February | 2011 | oboeinsight

This Just In: Al Genovese

17. February 2011 · 11 comments · Categories: Announcements

Someone sent me the following. Note that I’ve removed the phone number and address; if you want those please contact me and I’ll provide them. I’m not comfortable putting them up on the blog.

Hi, DC area oboists,

I need your help to speed recovery of one of our great oboe players, Al Genovese.
He is almost 80 and in and out of the hospital in Philadelphia. Right now he is getting rehab treatment for the latest bout.

I ask you all to send him get-well greetings through his sister in Philly. Many cards from fans and former students, like myself, would go a long way to encourage him and his family.

He is a very dear and sweet person to me and many others and his marvelous playing and musicianship gives great joy.

Send letters to: Al Genovese, (email me at pattyoboe [at] att [dot] com for this info).

I am also trying to get a fan club page going on Facebook as “Al Genovese” and need 24 “friends” to sign up after “friending” me.
If you are on Facebook and would like to help, let me know ASAP via Facebok or return email here (email me at pattyoboe [at] att [dot] com for this info).

Any other help like forwarding this to other oboe players around the country would be fantastic, the more the better.
There are still many oboe players in the DC area for whom I do not have email addresses so pass this along to those you know in case they were missed with this email, especially those in the military bands.

Anything else, you can call me: (email me at pattyoboe [at] att [dot] com for this info)

Bless you for helping,
David “Oboe” Brundage

TQOD

17. February 2011 · Comments Off · Categories: TQOD

I might be picking up the oboe again! Shield your ears!

Anywhere Near U of North Texas?

17. February 2011 · Comments Off · Categories: Concert Announcements

UNT Wind Symphony concert features longtime oboe professor
What: University of North Texas Wind Symphony Concert

Featuring Jennifer Higdon’s Concerto for Oboe with Charles Veazey, Regents Professor, on oboe. Conducted by Eugene Migliaro Corporon.

Proceeds will benefit the Denton Animal Shelter Foundation.

When: 7:30 p.m. Feb. 17 (Thursday)

Where: Winspear Hall in the Murchison Performing Arts Center, located along the north side of Interstate 35E at North Texas Boulevard

Cost: $8 – $10

BUT … here’s the thing!! … if you aren’t near there you can also see and hear it live on the web. How cool is that?! Go here on Thursday. Keep in mind the 7:30 PM is Texas time (CST). Whatever that means to you in your neck ‘o the woods. (They are two hours ahead — and perhaps years behind? — my time here.)

Jennifer Higdon sent me a recording of her Oboe Concerto and I most definitely like it. Check it out if you are able!

Should I Laugh Or Should I Cry?

17. February 2011 · 2 comments · Categories: Read Online

… or perhaps scream?

A horn playing friend brought this to my attention via Facebook. (Thanks, Alex!)

How about becoming a musician for a stress free job (I had a link here but it has been removed; see note below), eh?! Clearly whoever wrote this has no idea what it’s like to be a musician. Yikes! (This is from “Buzzle.com: Intelligent Life on the Web” … um … yeah, sure.)

Orchestra Musician
We all will sing in unison when it comes to support the fact that music is pure stress relief. Yes, all music lovers and musicians pour out their daily anxiety, stress and tension in the creative upsurge of music. As an orchestra musician, one is under no hurry of job timings or hectic work schedules. With peace in mind and heart, musicians create pulsating music, that is intellectually and spiritually satisfying for them. Stress is indeed, a creative process for them that inspires them to work better. Orchestra musicians enjoy stability, good salary and satisfaction of life in music. The orchestra musicians earn an annual salary of USD 50,000 TO USD 110,000 depending on the geographical location. This is one of the most stress free jobs that gives you job satisfaction.

Truth: this job I have brings me satisfaction.
Lie: good salary of $50,000 to $100,000? Um. Not for a lot of us!

… and of course it is most definitely not stress-free. Really.

But this is just so darn hysterical it’s ridiculous! And it sort of makes me angry too. But only a little, because I’m so free of stress I don’t get all that angry these days.

Update
I do think this might be one of those articles that is merely to get high up on google and get more attention. Those sorts of articles don’t really care about truth, and of course this one will receive tons of hits from musicians who are up in arms about it. Maybe the best solution is to NOT click on the link, so I’m removing it!

And now …

16. February 2011 · 4 comments · Categories: Spam'nScam™

I get ANOTHER spam email with the same names as the one I reported earlier. The names were just moved around. Paula is now the parent searching for lessons and the other name (which I removed because I know he’s a real person at a real university) is the one who is her secretary. Here is just a portion of the email. The rest contains all the information (email, phone number, etc.) of the actual instructor. I’ll leave his name off of these things, as I’m sure he has nothing to do with any of this!

Hello Teacher,

I am writing to know If you can tutor my 15 yrs old daughter, Jane for 5-6 weeks starting from Feb 24th, 2011. I just don’t want her to be less busy so I just want her to get hooked up with one thing or the other. You know what I’m talking about. It can be on Language, Subjects, Dance or Music Instruments. Let me know how much you charge per hour and let me know the total for 5-6 weeks lesson. You can take her on Mondays, Wednesdays or Fridays for 2 hours lesson per week. You can just take her at your convenient schedule. Please tell me your past teaching experience and make up lesson. I hope to read back from you soon. Have a nice time.

God Bless you

Best Wishes
Paula Perkins

Considering the earlier email I think I should jump right on this and give these people all my personal information. Don’t you think?

