John Rutter: The Lord Bless You And Keep You
I know it’s not the season for a Christmas carol, but isn’t there always room for a bit of bass oboe? And while I don’t usually post anything but my Sunday music until after 8:00 PM on Sundays, I think I can allow for this. Hope so, anyway! :-)
René Clausen: All That Hath Life And Breath Praise Ye The Lord
I watch Jeopardy a lot. On Thursday and Friday it was especially fun to watch. The winning contestant is an oboe player! AND she was so darn expressive when she gave the right or wrong answer … just like an oboist, yes?
A Vancouver woman has won the past two episodes of the Jeopardy game show, aired on KATU. She goes on to compete in Saturday’s tournament, with three more wins needed to get into Jeopardy’s Tournament of Champions.
“I love winners who take a great deal of delight in winning,” said Alex Trebek on Friday night’s show. “That’s the case with Rebecca.”
Vancouver’s Rebecca Dixon took home $28,402 from Thursday’s show. On Friday she took home another $24,600.
On Friday night’s show Trebek compared Dixon to the 2009 Teen Champion, Rachel Rothenberg. Trebeck called both “very bright” with “a good sense of humor.”
Dixon is a graduate student and musician. She is on a one-year leave of absence from school, she said, to prepare for auditions to enter oboe performance.
I read that and little bit more here. But the above isn’t entirely correct if my TV schedule was right (I did miss Jeopardy tonight, as I had to leave the house right about then). I believe her third game will be on Monday night. And I have opera then, so oh well … I’ll be playing oboe, rather than watching an oboist play (Jeopardy). Go figure!
I told everyone my goal for going to Miss America, and playing the oboe, is to make the oboe cool. I figured George Gershwin could give me the best chance possible.
Miss Georgia Emily Cook (she will be competing for Miss America tonight)
I’m really having a tough time putting “oboe” and “cool” together. But if she can make it happen, more power to her! ;-)
(I read it here.)
Okay … first just a few words: elementary school kids … memorized music!
Now watch and weep:
First seen here.
i hate being first chair. especially when the best oboe player in the world is sitting next to me. so scared about my reeds.
I saw the official brochure for next season at the Opera San José office today. And it turns out that Anna Karenina will be conducted by Stewart Robinson.
… which has, I believe, nearly everything in it but the kitchen sink!
Here’s the start of the opera, in case anyone is wondering how it begins and has yet to see this opera. Is that possible? Have some of you not seen and heard Marriage of Figaro? Hmmm. You could always buy a ticket to the OSJ production! :-)
Yesterday’s rehearsal included singers. And, with those singers, was a familiar name from the past: one of our Figaros is Brian Leerhuber. He sang with OSJ back when our daughter, Kelsey, was one of the three spirits in Die Zauberflöte. I’m thinking that must have been the 1998 production (you can see all past productions listed here). What fun to see and hear him again!
Today’s rehearsal will be at the California Theatre.
… but apparently they are a train:
It was so good to get back together with my dear friends and colleagues yesterday, for our first rehearsal for the opera. (It was our sole “orchestra only” rehearsal.) Today we will meet up with one of the two casts. Normally everything is now held at the hall, so we are in the pit from the get-go, but yesterday and today we are at the Opera San José rehearsal space instead. I don’t like the place. I don’t like the noise and heating issues. It’s unattractive. And it’s not as close to my house! (Awww, poor me.)
BUT — and this is why I’m SO entirely happy to be there — we actually get to hear and see the singers up close and personal for the first siztprobe. So you’ll get no complaints from me!
Our second sitzprobe will be back in the usual performance space, so we won’t be seeing the other cast the same way. Such is life. I won’t complain then either, though, because I do like getting back into what feels like home. (And no fluorescent lighting, thank you very much! Those lights tend to make my head ache and the notes go a little “buzzy” … as in they seem to wiggle around on the page. Don’t ask me why. They just do.)
And let me end this post with a bit of music from the opera. As you will see, this is from the movie Shawshank Redemption:
7 cute college guys: flute, oboe, oboe, clarinet, timpani, trombone, trumpet
(Wow! Two of the cute guys play oboe?!)
I had read this earlier, but hadn’t thought to put it up here until now:
“Dear Friends,
Happy New Year to you all.
As you can see form my photo, I ended 2009 with a bang! The take off was good but the landing needs improvement!
I managed to shatter my right elbow and provide two hairline fracturesin my left write and hand. after a very successful operation, I am now the proud owner of 5 screws!
….”
The above, and and more, is from Sir James Galway. Can’t really play a flute with two broken arms. OUCH!
