Our next show

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Sue U
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Re: Our next show

Post by Sue U »

So last weekend the Philharmonic (of Southern NJ, in case there was any confusion with similarly-named outfits) premiered Ranaan Meyer's Concerto for Double Bass and Orchestra ("Concerto for My Family") and I have to say it is just a lovely, lovely piece. Very much a Gershwin Rhapsody/Candide-era Bernstein vibe to it. It swings, it's sweet, it's super-appealing and deeply heartfelt. (His encore of Somewhere Over the Rainbow was also terrific; if you think Bruddah Iz did a nice job on the uke, you should hear Ranaan on the bass.) If you ever get a chance to see him play (with or without Time for Three), drop everything and go do it; you can thank me later. He is a superb musician and an amazing talent.

Now it's on to The Holiday Show.
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Big RR
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Re: Our next show

Post by Big RR »

Sounds great; congratulations on the concert Sue. I have a few coming up in November/December (including one masked using singers' masks--not something i'm looking forward to, the ansks are uncomfortable and I am not happy about the sound), the US premier of a symphony celebtratng the independence of Greece (kind or a Byzantine piece in Greek and Messiah for Christmas--both Greek concerts are fundraisers and use professional (well, at least if being paid makes you a professional) singers (mostly younger singers from NYC, but a few of us old timers too; I'm probably one of the few that never went to a conservatory) and orchestra. Back to being busy around this time of year.

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Sue U
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Re: Our next show

Post by Sue U »

Big RR wrote:
Fri Oct 22, 2021 7:33 pm
Sounds great; congratulations on the concert Sue. I have a few coming up in November/December (including one masked using singers' masks--not something i'm looking forward to, the ansks are uncomfortable and I am not happy about the sound),
Singers' masks? We are doing Poulenc's Gloria later in the winter with a big chorus; it hadn't even occurred to me what the singers will do for the show. Except for the winds, we all wore masks for the concert on Sunday, as did the audience; proof of vaccinations is required for both the performers and the audience.
Big RR wrote:
Fri Oct 22, 2021 7:33 pm
Back to being busy around this time of year.
One thing I love about Christmastime is that it is such a big music season; I'll be playing three or four holiday concerts in December, and they are always packed. This was the Pops holiday show before the pandemic, a musical/theatrical interpretation of Dickens' Christmas Carol:

Pops holiday 2019.JPG
Christmas 2019.JPG
Christmas carol scrooge.JPG
Last edited by Sue U on Fri Oct 22, 2021 8:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Big RR
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Re: Our next show

Post by Big RR »

Singers' masks are oversized masks with about an inch in front to permit some projection. They appear to be some sort of foam and are hot as hell. The website claims they don't muffle the sound, but it seems to me liek they do--we have to breathe twice as hard to get about 2/3 the volume. But I put up with what I have to.

The other chorus is all vaccinated (with copies of the cards on file); orchestra as well.

Thanks for the photos, looks like a fun concert. I should have another concert of traditional Christmas carols, mostly English (as opposed to American) carols, but it's not certain yet. Even with a mask, it's good to be singing again.

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Sue U
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Re: Our next show

Post by Sue U »

Bicycle Bill wrote:
Fri Jun 25, 2021 3:14 am
Bugler's Holiday! Love that tune! Leroy Anderson sure could write 'em.
Because there's apparently never enough Leroy Anderson being played in the world at any given time, both the orchestras I'm in are doing TWO Anderson favorites in our holiday concerts over the next few weeks: Christmas Festival and of course Sleigh Ride.

This Sunday is the Philharmonic holiday pops show, featuring guest vocalist Whitney Kaufman, who you'll be able to see all over the country in 2022 on the "Disney In Concert" tour (Dearborn for Crackpot and Terre Haute for TPFKA@W). Check her out, that girl can sing (there are a few sample songs on her website).

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ex-khobar Andy
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Re: Our next show

Post by ex-khobar Andy »

I'd forgotten about this thread and the discussion of the singers' masks.

Went to a Messiah last night in our local cathedral. As you probably know religion means nothing to me, but I do like their music and architecture. The chorus singers and all the orchestra except wind instruments wore masks. The soloists (one each tenor, female alto, soprano and bass/baritone) took their masks off for their pieces. All excellent and the masks had no discernible effect. Audience had to keep masks on throughout - the place was packed) and they checked our vaccination cards before they let us in.

The slightly disappointing element for me was that the performance was a little truncated. They did about 30 of the usually recognized 53 bits. I love the "I know that my Redeemer liveth" soprano solo (have done since I was about 12) and they skipped that one. But an excellent way to spend an evening none the less.

My favorite "Hallelujah Chorus" for long time has been the Food Court Flash Mob from a mall in St Catherines between Buffalo and Toronto. Back in the days when I lived in Buffalo and when the relative strengths of the Canadian and US dollars made it worthwhile, we frequently went there but of course we were not lucky enough to be there for this.


Big RR
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Re: Our next show

Post by Big RR »

Yes, getting live music back is a pleasure. I am the bass section leader at a local cathedral, and we recently had to cancel our Messiah performance due to scheduling problems and a lack of sponsorship (none of us are going to get rich, but we have same paid additional choral members, soloists (I've done some for a number of years, and a 40+ piece orchestra). We did another concert earlier this year (jointly with the fully paid choir from the NYC cathedral and an orchestra), and attendance (while not bad) was disappointing, which I think may be the reason the cathedral and usual donors chose not to sponsor it. It's a real disappointment as it is the second year in the last 20 or so that I haven't sung Messiah (I especially nejoy singing The People Who Walked in Darkness, and Why do the Nations So Furiously Rage). It doesn't seem like Christmas without it.

