I’m impressed! How to play the lap guitar. (When I tried the link directly it wouldn’t work for me. If you have trouble, go here and just enter “lap guitar” and you’ll get there.
I don’t think lap oboe would be possible. Maybe someone can figure out reedless oboe, though.
Or not.
(I do find it humorous that the site implies that something can be visually explained in 5 minutes. Let’s see … reed making? Oboe playing? I dunno ’bout that!)
For a few hours every month, Jennifer Chun slips into the musical sanctuary of the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, where luxurious stage sets and arias offer escape.
“With all of the other things that have been going on in our lives, [my daughter] and I have found the opera to be an oasis,” Chun, 42, wrote in an e-mail message. The nights out are “a time when both of us can be together and drink in something we both love so much.”
Thanks to an educational outreach program offered by Los Angeles Opera, Chun’s 17-year-old daughter, Kathryn, scored orchestra seats eye-poppingly close to the stage — free.
The little-known L.A. Opera 90012 program sponsors an essay contest each year for high schoolers to explain why they want to see opera. The 50 or so teenagers selected are rewarded with tickets to four performances for them and a parent or guardian. They also get backstage tours and pre-show talks about the art form from instrumentalists, singers or others involved in the productions.
I love it. We could use an anonymous—or even not-so-anonymous‐donor here to offer the same thing! What a great idea!
(Read here)
“I like hearing her voice and seeing her costumes,” Alison said. “And she’s a real nice girl.”
You gotta love this article. And you gotta love Joyce DiDonato (not only a fabulous opera singer, but a wonderful blogger as well) for meeting with the young’un … and sharing her shoes!
And you gotta gotta gotta love Alison:
“I stayed awake, but it was really hard. It was past our bedtime.”
Update
Ms. DiDonato now has blogged about the event, and includes a sweet picture. With her red shoes.
Poor Rolando Villazón:
He literally poured his heart out in this recital programme with songs by Schumann, Duparc and Liszt.
Found on a blog just now.
I just landed on a blog of what appears to be notes for a band. They are playing “Star Wars”. It’s just kind of fun to read what they are being told. And to be reminded that in some places a quarter note isn’t a quarter note! (I don’t “get” crochets and quavers and all that, call me stupid.) I wonder, too, if “dun” is a word, or if it’s slang. Anyone know?
Bar 16 : clarinets, flutes andd oboe
-dun hold the notes too long
-running notes (aren’t that slow)
And when I saw one line it made me laugh:
Bar 86: Horns, Oboe and Flutes
-accurate pitching
Yeah. Gotta pitch over the plate, right? ;-)
I know, I’m silly. That’s not new news.
It is not hard to compose, but what is fabulously hard is to leave the superfluous notes under the table.
-Johannes Brahms
In Saturday’s performance, Shostakovich’s colorful writing showcased many excellent soloists, most notably Paul Barrett (bassoon), Scott Anderson (clarinet), and Wade Butin (French horn), as well as several rarely heard, including Norman Foster (E-flat clarinet), Jason Sudduth (English horn), and Philip Gottling III (contrabassoon).
Jason is also with the Omaha Symphony, as well as the Honolulu Symphony. He was with San Jose Symphony (RIP), and he’s come out here to play with Symphony Silicon Valley a few times. It’s always a joy to work with him! Yay Jason!
The Merc has an article about some upcoming seasons. I’m going to want to check out the new singers listed for Opera San José. I’ll miss the singers who are leaving, but it’s always fun to see and hear the new ones!
Included in the Midsummer Mozart season is the oboe concerto! If I’m remembering correctly, this may very well be the first time someone has done this work in that group. Anyone out there remembering it being done before? I sure don’t. (I was in the orchestra in a few years after it began to sometime in the late 80s or early 90s, and we never did it then.) Laura Griffiths is playing it (current principal oboist of Midsummer Mozart). I’ll definitely want to get to that concert.
Whenever I’m in the middle of a season I start getting quite excited about the next one. Sometimes it’s difficult for me to stay in the moment and not only think about the future. But I do have to think about what’s going on now. And this week it’s four concerts and a wedding. Symphony Silicon Valley is performing Brahms’ Schicksalslied and Beethoven’s ninth. I’m not doing much; I am assistant principal for the Beethoven. But it’s a fabulous concert, and I am extremely excited about the concert because I love both works. With that going on all week, beginning Monday and ending next Sunday, I’m also playing for a former student’s wedding. She chose Faure’s Chanson D’Amour (Op. 27, No. 1) for the processional. It’s actually for voice and piano, but I believe it works very well for oboe and piano. The wedding is in Sutter Creek, and Dan will accompnay with me (and maybe get some good photography time in). Should be great fun!
While it’s a full week, it’s also spring break. So no SCU and no UCSC. But still tons of work and very, very busy.
Who do you admit from the waitlist? For example, if someone from state X or major Y declines, are you likely to look for another student like them?
If we go to the waitlist, we will consider what our class looks like as one factor in choosing students. But we’re not strict about it. So, if an oboe player decides to go somewhere else, we may, or may not, try to take another oboe player (why is the example admissions officers always use the oboe player?).
