This Classical Pianist Has Reached the Mountaintop. No, Really.
Picture a man seated at a piano beside a lake. It could also be on a mountaintop, in a forest or meadow.
This summer, Noack, 36, is in the midst of a 10th-anniversary tour of his 'In A Landscape' project, which has taken him to Jack London State Historic Park in Glen Ellen, Calif.; Black Butte Ranch in Sisters, Ore.; and Warm Springs Preserve in Ketchum, Idaho.
'I get excited at the idea of bringing a piano where no piano has gone before,' Noack said.
Inspired by the preservationist John Muir, Noack started the project as a way of getting closer to nature, and bringing classical music to rural areas where it is not typically accessible. The idea, Noack said, is to remove the barriers that typically limit classical music to concert venues like Carnegie Hall.
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Read more: How Danielle Brooks adds fuel to Oprah's fire as Sofia in 'The Color Purple' She knew better than to give in to such intrusive thoughts. But it highlighted a new set of challenges she's facing as she begins shaping the next chapter in her career. 'You do get a confidence boost of, I do belong here,' she says. 'I definitely feel that. Because when I think of the actors that are nominated, they are the best in the game. So it's helped me to stand firm: I'm not going anywhere in this industry. I'm going to have longevity. And I knew that without a nomination.' That latter sentiment was what Brooks chose to highlight earlier this year with her fans and colleagues alike on Tony nomination day. The actor, who is a Tony nominee for the 2016 Broadway run of 'The Color Purple,' shared a video to social media directed at those who might have felt they had little to celebrate. It included footage of Brooks in 2023 learning she'd missed out on a nomination for her work on 'The Piano Lesson' and then a warmhearted pep talk where she shared what she had taken away from that experience: 'Let this light a fire to continue to bring good work where it's just undeniable,' she says. 'And not just for the awards, but for yourself and the goals that you have in life.' It was a simple message born out of a desire to shine a light on how metrics for success within the industry can leave actors with a warped sense of their own value. 'That was a really hard time,' she admits. 'And it wasn't only because I didn't get Tony nominated. That stung, but it wasn't the only reason. It was a point in my life that I was like, 'Why am I doing this?' I was starting to not be happy in the thing that I love so much. And if I feel that way, I don't know if it's worth it, you know?' That moment she captured on camera was a deflating disappointment. But it was also followed by a loving gesture: In the video, her husband Dennis Gelin appears from behind and gives her a kiss on the top of her head. Even as she processed her professional loss, Brooks was being taken care of by those who love her. 'I think a lot of times we hype up everybody when they're on that mountain,' she says. It's easy to celebrate fellow artists when they are doing well or appear to be — when they seem to be 'riding in the sun,' as she puts it. 'You know, like when they've got their sunglasses on and they're in motorcycles and it looks like they've got bags of money hanging out,' she jokes. 'That's when we celebrate and we put all those hearts and those likes on them. 'But what about when you are not there? When you're just feeling like you're sinking in the mud and you're reaching out, and nobody's there to hold your hand?' she adds. 'That's what I wanted for the people that weren't nominated that day: to know that there is a hand on the other side to shake and say, 'You still are incredible. You still deserve the world.'' They're the kind of words that sum up the warmth and ebullience Brooks has infused into characters like Taystee in 'Orange,' Sofia in 'The Color Purple' and now Leota Adebayo. These women orbit around the idea that you should take on the world not with a closed fist but with an open heart. As we wrap up our conversation, a woman approaches Brooks in hopes of introducing her little girls to the actor. Brooks beams their way and giddily poses with them for pictures. While her role in 'Minecraft' may still be top of mind for most people, the excitement of seeing Brooks on a random morning at a Beverly Hills hotel had more to do with an unlikely project of hers: Netflix's renovation show, 'Instant Dream Home.' It's another example of how Brooks' appeal and interests continue to set her on a path where every new project introduces her to wildly different audiences. And she wouldn't have it any other way. 'Life's too short,' she says. 'I want to know all of the gifts that have been given to me. I've always wanted to shape my career that way where you just touch everybody, just different people who have different walks of life than you. That is the most powerful thing you could ever do.' Sign up for Screen Gab, a free newsletter about the TV and movies everyone's talking about from the L.A. Times. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Solve the daily Crossword
