There’s something that I notice every morning these days when I’m having my early day tea. It’s a beautiful Menorah which sits on our dining room table. Every evening one more candle goes on as we celebrate the Festival of Lights. Of course the funny thing is that I’m not Jewish – I’m a Taoist. None-the-less, in celebration of these wonderful eight days here are eight things I love about Judaica……….
Bill Eddins
The Stars of the North
It’s hard to find an orchestra north of Edmonton. This is a city where around this time of year the sun seems to come up at 10 am, set by 2 pm, and never get over about 3 degrees off of the horizon. The nearest city is Calgary, some 4 hours away by car, and just try to a reasonable or convenient flight up there. But the Star of the North is the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, the small but mighty ensemble that plays 100 concerts a year for the Edmonton community. Here’s some news……………..
Orchestras and the Tech Revolution
So, we’re stuck in the 19th century. You know it and I know it. Classical musicians are one of only two subspecies of Homo Sapien Sapien who still wear tailcoats. Innovations such as video screens, subtitles, mood lighting, etc., find it hard to be accepted in the concert hall. So we need new ways of taking advantage of the technology now available to us.
Programming: It’s all about ME!!!
One question I always seem to get when I’m out guest conducting is “Who put the program together?” To be honest, by the time I get to a concert I rarely remember how the program was assembled. If we’re doing one of my party charts then I probably suggested it. If I see something I haven’t done before odds are I asked the question “what holes do you need filled in your season?” But what to do when you are confronted by the following?
Not Sorry, Charlie……..
The question of the day – how do you satisfy an audience that ranges from 12 to 80? That is what I pondered last Thursday, 15 November, and it’s taken me this long to write about it. I’m going to tell you what happened, but I’m not going to let on how we did it until the end of the post. So there………….
Humor in music(ians)
FINALLY! One of the great knocks against classical music is the lack of humor on the part of those of us who are the greatest proponents of the art. This is, of course, specious. Musicians are frequently hilarious, and if the public actually knew what goes on backstage they would be shocked.
Nature vs. Nurture…….(vs. Suzuki……..)
So, I just got back from my eldest’s Suzuki recital. The one thing that I’d recommend to the Suzuki folk is that if you want to make it more interesting you might want to consider an open bar. Other than that all the kids did really well. And then there was the 8 year-old daughter of Raef’s teacher, and my jaw hit the floor.
I hope this isn’t as creepy as it probably sounds….
Saturday mornings have lately become a favorite. That’s because I take my boys and go watch High School girls for two hours. Now, believe me, that isn’t nearly as creepy as it sounds, and before you all call the FBI please read on……….