Xavier Serrano
Audio Feed
Old State House Square Food Court
Hartford
October 21, 2026
Today is my birthday. I have officially crossed over from being 40 to being “in my 40s.” I don’t feel any older, but then again, I’ve not felt older 41 times, and here I am.
Birthdays have long been just another day for me, so I’d planned to go see Xavier Serrano play at the Old State House Square Food Court instead of any kind of celebration. It turned out to be a good decision.
Serrano, who hails from New Haven, was joined by his longtime musical collaborator Derrik Bosse on bass. The duo is well-practiced; I noticed the subtle way they backed off to allow each other’s instruments to come to the fore at different parts of the songs. It’s a kind of wordless communication that’s always impressive between two skilled performers.
One song that stuck with me was “The Glory of Life.” Serrano described his music as an “incantation” with musical influences he draws inspiration from, including classics like Nick Drake and more contemporary figures like Jeff Buckley. Incantation is the right word, because the song moved me to stop thinking about today as just another day, and take a step back.
So you know what? I did take a moment and bask in the glory. I get to enjoy music, theater and art for a living. For whatever reason, people are interested in what I have to say. I can provide for the people I care about. Believe me when I say I would have never imagined this would be my life when I was a kid. I am an extremely fortunate person; today was the perfect day to take stock of that.
I talked to Serrano about the song after the concert. He called it an amalgamation of experiences he’s had– all the people he’s loved, the places he’s found influential, and the space between himself and those sometimes distant memories. He also spoke of near-death experiences and other negatives that have had as much of an impact on him as the positive ones.
“Those near-death experiences have also made me realize all the little things that I'd taken for granted, and not only what I've taken for granted but also the people that I loved and valued, and that I wish they didn't take for granted with what I wanted to bring to their life.”
I suppose I’ve been taking the glory of simply reaching another year for granted, but Serrano and Bosse woke me up. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to a birthday happy hour, because being alive is worth celebrating.
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