Classical Heritage Foundation
OPERATION
* On an organizational level, the Classical Heritage Foundation (CHF) is a business and project management, and product promotion organization that manages various activities through its divisions:
Classics Research Institute -
Research projects, project management, technology spin-offs, research promotion.
Eagle Creations -
Music, video, media and fine arts projects, publication, marketing, and promotion.
Liberty Operations -
Affiliate (business) development, community interaction, operations management.
Scroll and Quill Publications -
Book and research paper publication, editorial columns.
Operational details are provided via the link for each division.
* On a tactical level, the Classical Heritage Foundation is a collections of individuals, organizations, and companies that pool their ideas, creativity, work, and resources within the Foundation.
Such individuals or organizations may work independently or in concert. Often, specific projects unite various entities which in turn expands networks and stimulates business.
* The Classical Heritage Foundation serves as a project manager providing strategic guidance to various individuals and/or organizations who are pursuing similar objectives but whose efforts are not distinctly coordinated. This might include providing business advice to an aspiring artist, technical consulting for a business, or studio recording services to a musician.
* The Classical Heritage Foundation provides for a promotional forum where various products may be exhibited. This in turn provides for enhanced synergy among the participants, expands promotion of individual projects, and unifies common goals.
Furthermore, by promoting the exchange of ideas and resources, projects often branch out into other sub-projects and thus, the Classical Heritage Foundation is often an incubator of new ideas.
ORGANIZATION OF PERSONNEL
Scholars – individuals doing research.
Scientists – individuals involved in scientific work.
Artists – individuals involved in artistic work.
Authors – individuals engaged in writing.
Fellow – senior member of the CHF.
Resident – active member of the CHF.
Contributor – affiliate or associate of the CHF providing scholarly/artistic service.
Associates – organizations, individuals, institutions or companies directly involved with the CHF in a business, volunteer or other capacity.
Affiliates – independent organizations, individuals, institutions or companies providing services for CHF projects or operations (typically as independent contractors).
Apprentice – student, youth or protégé interacting with the CHF.
PERSONNEL
MUSIC ENSEMBLES
A women’s youth vocal ensemble with strong Celtic roots, Maidin (Gaelic for morning) performs and teaches Celtic music and folklore. Maidin records original music and original arrangements of Celtic folk songs, pop hits, and classics, all with a creative modern twist. Maidin’s vocalists are Aimee Woods, Ingrid Johnson, Katalin Kenny, and Clara McGowan. Founded in 2009 by Carolyn and Whitney Hammond (mother and daughter), Maidin is a family and community culture liaison providing entertainment and fellowship to communities, churches, senior groups, and veterans organizations.
MUSICIANS AND ARTISTS
Linda Shelley - Contributing Artist - soaring@sbcglobal.net
Linda Shelley is a contemporary music performer and recording artist (mezzo soprano vocalist). She has been singing since a very young age in school, church and community choirs. Her command of contemporary musical styles is broad including pop/rock, modern country, traditional R&B, traditional and modern jazz, theater, and big-band. Influential female vocalist include Dusty Springfield, Petula Clark, Joni Mitchell, Laura Nyro, Carol King, Eva Cassidy, and Liza Minelli. Born of French Canadian descent and raised in a tightly woven French-Canadian community in Lewiston, Maine (nicknamed "Petite Canada"), singing became a means of embracing a community and celebrating its traditions. This warmth of spirit and innocent exuberance are traits that permeate Linda’s performances to this day. She moved to California in the 1970s where she has been an active stage performer ever since, working with a diverse collection of bands of various styles. Although live performance is a hallmark of hers, she also is involved in studio work and is presently recording a classic rock album.
David Stork - Contributing Artist - editor@classhf.com
David Stork serves as a contemporary music performer, recording artist, engineer, and music producer. His instrumental skills include electric bass and keyboards, and he specializes in techno-rock and traditional R&B. He is also involved in music and multi-media design for businesses including PR, marketing, corporate image enhancement, and integrating multi-media techniques with sales and marketing operations. He has experience in classical theater production, English literature research, property management, and computer systems maintenance. He has been intimately involved with the music business for thirty years and provides great insight into the underlying cultural forces driving today’s music scene. He has a BA in Theater Arts.
E. Sebastian Talon
See description under Academic Research. His instrumental skills include composer, arranger, orchestrator, music director, producer, conductor, back-up and chorus vocals (baritone), keyboards, analog synthesizer, bass guitar, acoustic and classical guitar, drums, mallets, and percussion. He specializes in Beethoven and Beatles.
