Two things that made Saturday mornings awesome as a kid…my favorite cereal and watching cartoons! Oh man, that was the life.
This Saturday’s concert will definitely be nostalgic for me, as the Orchestra will be performing scores from some the classic Warner Bros. Studio cartoons – while the actual films play on the big screen!
Syncing the music and the cartoons is a huge undertaking. Our production staff has been working hard to get all of the technical preparations in place. Each musician will wear headphones and many of the musicians will be on microphones, just like they do in the movie studios! I am really looking forward to seeing it all come together and having some fun too.
I hope you plan on coming out to the concert! Your inner-child will thank you :)
For more information on the concert click here.
P.S. They don’t allow food inside the hall, so make sure you eat your cereal and milk before you get there...
Friday, February 6, 2009
Monday, February 2, 2009
Did ya’ miss me?
Okay, so it’s been a while since I’ve posted. Can you find it in your hearts for forgive me? I hope so, because it’s been pretty busy around here and we have a lot to catch up on!
After spending a week in fabulous Las Vegas for the holiday break and catching up on some much needed rest from that trip, we started off the New Year at the Orchestra with our third Masterworks program. Grammy winning artist, James Ehnes, joined us to perform Brahm’s Violin Concerto. This would be James’ third time performing with the orchestra and I have to say he’s one of my favorite artists (and I promise I’m not just saying that because he has a residence here and there was not much logistical work that I needed to do for him, LOL).
Not only did he perform at these concerts, he also presented a string masterclass that was open to the community. We had a wonderful turnout for it. If you went to the Thursday or Friday night concerts you might have noticed him slip into the violin section to play Bartók’s Concert for Orchestra…how cool is that?!?
One last note, right after performing the violin concerto on Friday night, as the audience waited for James to come back out to receive more applause, James asked me to hold his violin while he tied his shoes. A Stradivarius violin hundreds of years older than me and probably worth more than I can afford to even say. I reluctantly took the violin out of his hands. While I ever so carefully held it, Steve Lemke, our technical director, leans over and says “I hope you don’t drop it”...um, thanks for helping me relax Steve! LOL. Since I’m able to tell this story and still laugh about it, you might have guessed that I didn’t drop it and my nerves are still intact…thank goodness!
After spending a week in fabulous Las Vegas for the holiday break and catching up on some much needed rest from that trip, we started off the New Year at the Orchestra with our third Masterworks program. Grammy winning artist, James Ehnes, joined us to perform Brahm’s Violin Concerto. This would be James’ third time performing with the orchestra and I have to say he’s one of my favorite artists (and I promise I’m not just saying that because he has a residence here and there was not much logistical work that I needed to do for him, LOL).
Not only did he perform at these concerts, he also presented a string masterclass that was open to the community. We had a wonderful turnout for it. If you went to the Thursday or Friday night concerts you might have noticed him slip into the violin section to play Bartók’s Concert for Orchestra…how cool is that?!?
One last note, right after performing the violin concerto on Friday night, as the audience waited for James to come back out to receive more applause, James asked me to hold his violin while he tied his shoes. A Stradivarius violin hundreds of years older than me and probably worth more than I can afford to even say. I reluctantly took the violin out of his hands. While I ever so carefully held it, Steve Lemke, our technical director, leans over and says “I hope you don’t drop it”...um, thanks for helping me relax Steve! LOL. Since I’m able to tell this story and still laugh about it, you might have guessed that I didn’t drop it and my nerves are still intact…thank goodness!
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Happy Chrismahanukwanzakah!
Only 7 more shopping days till Christmas…
…and the bad news is I haven’t even started buying gifts yet, eek! Good news is our Orchestra has been on a roll this month with some really fun and inspiring concerts.
Our Masterworks concert made for an interesting week. We started off with two fantastic guest artists but ended up with three by the end of the week. Unfortunately, Kelley Nassief, soprano, fell ill and could only perform the Mahler for the Friday night’s performance. After a trip to the doctor earlier in the week and lots of rest, it was decided that we would need a stand-in for Kelley. Kelley was so wonderful to work with and has such a beautiful voice; we were sad that she wasn’t able to finish out the concerts that weekend.
Luckily after a few phone calls and working out some last minute transportation and lodging issues, we were able to have a stand-income for the Saturday and Sunday concerts. Lauren Skuce flew in from New York and picked up right where we left off. She did an amazing job and that was only with a small piano rehearsal. As they say, all is well that ends well.
Before we leave for the holiday break we’ve got another set of Great Escapes performances and a private event at the Ritz this weekend, phew!
