My parents made me take piano lessons from ages 7-17. The thing is, my brother, Aleks who is two years older was really good at piano. I wanted to sing, not run my fingers through C.P.E. Bach's Solfiggietto. And why should I have bothered when Aleks was so talented? He won competitions and stuff. I had to set an old-school turn-dial-baking-timer for 45 minutes of nightly practices. I'd lay on the bench and play with one hand, suddenly need to use the bathroom for a long while, or see if I could advance the timer without making any noises, to make it ring that shrill bell a few seconds sooner. I wanted to do anything but practice piano. 

My brother understood music better. He could create it. Aleks didn't really invite us to listen to him play. Piano isn't a quiet instrument, so we'd hear him practice, but he didn't call attention to himself. We'd just turn the television louder or close a door when he was at the keys. One Mother's Day, he tiptoed to my parents' bedroom door and opened it. He quietly skulked down the stairs and began to play a song he had composed for our mom. That morning we were awoken to the tinkles of a beautiful melody, new to our ears.

After that debut, I would sometimes lay under the baby grand while he played. I'd hum along to his compositions that I had come to know well. I'd ask him to play certain ones, as if he were a jukebox spinning my faves. I missed my brother and his music desperately when he went away to college. I ended up at a nearby school, so sometimes I'd go to his dorm and ask him to play for me. I'd assume the position under that baby grand, and it helped with my homesickness.

Fast forward nearly thirty years, marriages, kids, careers, career changes, and my every-once-in-a-while nagging that he should record his music. (I wasn't the only one nudging) I didn't want his talent to go dormant under the dictates of reality. I was so very pleasantly surprised when Aleks told me he had done it! He had recorded! He asked if I would take some photographs for his new collection. Um, yea! That was an easy decision. It's with a huge side of pride that I share a few snaps from our very special photo session.

You can find his collection "since feeling is first" by looking at his website here: AleksasMitrius.com

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