We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Beth Ross Buckley a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Beth, thanks for joining us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

My parents, Ed & Thelma Ross, were my biggest fans. It meant the world to me – and I always played for them. The first thing they did right was to have a piano in the house and then they made sure that all 4 children had private lessons. I grew up in a small town in Northern Minnesota in a time when almost everyone played an instrument or sang in the school choir. So, the question wasn’t “Are you going to play an instrument?” – it was “which instrument are you going to play?”

Once I chose the flute – I just loved practicing and performing. My parents truly loved listening to all of my practice and all of my concerts. I am so grateful for their support of this very fulfilling career.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a flutist who thrives on performing and presenting chamber music that moves people. I also have a passion for photography which allows me to express my creativity in a different way

I didn’t really choose music – music chose me. It has been a non-negotiable partnership of creativity and expression, while serving thousands of people through the voice of music. Music is universal, a voice that every person can understand and interpret in a way that allows them to be vulnerable, connected, and rise above the “noise” of the world.

I still remember when I had the idea to create a new chamber music group {Camarada}, which is currently gearing up for its 28th landmark season.

I used to live in the San Francisco Bay Area and played in around 10 chamber groups. When I moved to San Diego in 1990, there wasn’t very much chamber music happening. A few months later, on a trip to Vienna, Austria, I became inspired to start my own chamber music group.

My husband Dave and I visited the cemetery in Vienna. We were looking at Beethoven’s grave and happened to meet a young man from Los Angeles. We chatted and he informed us that his grandfather, Arnold Schoenberg (the Austrian composer and painter) was buried there.

During the conversation with Schoenberg’s grandson, he extended an invitation to an opening featuring Schoenberg’s works of art AND music.

Experiencing music enhanced by an intriguing venue and stimulating art was such a rich experience that it inspired me to start up my own chamber group when I came back to San Diego.

Is there a mission driving your creative journey?

My musical mission is to bring people together through this universal language. Camarada gives me a platform to share that with our other amazing musicians. My goal is to create oasis, connection and culture in my community of San Diego and beyond. Chamber music at its best offers a transcendence of oneness into a beautiful group dynamic. Performing music is an amazing adventure; in addition, the relationship of musicians and audience is very intimate, which provides a fulfilling life purpose. One of the bonus gifts of performing chamber music in intimate settings is being able to speak with as many audience members as possible. They become family with our musicians, and without them our chamber music would go unnoticed. What I love most about presenting and performing chamber music is bringing people together and creating a sense of community.

Cultural events such as these draw me in — whether it’s in San Diego or a city I’m visiting. The more casual the space, the closer the proximity to the artist, the more profound I believe the experience is.

Watching performers up close allows one to observe the nuanced facial expressions, body language and emotions. The essence of the performance comes alive with a unique rhythm and life force.

I once read “live chamber music is like a diary” — in other words, it exposes and thrives on the musical secrets of each performer. I prefer to view art in the same way as music — up close and personal, which is even more enhanced if the composer or artist is present at the event. After attending this style of event, I always come away inspired and recharged for life and creativity.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

In March 2020, when the pandemic “hit,” my Camarada Tango Quintet was scheduled to leave for the performing tour of my dreams – to Buenos Aires. Of course, our tour had to be cancelled along with the rest of my season. Once the new reality set in, I asked myself, “What can Camarada do to help uplift our community?” Almost immediately I received an email from our recording engineer, Daniel Rumley, with a (link) to our latest tango videos — I got my answer! I decided to post one video per day. The response from our listeners uplifts me and fills my heart every day.

I also heard – be still and listen. Now is the time to “double down” on your dreams. By keeping my dreams in my daily focus, I stay calm and carry on with my passions. My mission for Camarada is to provide an oasis, connection and culture for our San Diego community and beyond. Each day I ask myself, “What can I do today?” and then I get going! As I go about my work and musical practice, I spend time in the feeling of gratitude for everybody and everything.

During the pandemic, Camarada lost one of our treasured musicians, Raul Jaurena in January of 2021.  Raul was the mentor and leader of our tango group – he composed our arrangements, he performed on the bandoneon with us and lead the tango style in our rehearsals.  We lost a grand master of tango.

My next loud and clear message was to commission a new piece of music! I knew exactly who to call – Andrés Martín, composer and bassist in Tijuana. We commission “Unstoppable” for flute, violin and bass. This project was a lifeline throughout the first year of the pandemic for Camarada and Andrés.

During the pandemic, Camarada lost one of our treasured musicians, Raul Jaurena in January of 2021.  Raul was the mentor and leader of our tango group – he composed our arrangements, he performed on the bandoneon with us and led the tango style in our rehearsals.  We lost a grand master of tango.  We continue to perform tango and know that he would want us to keep up our resilience for this beloved art form.

I am very proud that Camarada has touched many lives – especially during these last two challenging years.

Contact Info:

• Website: camarada.org
• Instagram: camarada_music
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/camarada.music
• Twitter: @CamaradaSD
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/bethrossbuckley/videos

Image Credits
Monique Feil Photography