Yes indeed … why IS it an oboe player? Weird. Sometimes I think people throw in the word “oboe” because it looks smart to know what an oboe is. Sometimes I think it’s because it’s a rather odd word. Or maybe it’s because we tend to be nerdy and that appeals? Oh heck, I don’t know! :-)
As an aside: there was a time when people got word that oboe was a key to getting into college. Those days are long gone, for the most part. Sure, sometimes it can help. But not often. And it’s a stupid reason to take up the instrument. And keep in mind that you only need so many oboes; an orchestra has a whole lot more strings than oboes. It’s best to check with music schools to see how many oboists they’ll be admitting for a particular year. I’ve read that, for this current year, Curtis needs two, and one music school only needs one. Odds are against you in those instances. But it’s a good introduction to what your life will be like … only a few openings, and lots of applicants for those oboe jobs!
I read a rather humorous blog the other day. The blogger was writing about attending a symphony concert. He/she implied it was rather unfair that there were so many string players and only two of each of the woodwinds.
Too cute.
I guess the blogger thought it should all be equal. Heh. Can you imagine two of everything? Two of each of the strings, two of each of the winds … all the way down to two tubas?!
And no, I won’t include the link to the blog. Just not necessary, right?
I love Terry Teachout’s suggestion that Alfred Hitchcock’s The 39 Steps is “suitable for bright children” over at his So you want to see a show? blog entry.
Only problem? A lot of parents think their child is bright. Brighter than most others, in fact. Not all, mind you, but many. And they aren’t always correct.
I remember when I worked at a bookstore. One of the other clerks said, “Parents come in to get books for their children and say one of two things: “My child is exceptionally bright and far ahead of her reading level,” or “My child is very slow and beneath her age’s reading level.” There wasn’t an average child in the bunch. Ever.
Of course I can say for a fact that my children were, and are, brighter than the norm.
Honest. ;-)
I’m glad Terry mentioned Jon Hassler’s death. I’ve read nearly everything of Hassler’s, and blogged about his death earlier over at the pattyo. I will relish his final book, to be sure.
Live report …
Anyone else watching the New York City Opera broadcast of Madama Butterfly right now? (It’s Live from Lincoln Center, in case you’re wondering. Hmmm. Does that mean I’m seeing it live? No, can’t be … not here on the right coast**.) Anyone else have that glitch near the beginning, or is it Comcast?
And does New York City Opera really not list the orchestra anywhere on their site, or am I blind?
I read the interview with the two leads. The beginning made me laugh:
Last year, you sang Mimi and Rodolfo in La Bohème at New York City Opera. How was that experience?James Valenti: It was great. Shu-Ying is nice and tall and very pretty and has a great voice. It’s easy to work with her.
Shu-Ying Li: He’s very tall.
Um. Okay.
I won’t last through the entire thing, I’m sorry to say. Too bad they don’t broadcast it here on New York time. But anyway, so far I’m not exactly blown away. But what do I know? (Those hanging ships, though … it doesn’t work when the camera is from a side angle; some of the ships aren’t appearing against the backdrop then. The backdrop is supposed to look like water, I’m sure. But some ships are against something else.)
Wow, the tenor is already dripping. Heat? Nerves? LIVE BROADCAST?!
MB isn’t at the top of my Puccini list. Sorry if that disappoints some of you. I’ve sure played it enough times. That’s for sure. (It’s nice to hear it without our cuts, though; we always cut a few things and it drives me nuts!)
Ouch! Intonation. Ouch! (Singers, not orchestra.)
Ah how easy it is to critique. I think I’d better shut up. I could never do what they do.
Addio!
**Dan reminds me that we are usually referred to as the “left coast” but wonders if I mean right as in “correct”. And yes, indeed, he does have me figured out. :-) We are on the correct coast. Sorry, New Yorkers. It’s just the way it is. Can you live with it? ;-)
Cooper has asked if I saw the comic about me.
Indeed, I did. I guess I forgot to blog about that! :-)
I’ve been married to my husband since January 3 of 1976. Yes. Really. When we met he was a student, and played trombone in the band. My first good glimpse of Dan was during recital hour, when he gave a talk about synthesizers. Don’t ask me what he said, but I nudged my friend next to me and said, “He’s a fox!” She looked at me curiously (I guess long hair and a headband didn’t appeal to HER). Some weeks later, when we were all in band (yes, I played in band!) I nudged the other oboist and said, “See that guy up there? I’m gonna get him.” He thought I was joking. I thought it was a pipe dream. But, well, something worked. :-)
But oh no!!
But now I’ve seen this comic and it appears we should just be friends. Oh dear.
Dan?? Is it curtains? Say it ain’t so Joe Dan!
And Bill Nye? A romantic possibility? Um. I doubt it greatly. Although I guess he likes a hot book now and then, I don’t think he is relationship material.
… and, if you ask me, scary!
Wild animals on an opera stage? No thanks.
Read it here.
The last time I saw a live animal on stage (recently, at San Francisco Opera) it cause the audience to stir. Some laughed. Some reacted in that “ahhh … cool” sort of way. Due to both reactions I just found the animal a distraction. I’m not there to see a circus. I’m there to hear great music. Really.
And then, in Florence, I guess you may now take your dog or cat to lunch. Or the theatre. Because we all know how our dogs and cats love a good show. Truly. I read it here.
Franco Zeffirelli says:
Dogs and cats are a bit like children and should be in places they enjoy. I would never take them to La Scala (opera house in Milan),’ he told Corriere della Sera newspaper. ‘It would be torture for them.
And, as an aside, bringing dogs, cats, or children to some operas can be torture for not only the dogs, cats or children, but for some other people around them, too.
I’m just sayin’ …. :-)
(Having seen an awfully young child at Rigoletto … an odd opera to take a very young child to, don’t you think?)
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