep, visceral emotion on a visual level. What would you like to say through your eyes, your expression, and your self? What do you want others to know and be moved by?