![Fred-herschx350_0](https://www.hivplusmag.com/media-library/fred-herschx350-0.jpg?id=32703294&width=1200&height=1200)
Treatment GuideJust DiagnosedSex & DatingAfrican AmericanStigmaAsk the HIV DocPrEP En EspañolNewsVoicesPrint IssueVideoOut 100
CONTACTCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2024 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
Fred Hersch, who has performed on over 100 recordings and is considered by many music lovers to be the finest jazz pianist of his generation, has managed to turn life's lemons into some glorious lemonade with his ambitious new multimedia work, My Coma Dreams. Two years ago, Hersch was fighting for his life following severe AIDS complications. He spent 10 days in early 2008 in the hospital, followed by what he calls 'two months of being completely psychotic and paranoid.' By March things were looking up'he was eating regularly and gaining weight back. Then came an almost-too-late diagnosis of pneumonia. By the time Hersch was admitted to the hospital, he had septic shock and his kidneys had shut down. Hersch essentially spent the next two months in a coma, and when he came out he found himself unable to talk, eat, or walk. The future of his career was uncertain. Doctors weren't sure he'd ever be able to play the piano again, but Hersch's determination to resume playing and composing music was unshakable. 'My hands went through lots of phases of being swollen, being stiff, being weak, being painful,' he says, 'but I just fully assumed I was going to get back on the horse.' While rehabilitating, he kept having vivid memories from his coma. Even though Hersch says he doesn't normally remember dreams, the sleep narratives were never far from his mind during his months of rigorous physical therapy. 'They were very specific: colors, smells, textures, sounds, people in my life. I thought, I should do some kind of music piece with this.' Hersch committed the memories to paper and enlisted the help of a collaborator'writer and director Herschel Garfein, who's best known for his operatic adaptation of Elmer Gantry. Together they created My Coma Dreams, a performance piece that features 11 instrumentalists and what Hersch calls some 'very intense animation and video imagery' that delves into the composer's sleep fantasies while exploring the traumatic reality that brought them on. 'It's what they call a 'festival piece,'' Hersch says. 'There's too much music for to be classified as a theater piece, and too much theater for it to be a musical piece.' An actor-singer grounds the show in reality by charting Hersch's illness through the composer's own words and the words of those close to him while the music and visuals express the dreams. All of the various pieces intersect in unpredictable ways. Some of the dreams are terrifying; others are surreal or lyrical. Fans of Hersch will be surprised by the expansive sound of My Coma Dreams. 'It's not a jazz piece per se,' he says. 'It's a mix of musical languages. Stylistically, I did not limit myself to what I was going to write and in what style. I just let the dreams take me where they wanted to go.' Hersch, who attributes much of his amazing recovery'he says he's now able to play the piano 'as well as or better than ever''to his partner, Scott Morgan. With My Coma Dreams scheduled to premiere May 7 at Montclair State University in New Jersey, and a viral load that has been undetectable for more than three years, Fred's wish is that his quarter-century experience as an AIDS survivor can bring people hope. 'When I was diagnosed, I was not yet 30,' he says, 'and I never thought I'd be 40. Now I'm 55, and I'm thinking 60 is a no-brainer.'
Want more breaking equality news & trending entertainment stories?
Check out our NEW 24/7 streaming service: the Advocate Channel!
Download the Advocate Channel App for your mobile phone and your favorite streaming device!
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
Before AIDS, gay artist Rex drew hot men on the prowl — then he disappeared
April 11 2024 3:15 PM
Diets that mimic fasting reverse aging: study
March 07 2024 5:28 PM
PrEP without a prescription now a reality in California
February 06 2024 8:37 PM
Injectable HIV treatment, prevention: Everything you need to know
March 26 2024 3:28 PM
8 dating tips for gay men from a gay therapist
March 21 2024 2:50 PM
Happy national foreskin day!
April 04 2024 1:45 PM
The science behind U=U has been liberating people with HIV for years
June 04 2024 3:31 PM
Scarlet fever: exploring our fascination with blood
March 13 2024 1:47 PM
On Anal Sex Day, crack up with The Bottom's Digest
April 18 2024 10:22 AM
Plus: Featured Video
Latest Stories
Activist and philanthropist Bruce Bastian dies at 76
June 26 2024 1:28 PM
Yes, HIV-positive people can safely breastfeed
June 26 2024 12:59 PM
Exclusive: We kiki with Q from 'RuPaul's Drag Race'
June 24 2024 11:37 AM
Court rules to keep PrEP coverage under Obamacare
June 21 2024 5:42 PM
In honor of Juneteenth 2024, meet The Normal Anomaly
June 19 2024 1:39 PM
What is Juneteenth?
June 19 2024 11:30 AM
As Pride party season begins, the CDC urges mpox vaccinations
May 16 2024 6:52 PM
Advocacy in action with AIDSWatch
May 09 2024 12:30 PM
The Talk: Thriving with HIV
May 08 2024 10:45 AM
The Talk: What HIV isn’t
May 07 2024 10:48 AM
The Talk: Finding balance with HIV
May 06 2024 10:51 AM
Justice Dept plans to reschedule marijuana as a lower-risk drug
May 03 2024 2:40 PM
The Talk: Starting your journey with HIV
May 03 2024 2:00 PM
Why is a mother’s mental health so important? A doctor explains
May 01 2024 1:38 PM
Walmart to close all of its health care clinics
April 30 2024 12:30 PM
Vampire facial spa infected several women with HIV
April 29 2024 7:26 PM