Jessica Bodner is a Professor of the Practice and Violist of the Parker Quartet.

Fresh Pond is a true Cambridge gem — beautiful in every season, and one of those rare places where you can actually feel the passage of the seasons day by day. It’s where you can go to be alone, walk with a friend, or feel the quiet energy of a community sharing space. I run there regularly — it’s even where I casually ran my first half-marathon, looping around over and over again. It’s also been a joyful spot for our family: our vizsla Bodie ran free there for years, and when the time comes, we’ll likely bring a new puppy to those same trails. My husband and I have taken our son there since he was a newborn — for nature walks, bike rides, and countless discoveries along the way. It’s one of my happiest places in the world.

As a classical musician who’s spent my entire career playing chamber music, I’m always inspired by deep musical collaboration. I’ve loved Radiohead for 25 years, but seeing Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood play together in such an intimate setting still blew my mind. After decades of making music together, the trust and ease between them is incredible — it’s the kind of connection that unlocks a magical force that only art and collaboration can tap into.

My husband and I travel quite a bit to play concerts and guest teach, and it became so frustrating and sometimes deeply disappointing to look for good coffee — hotel coffee can sometimes be the absolute worst! We took matters into our own hands and started traveling with our own coffee system — Miir mugs, an Aeropress, a hand grinder, a collapsible kettle, and of course, coffee beans. 

— As told to Sy Boles, Harvard Staff Writer