Nano Whitman - I Leave on the Light

I love to sing. When I was 12 years old, I sang in the Philadelphia Boys' choir and every Saturday, I joined 100 boys, singing in four-part harmony. During my time in the choir, we sang in the Sydney Opera House and Carnegie Hall. We sang with Pavarotti and the Philadelphia Orchestra. I remember knowing that this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I took lessons from the choir pianist, Fitz. The Boys' Choir sang with the Pennsylvania Ballet and I fell in love with the girl playing Clara. Naturally, I was obsessed with Elton John's Tiny Dancer. I asked Fitz to teach me to play and sing. Then I started writing my own songs... Writing really sealed the deal for me. I love writing as much as I love singing. I always wonder what people do who don't write or have a creative outlet. What do you do with all that... stuff? I write it down and then sing it out. In fact, I generally write by singing. The two are everything to me. I went to Harvard and majored in music composition. For my thesis, I wrote a rock opera called Shine Like You. Harvard didn't quite know what to do with me and I had to find a Berkley professor to sponsor the project. I didn't quite know what to do with Harvard, either. After college, I struggled through some lost loves, some family turmoil, and the death of my best friend. I forgot how to write songs. My head was full of facts and rules. I knew I needed a different landscape, with a different set of values, so in 2004, I moved to Austin. In Austin, people don't ask, "what do you do?" but "what do you like to do?" I will always call Philly home, but Austin is where I choose to live. I am proud to have been a part of growing this music town into the 'creative city' it is today. It is a far cry from the Philadelphia and Harvard I grew up with. I play with the best musicians Austin has to offer. We play our town, we tour, we sit around the fire and pass whiskey and guitars.