Eugenia Zukerman | Like Falling Through a Cloud: a Conversation About Life, Music, and the Ethereality of Memory
Hidden Forces
Demetri Kofinas
4.8 • 1.6K Ratings
🗓️ 29 December 2019
⏱️ 45 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In Episode 116 of Hidden Forces, Demetri Kofinas speaks with Eugenia Zukerman, an internationally renowned flutist, writer, and former television correspondent. Eugenia was the artistic director of the Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival in Colorado for thirteen years and the arts correspondent on CBS Sunday Morning for more than twenty-five years. She is the author of two novels, two works of nonfiction, and numerous screenplays, articles, and book reviews.
Three years ago, Eugenia's family began to notice changes in her cognition. She was unusually forgetful and at times confused in ways that seemed unusual. Pushed by her family to undergo testing, it was determined that she was suffering symptoms consistent with a diagnosis of Alzheimer's. It was around this time that Eugenia took pen to paper, and began writing what turned into a lyrical memoir ("Like Falling Through a Cloud,") of her experience coping with the type of forgetfulness and confusion that comes with such a difficult diagnosis.
What Eugenia Zuckerman is going through is a variation of what we will all face at some point in our lives, and it's something that is particularly hard to accept for those of us who have been blessed with bountiful lives and the capacities to shape them. We're used to getting our way, but when it comes to our mortality, we're all in the same boat. We all have a common fate to share, and in some odd way, this can be a source of comfort.
As we move into a new decade full of life, love, relationships, and opportunities, it would behoove us to focus a little bit more on the things that bring us together and less on the things that set us apart. In this sense, Eugenia's story serves as an inspiration.
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Producer & Host: Demetri Kofinas
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Today's episode of Hidden Forces is made possible by listeners like you. |
| 0:04.4 | For more information about this week's episode or for easy access to related programming |
| 0:09.7 | visit our website at hidden Forces. I.O. and subscribe to our free email list. |
| 0:16.4 | If you listen to the show on your Apple Podcast app, remember, you can give us a review. |
| 0:21.5 | Each review helps more people find the show and join our |
| 0:24.9 | amazing community. And with that, please enjoy this week's episode. And the What's up everybody? My guest today is Eugenia Zucerman, an internationally renowned flutist, writer, and former television |
| 0:58.8 | correspondent. She was the artistic director of the Bravo Vale Valley Music Festival in Colorado for 13 years |
| 1:08.0 | and the Arts Correspondent on CBS Sunday morning for more than 25. She is the author of two novels, two works of |
| 1:16.6 | non-fiction and numerous screenplays articles and book reviews. Three years ago Eugenia's family began to notice changes in her |
| 1:28.0 | cognition. She was unusually forgetful and at times confused in ways that seemed unlike her. |
| 1:36.9 | Pushed by her family to undergo testing it was determined that she was suffering symptoms consistent with the diagnosis of Alzheimer's. |
| 1:46.2 | It was around this time that Eugenia took pen to paper and began writing what turned into a lyrical memoir of her experience in real time, |
| 1:57.8 | coping with the forgetfulness and confusion that come with such a difficult diagnosis. |
| 2:06.2 | I was unsure how I wanted to approach this conversation. |
| 2:11.6 | Not knowing Eugenia personally, I wasn't sure how her symptoms would impact her ability to have the type of discussion that I'm used to having and that you're all used to hearing on this program. |
| 2:25.0 | On that front, I will say that I was impressed at how well Eugenia seemed to remember dates and recount stories when prodded. |
| 2:35.0 | In fact, there were multiple moments during our conversation |
| 2:39.0 | that I'd wished I'd been better prepared |
| 2:42.0 | to discuss instances or anecdotes from her life and career, which is so |
| 2:47.3 | rich and offers so much in terms of inspiration, wisdom, and just good old-fashioned storytelling. |
| 2:57.0 | In any case, I didn't want to put her on the spot or forget that I was speaking with someone who was exposing herself to me in the most vulnerable |
| 3:07.4 | circumstances possible. |
... |
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