Film
The Tapestry: A Musician's Story of Adoption and Redemption is a 30-minute documentary that was filmed over the course of two years by Michael Strubler and David Jouppi.
It tells the story of (retired) Detroit Symphony Orchestra violinist Ann Strubler and her decision to seek her birth parents. Adopted at birth, Ann began to show musical talent at a very early age. She was naturally drawn to the piano, and at age three, her adoptive parents discovered that Ann possessed absolute pitch (AP), a rare genetic trait that affects 1 in 10,000. Immediately, she began lessons — piano at age three and violin at five — and for the next 25 years, her life would revolve around the intense world of classical music. Throughout her life, she was immensely grateful for the her adoptive family, and rarely thought of where her musical genes originated.
“It never crossed my mind to find my birth parents, even into my adult life. I knew that this was the family I was supposed to be in. ”
However, everything changed when Ann's mother was diagnosed with stage four ovarian cancer. Her eventual death proved to be the catalyst for Ann's decision to start speaking publicly in support of adoption. Aided by her husband, Dr. David Strubler, Ann began telling her story as a tribute to her late mother and unknown birth mother, and it was at one of these speaking events that she was confronted with a shocking new reality.
“A young woman waited until the very end and came up to me, and she had tears in her eyes. And she said, ‘When I was seventeen, I released a tiny baby girl for adoption. And while I know I did the right thing, I’ve always worried that she would hate or resent me for the decision I made.’ That was a real surprise to me, because I had never felt [hate or resentment].”
That encounter convicted Ann. Her new mission was to find her birth mother, wherever she may be, and thank her for releasing her for adoption. If there was any chance that her birth mother was as wounded by guilt as this young woman, Ann would have to release her from it.
Please contact us at strubler2@aol.com for password permission to screen the film (below) at your venue.