Now in its second year, the Kinnor Philharmonic can attest to their devotion to "tradition." They are the Kansas City variant on the Vienna Philharmonic's long standing tradition of a New Year's concert. Their biannual season also hosts a concert around July 4th, and the ensemble is led by conductor Christopher Kelts. The program is full of... Continue Reading →
Transformed by Art: Momentous Occastions in 2012
I contributed a piece about Krystle Warren for The Kansas City Star's year-end review for experiences in the arts. Kansas City is a great community to live in and I consider myself very lucky to comment on the experience on a consistent basis. For a short time, the piece is available here. (No longer available... Continue Reading →
Tuxedos and Pajamas: Party Like A Rockstar
Our family vacation to London turned into a bit of a KC reunion. As the Fates decreed, our friend Jake Blanton was on tour with the Killers and Krystle Warren was singing with Rufus Wainwright on back-to-back shows that weekend. Saturday night, we took a boat from Tower Bridge Pier to the O2 (which in... Continue Reading →
REVIEW: New York Polyphony
I reviewed the male quartet New York Polyphony for The Kansas City Star. They performed in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.
Meredith Marsha Helga Jayhawk: a study in contrasting audience experiences
We attended a christening on Thursday night. From the stage of the Lied Center in Lawrence KS, the members of Brooklyn-based Sō Percussion took suggestions to name the cactus that they were using for the first time, a Kansas resident. According to them, cacti have female names. Therefore, Meredith Marsha Helga Jayhawk debuted on John... Continue Reading →
REVIEW: Chamber Music Soicety of Lincoln Center, with Jeremy Denk
I reviewed the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center with pianist Jeremy Denk for The Kansas City Star. Not only is Jeremy Denk an amazing virtuoso, performing with also fantastic musicians, with a program of excellent selections, but - to the specific interest of this blogger - he has read À la recherche du temps... Continue Reading →
REVIEW: KCBallet, “Carmina Burana”
I reviewed the Kansas City Ballet's season opening performance, "Carmina Burana," for The Kansas City Star. Orff is probably best known by the punch-you-in-the-face drama of that opening "O Fortuna," but his committment to "total art" was more thorough than even Wagner's. Orff's theory of music and movement, his committment to children's music education, along with the... Continue Reading →
Fado Novato
“He, who came from nothing | In his nothingness was all.” - Joaquim Fredrico de Brito ****************** Beau Bledsoe has added another new project to his one-man global take-over, one that I was pleased to help with in a very small way. Together with singer Shay Estes and guitarist Jordan Shipley, he has created out... Continue Reading →
Happy 100th Birthday, Mr. Cage!
Today would have been John Cage’s 100th birthday. I threw a Birthday Bash on Monday in celebration and it was loads of fun. We had cake, balloons, toy musical instruments, bubbles, goodie bags, and a performance of 4’33”, along with a heartfelt rendition of The Andrews Sisters’ hit “Happy Birthday”, conducted by a four-year-old. As... Continue Reading →
the musiC/yOu make/insN’t/Like/any Other:/thaNk you.
The title above appears in John Cage's "A Long Letter" from Empty Words: Cage is either a yes or a no, depending on your particular philosophy. He's a through-the-looking-glass figure in American history. Once you find him and try to understand, you can't go back; you can't arrange a musical life without him. I've written about his... Continue Reading →
Proust Eats a Sandwich 