ACADEMIC RESEARCH
E. Sebastian Talon - Founding Director - est@classhf.com
E. Sebastian Talon is a multi-discipline research scholar and musician with experience in the scientific, music, high-tech, international business, legal, and education sectors. His music career began in the late 1960s as a stage performer in the hard-rock and classical music fields. Such experience also provided an in-depth insight into modern culture. His scientific career began as a physicist including fusion energy research, astrophysics research in Germany, and aerospace systems work with NASA. He expanded into the business sector in semiconductor engineering, corporate law consulting, and Japanese business development, including designing and patenting a strategic operations management system. He built and directed a QA/Rel department for a high-tech start-up seeing it through a successful IPO. Sebastian is fluent in German and familiar with Japanese, has lived and worked in Germany, has traveled throughout the US and Europe, and has been active in Japanese-American community services. He is a historian, music teacher, and has taught science at community colleges. He has multimedia and creative PR experience, and is a classically trained musician with stage and studio experience as a composer, song writer, producer, instrumentalist, vocalist, and conductor. He specializes in multicultural classical symphonic music and classic rock. Music publications range from symphonic compositions, to chamber music, to rock tunes. Literary publications include aerospace science, business analysis, and US-Japanese history. He holds a BS in Engineering (EE & ME interdiscipline; music minor), an MS in Integrated and Optical Sciences (physics, chemistry, biophysics interdiscipline; electro-optics concentration), and a JD in Law.
Gorden Killen - Resident Scholar - editor@classhf.com
Gorden Killen serves as a research scholar providing expertise in contemporary military-societal dynamics and as a military historian. He is a computer and electronics systems consultant specializing in high-tech sales. He has 33 years of experience in the semiconductor and electronic industries developing several aerospace customers into large multimillion dollar accounts and establishing top-ten accounts for companies he has worked for. He also served on a JEDEC committee which developed test methods and standards for semiconductors. As a Vietnam veteran, former US Air Force officer, licensed pilot, and computer hardware consultant, Gorden has a distinguished and diverse background that provides for exceptional interpersonal skills, sound business wisdom, and a unique ability to assess the operations of society at a root cause level. He is expert at interacting with people or companies by a person-to-person handshake backed by the utmost sincerity, integrity and professionalism. Gorden has a BS in Engineering Operations.
Carla Bunch - Resident Scholar - editor@classhf.com
Carla Bunch is a research scholar who specializes in contemporary political dynamics. She is also involved in executive operations and contributes to media and graphics design and implementation. She has 13 years’ experience in property management and is a licensed realtor. She is a self made business woman who has worked extensively with small businesses and understands how vital small business is to the industrial and cultural strength of the nation and its economy. Carla has traveled throughout Africa, Asia, Europe and India as well as the Middle East and Latin America. Such experience has provided her with a unique understanding of multi-cultural dynamics on a substantive level and how the human being is confronted with the same problems of living together productively regardless of geographic or cultural circumstances. She is well versed in public relations and market development, and has a keen eye for artistic design. She is a proud mother and instructor of women’s self defense. Teaching other women to identify, control, and appreciate an inner strength gained by living life with a devotion to humility and a committed embrace of morality is a specialty of hers. She is expert at analyzing current social events with insightful analysis of the cultural dynamics that drive social and governmental systems and how such dynamics shape and alter people’s perspective of their world. She has a BA in Public Relations with a minor in Art History.
ORIGINS
The Classical Heritage Foundation was founded by E. Sebastian Talon in 2004. The event that started things moving was the fortieth anniversary of the Beatles’ first visit to America. Having been intimately involved in the music scene of the 1960’s “era”, Sebastian had been informally researching the root causes of cultural change in American society for some years. But, being exposed to an entire weekend of Beatles celebration, Sebastian became acutely aware of the extraordinary Beatles optimism and “anything was possible” attitude that permeated that “era of innocence”. Thus, it was distressing to consider that the youth of today was growing up in a world view filled with cynicism, dominated by pessimism, and engulfed in a cultural war that had turned many parts of American society into a ethics slum. Inspired by this Beatles “revelation”, Sebastian began to formalize his efforts during the spring of 2004 with increased research and writing in contemporary history.