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Sue U
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Re: Our next show

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Big RR wrote:
Mon Dec 06, 2021 3:57 pm
We did another concert earlier this year (jointly with the fully paid choir from the NYC cathedral and an orchestra), and attendance (while not bad) was disappointing, which I think may be the reason the cathedral and usual donors chose not to sponsor it.
Well, we played the Philharmonic's Christmas pops concert Sunday to a house that looked to be about 2/3 - 3/4 full in an auditorium that seats more than 1200 (and which was usually sold out in the Before Times). It was a fun show nevertheless; the orchestra sounded great, Whitney Kaufman was every inch a DIsney Princess and then some, and the audience ate it up.

This coming Sunday is the SJ Pops Christmas concert, and will be the first time this group has been on stage since our 2019 Christmas show. The Pops doesn't have as many "pros" as the Philharmonic, but the repertoire is less demanding and we have added some very good violinists to the orchestra this year. (Unfortunately, our viola section is a bit thin so far, but we're hoping to pick up a few returning dropouts before the next show.) As of last night we had about 400 tickets already sold (auditorium holds around 700 or so). We need to sell 500 to break even, anything over 600 would be considered boffo. In years past we usually had a school choir join us for a few songs, which certainly goosed ticket sales, but no kids this year due to the 'rona.
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Big RR
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Re: Our next show

Post by Big RR »

Sounds good. Hopefully, more and more people will start going to live performances.

I saw Porgy and Bess a few weeks back at the Met and it was packed, but then it is the Met. Audience members were required to be vaccinated (cards were checked at the door, and masked. It's a good start.

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Bicycle Bill
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Re: Our next show

Post by Bicycle Bill »

Gradually the world, at least in my portion of it, is becoming a little bit more like 'normal'...

Couple of weeks ago I attended a Mannheim Steamroller Christmas show just as it was starting its 2021 tour; house wasn't sold out, but there appeared to be maybe 1500 people in attendance.  And then, with this past Sunday having been the eighth day of Hannukah, I was invited by our local Jewish congregation to take part in an outdoor communal Hannukiah-lighting ceremony — and, in honor and memory of Katie Barefoot, I accepted and joined a group of approximately fifty for some camaraderie, as well as some hot chocolate, latkes, and sufganiyot.  After which, I drove through our community's Rotary Lights display, which also seemed to be attracting a goodly number of people to walk around, view the lights, enjoy the entertainment, and — of course — stop by to see Santa and his reindeer.

As I said, things are slowly starting to resemble the way things used to be ... or maybe we as a people are just accepting that this IS the new normal and are learning to live with it, just like we eventually came to accept all the extra fol-de-rol at the airports after 9/11.
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Joe Guy
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Re: Our next show

Post by Joe Guy »

Sue U, Do you have any video links to one of your performances? I would like to see/hear your group.

Same to you Big RR.

Big RR
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Re: Our next show

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I'll see what is available.

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Sue U
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Re: Our next show

Post by Sue U »

Joe Guy wrote:
Wed Dec 08, 2021 1:51 am
Sue U, Do you have any video links to one of your performances? I would like to see/hear your group.

Same to you Big RR.
The Sleigh Ride link in my post above gives you an on-stage look at the end of the piece from rehearsal last week (you can tell it's the Wednesday night rehearsal because they hadn't yet put in the risers for the woodwinds and brass), and here's a link to a little bit of the rehearsal of Christmas Rocks the Pops: https://fb.watch/9LRuwOz19D/
A multi-camera video of our season opener in October was shot, but it hasn't been edited for release yet: it was the first time we had "real" video production done. I suspect there are copyright and other performance rights issues with putting out a video of a full piece, let alone a full concert, particularly when we have professional talent out front. But I know a friend of mine shot some footage of the actual Christmas concert, so if he puts it on the Yootubes or sends me some in usable form I'll post it here.
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Big RR
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Re: Our next show

Post by Big RR »

Joe Guy--nothing of the recent concert yet, but this site https://www.proartechorale.org/ contains some earlier recordings. If I get anything newer, I'll post a link.

I don't have anything from the cathedral choir I sing with.

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Gob
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Re: Our next show

Post by Gob »

I'm going to se "The Skids" in March, if that counts. :lol:
“If you trust in yourself, and believe in your dreams, and follow your star. . . you'll still get beaten by people who spent their time working hard and learning things and weren't so lazy.”

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Sue U
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Re: Our next show

Post by Sue U »

Here's a link to a brief video about the Philharmonic; it was made right around the time I joined:
https://youtu.be/90-K-xWAwtM
The "retired Air Force flight nurse" who appears on the video is usually my stand partner in the Philharmonic and is also the principal violist for the Pops. There are a few of us who play in both.

Someone has also posted on the Hewtoobs a video of the orchestra and several choirs doing Carmina Burana in 2015:
https://youtu.be/hcncrtPqpVA
It doesn't really show off the orchestra so much as the singers, and the solo vocalists were really quite good.
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Big RR
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Re: Our next show

Post by Big RR »

We did Carmina Burana a few years back as well (I think around 2017),; it's pretty hard to do given the large number of singers needed (we had around 70 and could have used more; many of us had to double parts when possible. It's a popular piece with audiences, though.

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Joe Guy
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Re: Our next show

Post by Joe Guy »

Thanks, Sue and Big RR. I had to take some time and wear headphones to really appreciate the Sue orchestra and the Big RR chorus. Sounds great! And it looks like fun. I see why you look forward to getting everyone together and performing.

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Sue U
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Re: Our next show

Post by Sue U »

Backstage on the snacks table at the Pops concert Sunday:

pops brownies.jpg

And despite the warning, people ate them.
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Joe Guy
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Re: Our next show

Post by Joe Guy »

Hey Sue! I found this recording of your orchestra after all of you ate the stronger brownies....


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