I remember in music school and even after the advice to be careful what a conductor agrees to do, and especially when it comes to Ballet because of the danger of being typecast or pigeonholed as a Ballet conductor! Sometimes it’s a good idea not to listen!…..
Odds & Ends
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!….
Revolution for an Evolution part 6 – Heavier: A ton of feathers or a ton of bricks?
For some reason when there are “in depth” sessions about updating conservatory training to relate to the “real world”, the focus seems to always be on how the student can gain an advantage through learning marketing, entrepreneurial skills, managerial skills and general business acumen etc…… NEWS FLASH:
THIS IS NOT GOING TO CHANGE THE AMOUNT OF JOBS AVAILABLE!…..
All bets are On!
So instead of attending the conference in Denver I went to Vegas! My two brothers (who live in different countries) for my 40th birthday paid for my trip and met me there. A billboard at the airport surprised me big time!…
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.
Praying for Time….
No not an exasperated cry! Time stood still for me last night when George Michael sang this song near the end of the American Idol finale last night. It was as if the memory flood gates flung open. Yes we watched AI, and it was such a disappointing season (I have never fast forwarded so much), until that moment…
Please…Compose Yourself!
We performed 3 Young People’s Concerts on Tuesday. In my career I must have done over 500 YPC’s and I never grow tired of them. I sometimes like to end a program with something that gets everyone jumping, literally this week when they all did the “wave” to Stars and Stripes. Walking outside afterwards, the buses that were all loaded up were bopping up and down…awesome! But not as awesome as the way the audience collectively responded to an off the cuff question…..
Ron, do you have any pants…?
I had an absolutely wonderful time with the Syracuse Symphony last week doing Brahms 3 and the Dvorak Cello Concerto with Mark Kosower, an incredible artist. We have all experienced that moment after arriving somewhere when we realize we’ve forgotten something. What was unusual when we were in Jamestown NY last week was the call I received an hour before the concert from a musician in the orchestra. It’s impossible to make this stuff up, especially since we were in the birthplace of Lucille Ball!…….