It’s summer, so I’m busy being a human being instead of a conductor. There’s a joke in there somewhere but it’s true. But because I’m looking at the world at large other things jump out at me, some of them very much part of the family history. So today I say goodbye to another world legend, one I never had the chance to meet, but who had a profound effect on my family.
Current Events
Road Trippin!…
The family is loaded in the van this 4th of July and we have hit the road for a rather strange trip that is part work, part play, part in the US and part abroad. There’s also an exciting update from my last post…..
Fireworked!….
Bizarre happenings at our annual (or soon not to be) outdoor patriotic fireworks extravaganza, floods, errant fireworks, a deadly baton strike and my singing debut with a US Congressman….
UPDATE 5:35 EST – see below!
Talk about a Barmitzvah!….and thanks for the breaths!
With all the tributes to George Carlin pouring in, I can only add that I am so glad that I had the opportunity to see him perform live, a breathtaking event, unforgettable also because next to me was a mother with her son, who wanted tickets to see George for his 13th birthday!….
Critical Mass(acre)
It happened again, this time in Lyon. There is that moment sometime after the first performance when someone in the administration of whatever orchestra I’m conducting says “have you seen the reviews?” – and I know that “the Moment” has arrived.
Free Concerts?…more like Free Audiences…
So begins the summer, the time of the year when many Orchestras will do free and low cost outdoor concerts, 1 rehearsal affairs with a mix of pops, light classics and light shows! With my professed like for Holiday concerts, for me this is the second most wonderful time of the year when an audience connection can be established…..
Close to home..an orchestra goes not too quietly into the night…
With so much attention in the blogosphere being paid to the situations in Shreveport and Columbus along with the upcoming conference in Denver, it has gone virtually unnoticed that an orchestra in Arkansas is on the verge of closing down. I only know about it because it’s very close to home…..
New at the Columbus Dispatch: First Date Announcements!
Every paper announces births, deaths, anniversaries, engagements, marriages, but first dates? In this case the Dispatch was reporting the announcement of the formation of a 2nd arts panel, this one to examine the sustainability of the arts in Columbus in the wake of the looming catastrophe at the Symphony. My question: What’s the point of announcing this? Bad move in my view…..