Happy Chrismahanukwanzakah! And see you next year!
…and the bad news is I haven’t even started buying gifts yet, eek! Good news is our Orchestra has been on a roll this month with some really fun and inspiring concerts.
Our Masterworks concert made for an interesting week. We started off with two fantastic guest artists but ended up with three by the end of the week. Unfortunately, Kelley Nassief, soprano, fell ill and could only perform the Mahler for the Friday night’s performance. After a trip to the doctor earlier in the week and lots of rest, it was decided that we would need a stand-in for Kelley. Kelley was so wonderful to work with and has such a beautiful voice; we were sad that she wasn’t able to finish out the concerts that weekend.
Luckily after a few phone calls and working out some last minute transportation and lodging issues, we were able to have a stand-income for the Saturday and Sunday concerts. Lauren Skuce flew in from New York and picked up right where we left off. She did an amazing job and that was only with a small piano rehearsal. As they say, all is well that ends well.
Before we leave for the holiday break we’ve got another set of Great Escapes performances and a private event at the Ritz this weekend, phew!
Happy Chrismahanukwanzakah! And see you next year!
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Home for the Holidays
Our Home for the Holidays Family program was a ton of fun but also a ton of work behind the scenes.
There were almost 30 singers to coordinate between The Next Generation Kids group and the Holiday Singers from Orlando. We had to get the music out to the singers weeks before the performance, work on stage blocking (who stands where and when), produce a call sheet (order of what’s suppose to happen and when), arrange hotel rooms, arrange catering for lunch and dinner, gather volunteers to hand out hot chocolate and cookies for the audience and handle a host of other things to make this concert a success.
We were all especially pleased to see audiences members of all ages enjoying the concert. I’m posting some photos of the audience in line for hot chocolate, as well as a photo of the lucky winners of Sarasota Orchestra t-shirts.
What a wonderful way to celebrate the holidays!!!!
There were almost 30 singers to coordinate between The Next Generation Kids group and the Holiday Singers from Orlando. We had to get the music out to the singers weeks before the performance, work on stage blocking (who stands where and when), produce a call sheet (order of what’s suppose to happen and when), arrange hotel rooms, arrange catering for lunch and dinner, gather volunteers to hand out hot chocolate and cookies for the audience and handle a host of other things to make this concert a success.
We were all especially pleased to see audiences members of all ages enjoying the concert. I’m posting some photos of the audience in line for hot chocolate, as well as a photo of the lucky winners of Sarasota Orchestra t-shirts.
What a wonderful way to celebrate the holidays!!!!
Friday, November 14, 2008
Stewart Goodyear
For our first masterworks of the season we brought in a fantastic pianist, Stewart Goodyear. He performed Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini by Rachmaninoff and one of my favorites, Rhapsody in Blue which was part of a themed-program of all Rhapsodies; a novel concept in my opinion.
From the moment I picked Stewart up from the airport, I knew the week was going to be a breeze. He was extremely gracious and we had a nice conversation on the way to drop him off at the hotel. At the first rehearsal, once I showed him where the coffee was in the office kitchen, my work was done. Stewart made himself right at home; even so much as to have an impromptu lunch with some of our staff one day!
Often guest artists travel from city to city, orchestra to orchestra without a chance to really settle down while they are in season. Matter of fact, Stewart travelled straight from Sarasota to the Windy City to start rehearsals with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. I’m sure all the traveling combined with intense performances can make it hard for anyone to keep a smile on their face, but Stewart did it with style.
It’s always nice when a guest artist’s congeniality is a great as the talent they possess.
From the moment I picked Stewart up from the airport, I knew the week was going to be a breeze. He was extremely gracious and we had a nice conversation on the way to drop him off at the hotel. At the first rehearsal, once I showed him where the coffee was in the office kitchen, my work was done. Stewart made himself right at home; even so much as to have an impromptu lunch with some of our staff one day!
Often guest artists travel from city to city, orchestra to orchestra without a chance to really settle down while they are in season. Matter of fact, Stewart travelled straight from Sarasota to the Windy City to start rehearsals with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. I’m sure all the traveling combined with intense performances can make it hard for anyone to keep a smile on their face, but Stewart did it with style.
It’s always nice when a guest artist’s congeniality is a great as the talent they possess.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Duh, duh, duh, duuuh…
…no, I’m not mumbling. I’m thinking of the most famous opening four notes in the world, Beethoven’s 5th. And this symphony has been playing in my head ever since the fabulous concert on Saturday; I can’t seem to shake it. Chances are, you’ve heard this symphony before. Whether you’ve seen it performed when you were a child, heard it used in a commercial or even maybe you even heard “a 5th” of it on Saturday Night Fever! Yes, it appears that even the disco era had an appreciation for 200-year-old masterpieces!
