In October, my son Aidan and I started an ambitious music project.

Here is the story of Remembering Our Connections, a grant project funded by the Southeast Minnesota Arts Council. To tell it, I’ll have to go back a couple years to the second year of the pandemic.

The Backstory

COVID was hard for a lot of us musicians. Many of us really depended on connecting with our audience in person. Like many other musicians, I figured out how to reach a virtual audience during this time. This gave me a way of reaching far more people than I otherwise would have.

Insight Timer was my entry point. It is a meditation app with a large international community. They gave my music a very warm reception. I started live streaming and posting my music on that platform regularly. I became comfortable in that sweet, affirming space.

Frozen — but not in a Disney way

When we moved to Northfield in 2021, I wanted to find ways of sharing my music with my new community. I found stepping out of that easy, comfortable bubble was a bit of a shock to my system, however. Going back to performing in person was challenging. When I tried, I froze with stage fright. I had struggled with this before, but now it was so bad it interfered with my sleep. Practice sessions were even hard.

I challenged myself by going to every open mic I could. I got a little better, but I needed more. I wanted a regular, professional gig to tackle this stage anxiety I had developed. I also wanted to be in service in a way that would make use of my specific skills. 

An idea

Around this time, I asked my then-17-year-old musician son Aidan Gersky a hypothetical question: “if you had the ability to contribute to any cause or organization in town, what would it be?“ 

I thought he would say something like, Community Action Center, or the Key. But he had something different to say.

Over the school year, he had done some volunteering at Three Links Assisted Living, going in and playing music for the residents as an independent study project for school.

While he was there, he was struck by a sense that these folks had been kind of forgotten by our community during the pandemic. There was a palpable sense of isolation and boredom.

He told me that he had been approached by multiple residents during his time volunteering, who told him that his music meant a lot to them. Being with them, hearing their stories about their lives and what the music made them feel was extremely meaningful for him.

His story was moving to me also. I realized that what Aidan was describing intersected nicely with my own need to contribute to our community, while moving beyond my stage anxiety.  It was also right after Aidan had finished his senior year, and rather than going to college, he had decided that he wanted to devote himself to becoming a professional musician. 

When we had this conversation, I realized that the deadline was approaching for submitting a grant proposal for a Southeast Minnesota arts Council grant. At that point, Aidan wasn’t old enough to qualify as a grantee, so I invited him to collaborate with me on making a proposal that would allow us to team up and bring regular live music to our elder neighbors at Three Links, while occasionally bringing in other musicians from the community to join us — and spreading the word to the wider community.

Is it practical?

This was ambitious — Aidan had been living with his dad for the past few years at the same time that he’d learned to play the guitar, and we hadn’t made music together very much at all.

To add to that, our styles and preferences are very dissimilar.

Aidan had been really digging into jazz, progressive rock, metal and electronic music, and recently gained a lot of community respect from his outstanding performance at the Rock n’ Roll Revival.

My music has a strong folk influence but doesn’t fit neatly into a recognized genre. I center most of my songwriting around nature, healing and personal growth.

In addition, I’ve mostly performed solo and am notoriously difficult for other musicians to follow. I take a lot of liberties with pacing for expressiveness, and a lot of my music defies standard songwriting conventions, with odd time signature changes and unconventional arrangements that aren’t always that easy for someone else to automatically pick up and follow along.

But — did I mention? Aidan is brave. And he grew up hearing a lot of my songs, so he figured he could work it out.

And the project idea called us both, and loudly.

So together we crafted a proposal for the $3000 Emerging Artist grant category. This would compensate some of the many hours of rehearsal, as well as 15 performances at Three Links over five months, culminating in a capstone performance that is open to the wider community at the Northfield Depot on February 14, 2025. We poured our heart into our proposal, and submitted in early July.

And we waited.

At the end of September, we got the word — thanks to the SEMAC board and the voters of Minnesota, we got the grant!

And that’s the story.

Join us!

As of today, we’ve given 3 performances, then tomorrow I’ll take a break while Aidan shares some of his electronic music at the Three Links Halloween party with his musician buddy Elliott Dahl.

It has been a lot of hard work and a lot of fun, and we keep getting better, if I do say so myself. Aidan is so awesome to work with, and already I can tell the difference in my stage anxiety! Although, knock on wood, still in process.

You can come and hear us for free! Find out about upcoming dates and times at tinyurl.com/tbevents

Remembering Our Connections

Trina Brunk and Aidan Gersky, a mother-son musician duo, are offering several performances each month at Three Links Assisted Living from now through mid-February, culminating in their capstone performance at the Northfield Depot on Valentine’s Day 2025. 

During this time, they’ll explore connections between their diverse styles, challenging themselves to expand and learn new material each month that will span generations and genres. Their offering, which is open to the wider community as well, is sure to transport, delight and inspire.

Find upcoming dates and times at tinyurl.com/tbevents.

About Trina

Trina… Wow and Double Wow, Your song just touched my mind and heart in important ways. Beautiful, inspiring, centering, for now and the days ahead. Huge thanks. Gorgeous harmonies and lyrics. This is a song the world needs to hear. Blessings 😊 ~ John White, Massachusetts 

Trina’s songwriting is inspired by her love for Nature and her personal healing journey. Her voice has been compared to Joni Mitchell, Sarah McLachlan and Eva Cassidy. She grew up singing with her seven sisters in rural Missouri in the ’80’s, and after a long break from music, began writing songs in 2008. She released her 15th self-produced album this year. In addition to this offering at Three Links, she offers regular Soul Soirées/music meditations in Northfield and live streams on Insight Timer. 

About Aidan

Aidan is a passionate multi-instrumentalist whose musical style spans many genres. He started on piano but took up guitar during COVID and used the loneliness of that time to build considerable proficiency. He enjoys a deep connection with his audience, allowing the music to spring from that connection. He is currently working on his first album. You’ll find him about town making music and having fun with friends.