The question became, what had caused this change in the American cultural landscape, how can it be understood and in so doing, can its positive attributes be harnessed and its detrimental attributes mitigated? To answer these questions, Sebastian visited various research institutes around the country to discuss his theories. Such research indicated that a large segment of American society, encompassing a wide range of sectors, lifestyles, politics, and ethnic groups, was yearning to embrace a more “optimistic” perspective of American life that was based on tradition and yet was forward-looking. Hard-core rock musicians wanted to be rid of the decadent music-scene culture and concentrate on playing good music. Teachers were tired of students viewing school as a soap box for promoting their self absorbed juvenile delinquency – at the expense of learning. Businesswomen were fed up with dealing with associates who may have been at work but “never showed up”. Artists yearned to do art for art’s sake and not be smothered by mega corporations and technology. Indeed, the more research Sebastian did, the more he found the common thread to be one of culture.
To this end, Sebastian theorized that there was an underlying “hidden culture” within America. Researching Euro-American history, Sebastian found that the concept of “humanism” lay at the heart of this sought-after culture. Furthermore, Sebastian found that once humanism is embraced, then the value of “classical” art, science, and philosophy emerged. If this process is viewed in reverse, then promoting classical culture empowers humanism – which in turn revives this sought-after culture of optimism. Thus, the philosophical foundation of the Classical Heritage Foundation was laid. From such efforts, interaction between organizations grew and the Classical Heritage Foundation was established to formalize such activity and promote classical culture.
At the same time, Sebastian and a group of associates were looking to establish a music, media arts, and literary publishing and production company. Work on this project brought about expansion into the scientific research and business development sectors. Thus, a very diverse organization began to take shape that would be difficult to integrate. Then, recalling his research of America’s cultural evolution, Sebastian realized that operating through (as well as promoting of) a classical culture would integrate the Foundation and align its activities with the nation’s enthusiasm for a humanistic society.
Therefore, Sebastian used a culture-centered approach to not only define, but to operate the Classical Heritage Foundation. This seemed counter-intuitive at first but subsequent analysis proved its validity. This is because it is culture that drives the various sectors of society and business; not the other way around. Consequently, by centering an organization around a cultural ideal, its tactical operations may be quite expansive in their scope, yet will remain focused and synergized. A classic symbiotic relationship. Once the implications of this relationship were fully realized, the operational pieces for the Classical Heritage Foundation fell into place, and growth ensued. Work along these lines brought Sebastian back to his music roots, and music activities expanded (and remain a dominant part of the Classical Heritage Foundation). Subsequently, the various divisions of the Classical Heritage Foundation were established to accommodate a wide range of disciplines and activities – but all tied to the promotion of classical culture.
The passing of Ronald Reagan in the summer of 2004 provided an additional insight into this cultural dynamic. Watching the funeral proceedings, Sebastian observed how deeply the entire nation was impacted by Reagan’s “idealistic perception” of what America, its people, and its culture, could be and could achieve. Sebastian concluded that current social and political ideology based on what is termed “political correctness” had sapped the optimism from America and was oppressive in its effect upon the nation’s culture. Moreover, this condition was made worse by an avalanche of media hype from the so-called “mainstream” media. Between these two “parasites”, America’s cultural dignity was being drained away. Indeed, this is why it had been so difficult to uncover America’s “hidden” culture. Thus, Sebastian realized that once the oppression of political correctness and media hype are removed, people will be able to revive a longed-for civility and optimism that has been lacking for so many decades, and rejuvenate the nation’s humanity.
Sebastian also found that such labels as “conservative” and “liberal” applied by the “mainstream” (hype) media were qualitatively incorrect in describing American culture. Thus, Sebastian concluded that a wide rang of Americans, with broad political viewpoints, were eager to embrace and revitalize American’s hidden, humanistic culture that was exuberantly portrayed in Beatle “can do” optimism and Reagan “pride in excellence” philosophy. Sebastian calls this cultural perspective and the activities of those who embrace it - the “Traditionalist Movement”. And, although based on “tradition”, this movement is utterly forward looking and optimistic.
Consequently, in the midst of such dynamic societal turmoil, the Classical Heritage Foundation seeks to bring to light the value of “classical” culture, in America and around the world, and use this insight to move our global society forward and preserve our humanity. All that is needed to do this is an open and rational mind, along with a sincere effort to dig such “traditional” and “optimistic” attributes out of the massive array of media hype and PC distortion that characterizes our world today. If an individual can do this, they will be rewarded with a society warmed by its humanity and encouraged by its noble aspirations.