On Saturday night we not only performed this symphony, but shared the life and times of the genius behind it. Most knew that Beethoven became deaf in his later years, but they might not have known the anger and torment he suffered because of it, or that he was abused as a child. And still, within the prison of his emotions, was able to write some of the most profound music of his time and beyond. Putting the music into the context of his period of time and his thought process made me listen to his music in a different way. It made him more real and more than just a last name. Not to mention that I had the added benefit of experiencing this great music over several rehearsals.
This was no ordinary concert. The format was as revolutionary as Beethoven’s music. It wasn’t just a lecture; it was a fusion of narrative, video imaging and musical excerpts that brought a “hearing” concert into a “seeing” experience.. It was made possible by all the meticulous behind-thescenes work that went into this production. It was humbling to see all the countless hours of effort from the operations team, camera crew, sound people, lighting, videographer, script writers…. and it all came together to create one fantastic program.
And most exciting of all, it was a totally sold-out show! I don’t know about you, but I think we may have upped the ante for the next Journeys to Genius based on Dvorak’s life. Can’t wait to hear and see the “New World”! (And if you don’t buy your tickets early… don’t blame me if you miss the next sold-out show… consider yourself warned!)
A few pics from the rehearsals for your viewing pleasure:
On Saturday night we not only performed this symphony, but shared the life and times of the genius behind it. Most knew that Beethoven became deaf in his later years, but they might not have known the anger and torment he suffered because of it, or that he was abused as a child. And still, within the prison of his emotions, was able to write some of the most profound music of his time and beyond. Putting the music into the context of his period of time and his thought process made me listen to his music in a different way. It made him more real and more than just a last name. Not to mention that I had the added benefit of experiencing this great music over several rehearsals.
This was no ordinary concert. The format was as revolutionary as Beethoven’s music. It wasn’t just a lecture; it was a fusion of narrative, video imaging and musical excerpts that brought a “hearing” concert into a “seeing” experience.. It was made possible by all the meticulous behind-thescenes work that went into this production. It was humbling to see all the countless hours of effort from the operations team, camera crew, sound people, lighting, videographer, script writers…. and it all came together to create one fantastic program.
And most exciting of all, it was a totally sold-out show! I don’t know about you, but I think we may have upped the ante for the next Journeys to Genius based on Dvorak’s life. Can’t wait to hear and see the “New World”! (And if you don’t buy your tickets early… don’t blame me if you miss the next sold-out show… consider yourself warned!)
A few pics from the rehearsals for your viewing pleasure:
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Mentors of Music
This Saturday’s concert celebrates the teachers and role models who inspire their students to excel in music. The highlight of the concert will feature four soloists from our own Orchestra, each performing various concertos: Adam De Sorgo, principal oboe, Larry Solowey, co-principal horn, Chris Takeda, associate concertmaster and Yoko Kita, principal timpani.
It will be quite an experience to see all of them take the stage in one concert and also learn who has guided their paths to becoming professional musicians. I’m especially excited to see something I’ve never seen before, a soloist taking on eight, count ‘em eight, timpani! I know Yoko and the other soloists are going to be fantastic.
The concert will also open and end with some of my favorite pieces from Bernstein and Rimsky-Korskov and include some visual elements that are sure to enhance the listening experience.
Guess what? Just because you read my blog today, and I greatly appreciate my readers, I am giving you a discount code to purchase tickets from our website for Mentors of Music for just $10! All you need to do is choose your seats and enter the code MM8 in the checkout area. Click here to redeem your discount! Don’t say I never gave you anything!
It will be quite an experience to see all of them take the stage in one concert and also learn who has guided their paths to becoming professional musicians. I’m especially excited to see something I’ve never seen before, a soloist taking on eight, count ‘em eight, timpani! I know Yoko and the other soloists are going to be fantastic.
The concert will also open and end with some of my favorite pieces from Bernstein and Rimsky-Korskov and include some visual elements that are sure to enhance the listening experience.
Guess what? Just because you read my blog today, and I greatly appreciate my readers, I am giving you a discount code to purchase tickets from our website for Mentors of Music for just $10! All you need to do is choose your seats and enter the code MM8 in the checkout area. Click here to redeem your discount! Don’t say I never gave you anything!
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