Before you go any farther it is important for you to know that I am not Stephen Jablonsky the wonderful photographer or Steve Jablonsky the successful TV and movie composer. We all share the same name and oodles of talent, but I am Stephen Jablonsky the classical composer, painter, writer, and educator, and I was here long before either of those two poseurs showed up. However, what I have discovered is that everybody seems to know one Jablonsky, and those people are always wonderful folks. In 80 years I never met anyone who ever said anything bad about the Jablonsky they knew. I now assume that Jablonsky is more of an honorary title than a name.

As time goes by it is my intention to present you with a boatload of interesting items that will provide you with clues to the big question. I intend to share with you the things that mean most to me--the music, art, and essays that issue from this strange and unusual brain. So stay tuned for further developments. Hopefully, it gets better. In the process of building this site I hope to gain sufficient data to be able to answer the question, “Who is Stephen Jablonsky?”

***You can contact me at my e-mail address: jablonsky@optimum.net with suggestions and corrections.

.

One of my oldest and dearest friends used to refer to me as "The Greatest Genius in the Low-Priced Field" because I was blessed with a wide range of talents that I inherited from my parents, Ben and Adelaide Jablonsky. The men in my father's family were musicians and the women in my mother's family were all artists. Both of my parents loved to read and write and they forced me to join them early on. I have a deep appreciation for structure that manifests itself in my love of sculpture, architecture and the myriad, exquisite forms in nature such as the Bedford Oak pictured here.

If you asked me to define myself in three words or less I would have to say Happy Sensory Junkie. I try to fill each day with beautiful music, art, literature, dance, cinema, and people. I also love to eat and cook. Another dear friend used to tell people, "When you go to dinner with Steve, order what he's having. He knows what to eat."

I was also blessed with a strong, athletic body and enjoy playing tennis doubles with fellows who, like me, think they are better than they really are. I had a USTA rating of 4.1 and am still known for my steady, reliable game. I used to be a real hot head and took every point seriously. Now I play a form of Zen tennis and often cannot remember the score. I win some, and lose some. Most of all, I am grateful for the good health I enjoyed for my first 66 years. Now I am still in good health all except for the minor arthritis that has developed in my L4/L5 vertebrae. I wake each morning with a bit of stiffness but through stretching and exercising I loosen my lower back so that I can function during the day. I am glad to be alive and grateful for the gift of love and goodhealth!

My love of color and texture has brought me to a place where I am currently known as Man of Shoes. I discovered that there was more to life than black and brown. I enjoy watching the reactions of people when they see me show up in a pair of loafers that few on the planet have the guts to wear. On rare occasions I will even wear two different colors and thus violate the universal, unwritten law of shoes--both shoes must be the same, or else.

I was the 2008 recipient of the Imelda Marcos International Shoe Prize and was flown to the Philippines to receive the award. I spent a week exploring her closet which, after extensive renovation, has been turned into a national historic site museum. It was a humbling experience.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. OK, maybe 650.