Or not.

I’m especially happy that it ends with “Have a nice time,” because, indeed, I really am.

MQOD

16. February 2011 · Comments Off · Categories: Quotes

All of us do not have equal talent, but all of us should have an equal opportunity to develop our talents.
- John F. Kennedy

They Are Getting Sneakier & Sneakier

16. February 2011 · Comments Off · Categories: Spam'nScam™

Wow … I just received another scam email about teaching oboe, but whoever did it must have hacked into someone else’s email. Still, I can see the signs that point out a scam. Here is the email, with the names and links removed:

Hello Teacher, Could you confirm that the email below sent to you by Paula Perkins, my P.A regarding the music lesson for my daughter was received? Please get back to me if you are available to offer private lesson for my daughter.

Thanks and God bless!
[name deleted]

Hello Teacher,

I am writing to know If you can tutor my 15 yrs old daughter, Sarah for 5-6 weeks starting from Feb 24th, 2011. I just don’t want her to be less busy so I just want her to get hooked up with one thing or the other. You know what I’m talking about. It can be on Language, Subjects, Yoga or Music Instruments. Let me know how much you charge per hour and let me know the total for 5-6 weeks lesson. You can take her on Mondays, Wednesdays or Fridays for 2 hours lesson per week. You can just take her at your convenient schedule. Please tell me your past teaching experience and make up lesson. I hope to read back from you soon. Have a nice time.

God Bless you

Best Wishes
[name deleted]

[name deleted]
Forensic Epidemiologist

Clinical Professor
Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine
[deleted] Health and Science University School of Medicine
[link deleted]

Adjunct Associate Professor of Forensic Medicine and Epidemiology
Institute of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences
[University deleted]

Mailing address: [deleted]
[phone numbers deleted]
[email address deleted]

The name of this person was legit. I looked up his university and, sure enough, there he is, in the exact position listed above. Even the email link to reply to him looked legit, but I’m guessing if I looked at the code or whatever you call it I would find that it wasn’t really going there.

Someone who hasn’t received these before might fall for this particular one. So beware! Look for clues. Note that the word oboe isn’t mentioned. Note that it didn’t address me by name. Note that it doesn’t tell me where his daughter attends school, nor does it ask anything about my location. Everything is very unspecific.

Please don’t fall for these and don’t respond, even to answer with some ridiculous fees you charge as a joke. Replying let’s them know they’ve hit on a email address and they might just keep you on their list. My mail program has the option of bouncing the message back so my email address appears to be a bad one, so that’s usually what I do with these things.

I hate even putting these emails up at my site, but so many readers are unfamiliar with the scam that I continue to do so on occasion, in hopes that I protect some innocent recipients of the darn things.

Opera Critic Review & More

16. February 2011 · Comments Off · Categories: Opera, Reviews

Note: this was actually posted earlier but moved up here since I’ve added the latest review at the bottom.

From Michael Vaughn. “Bryan Nies and the orchestra gave a lackluster reading of the overture, though they certainly made up for it later.”

So there is that one plus these (each with a quote about the orchestra, since I’m self-centered that way):

Examiner by Beeri Moalem (link): “While the onstage orchestra mimicked their counterparts below stage with darling attempts at fingering and all, it was the instrumentalists in the pit that sparked the fire of opening-night excitement. The overture conjured a parade of characters marching in order: the proud, the pompous, the dire, the mischievous, the silly… ”

Opera Novice by Cynthia Corral in San Jose Metblogs (link): “The excitement began for my guest and me as soon as the familiar overture music started. All of the music from this opera is peppy, upbeat and, most important to a beginner, familiar. We couldn’t help bouncing around in our chairs to the music during the introduction, half expecting Bugs himself to appear when the curtain went up. We were dancing around through the entire opera, except for the moments when we were laughing too hard.”

Mercury News by Richard Scheinin (link): “The orchestra, conducted by Bryan Nies, was sometimes too loud, covering the singers, but mostly light-footed and steady, pulsing out the drama for 2½ hours.”

San Francisco Classical Voice by Georgia Rowe really hated opening night (link): “The evening started well, with a taut, springy performance of the overture, and the conductor elicited shapely orchestral playing in several subsequent scenes (the Act 2 storm sounded aptly turbulent). Mostly, though, he struggled to maintain coordination between stage and pit. Whenever the singers faltered in Rossini’s ornate vocal passagework, the conductor either hesitated or sped up to keep the action moving; either way, he never achieved a cohesive flow.”

Out & About Magazine by Paul Myrvold (link): “From the first note of one of the most rousing overtures I have heard (vigorously conducted under the confident baton of Bryan Nies) to the last slap of pounding palms from a standing, cheering audience, Gioachino Rossini’s The Barber of Seville at Opera San Jose is a complete triumph.”

All of these are from the same night.

Review from Out & About Magazine

16. February 2011 · Comments Off · Categories: Opera, Reviews

From the first note of one of the most rousing overtures I have heard (vigorously conducted under the confident baton of Bryan Nies) to the last slap of pounding palms from a standing, cheering audience, Gioachino Rossini’s The Barber of Seville at Opera San Jose is a complete triumph. In an expert, no-holds-barred, madcap staging by José Maria Condemi, this production reveals the rich comedy to be found in the score, in the libretto, in the choreography down to the last gesture, even in the props – rifles, swords, rain pots, pistols, apples, books, coins, the list is endless – if directed by an imaginative mind.

RTWT (you have to scroll down to the Opera San Jose review.