Sanctuary Concert Series--Scarlatti's Missa di Santa Cecilia
Yesterday, I attended the final concert in the 2005-2006 season of the First Baptist Church of Pittsburgh's Sanctuary Concert Series, Scarlatti's Missa di Santa Cecilia. The sung Mass was directed by Richard E. Teaster, with Jim Burns on the organ. There were a number of soloists: Mary Catherine Dykhouse, Katy S. Williams, Patricia Donohue Burns, Douglas Roth, Adam Richardson; Chrystal E. Williams, and Morgan Harmison. About half of the Sanctuary Festival Chorus members were from the St. Paul Cathedral choir, including Karen M. Ricco, Mary Beth Barsh, Judy Mangan, Jessica Sutara, Geoffrey C. Barnes, Jonathan Pinto, and Doug Widener.
The Italian Baroque piece sounded lovely in a large church. The whole piece carried a lightness, while having fugue-like passages, especially those sung by the soloists. It truly was wonderful to hear a good choral group accompanied by virtuoso organ and harpsichord. The music was meant to be heard in a space such as this. I spoke with Mr. Teaster after the concert, and he indicated that he had heard only one recording of this piece, when he was a youngster. It definitely is a piece which is not performed often, despite its potential popular appeal.
I also saw Sean King, a youth director at the church, who pointed out the architectural elements of the interior at intermission. He and I used to work together at the Carnegie Library, Main Branch. I met Mary Ellen, who conducts Sunday school at their church, too.
Duquesne Incline
Last night William, Marissa and her friend from college Karen, and I went to the Duquesne Incline. They had watched the fireworks at Carnegie Mellon University before picking me up on the way to the incline. I reminded William about the funiculaire in Quebec City, and Karen started singing "Funiculi, Funicula."
It was a fun ride up, and we went to see the gearing system positioned below the observation deck. Some of the key gear wheels have wooden teeth! There is an elaborate safety system, too. We then went outside to the observation deck where I pointed out some of the sights of downtown and the north side to Karen. The cool, damp weather helped us to decide how soon to head downhill. I thought that the ride going down was more fun--there was the sensation of falling down hill.
The inclines of Pittsburgh used to be several in number, and at least one allowed automobiles on it. Now, the inclines are used by commuters and tourists who enjoy the sweeping views of the city at the confluence of the three rivers.
Buggy
This weekend at Carnegie Mellon University is Carnival weekend, which means that it is Sweepstakes weekend, a.k.a. Buggy. Buggy is a particularly CMU event. Flagstaff Hill, which lies between campus and Schenley Park, provides the necessary topographic/energy potential differences for the racing drivers to speed around the course.
My sister Joyce was wooed by buggy teams her first day at CMU. She at first was puzzled why people she had JUST met in class were asking her personal questions, including, "How tall are you? How much do you weigh?" These were often the first words of greeting to her. She found out about buggy, what it involved, how teams utilized interdisciplinary talents of team members....then she told our parents about it. "There are bales of hay in case of WHAT?!" "Oh, so there are EMTs...hmmm." Needless to say, she didn't end up driving on a team until her sophomore year.
Greg also was on a (competing) buggy team, as a buggy pusher. That's how they met, despite Joyce's limited view of the world within a buggy.
So we all have been Carnegie children at some time--William is currently working at CMU, I have worked for the Carnegie Library (main branch and others), Joyce and Greg graduated from CMU, and Kelly was an assistant curator at the Andy Warhol Museum (one of the four Carnegie museums in Pittsburgh). It goes along with what many people say about Pittsburgh--it's a vortex which draws you in...you may escape for a while, but you always come back.
Various colleges have their traditions. This week, Debbie and I had discussions about the particularly Wellesley experience called Junior Show. We talked about going to reunion, reminisced and sang songs from our respective Junior Shows, and agreed that we have to get together before her job moves her this summer.
Huang Xiang--Little dumplings, Dream Nest
This afternoon Huang Xiang's Spring 2006 class gathered at the poet's Dream Nest to make dumplings, discuss and read poetry, and to dine together. We thoroughly enjoyed making the dumplings and preparing our own special dipping sauces from various condiments provided by our gracious hosts. In addition to the students, there was Huang Xiang and Ling, Wendy and her husband, and Chris, our translator. We passed the latest book by Ling around, replete with romantic photos of the two of them together. They shared their latest photo album with us, including photos from their trip to Italia last October.
Over dessert, we had a reading of our own poems, and I read my poem for the Philippine Nationality Room classroom, too. Some of us read published poems by other poets. Arrangements to translate were made. Such a relaxing, yet productive evening.
Lectoring
Yesterday morning I served as a lector for the first time in St. Paul Cathedral in Pittsburgh. I had lectored when attending St. Mary's School in Marietta, but had not been on a regular lector schedule until Friday, the Friday in the Octave of Easter. Everyone was helpful, it being my first day to read. Fr. Breier was the celebrant, with John as the altar server. Diane provided the music ministry. It is all very organized, with an electronic signal for the lector to go to the pulpit to read.
After Mass, Fr. Breir provided a translation of Latin phrases painted on the cabinetry in the sacristy.
Huang Xiang--Poetry in Asylum
Wednesday was the last meeting for Huang Xiang's "Poetry in Asylum" class this semester. We had read poems from Chinese, English, and American poets from various times (including Li Bai to Huang Xiang and his contemporaries) and varied poetry styles. It was an honor to attend class with his teaching and Chris White's and Zhang Ling's (his wife) translating.
For the last class we sat outside the Cathedral of Learning, enjoying the late sundown while sitting on the lawn. Huang Xiang and Zhang Ling invited our class for a gathering at their Dream Nest this weekend. We were all pleased and honored by the invitation and most of us stated that we would attend.
Happy Couples--Joanne Sydney Lessner and Joshua Rosenblum
Tonight I spent an enjoyable evening listening to Joanne Lessner and Joshua Rosenblum perform the last concert in Rodef Shalom's 2005-2006 season. The concert was called Happy Couples. The happy couples referred not only to collaborations and performers, but also to the pairing of songs in couples.
There were songs and art songs from "all over the map," as the performers stated, with music including
Le Papillon et la Fleur (Faure) paired with
The Monk and his Cat (Barber), in which you can hear the cat's influence on the composition;
various poems set to music, including
a couple of poems by Emily Dickinson and D.H.Lawrence;
a march and scherzo by Prokofieff paired with
Always Prokofieff by Joshua Rosenblum, written while preparing for an all-Prokofieff concert;
and two musical versions ofWho is Sylvia? from Shakespeare's Two Gentleman of Verona, set to music by the composer of Hair and by Schubert.
The space was the Levy auditorium with its intimate seating. Josh and Joanne performed well together--they evoked the moods and emotions of each piece. Each of them individually emoted the text and music; but when both performed together, produced a powerhouse combination. Joanne Lessner's soprano voice was rich and full, ranging from a sotto voce to high notes which soared to the rafters. Josh Rosenblum's piano accompanying and his solo performance's phrasing were masterful. They performed an encore for the audience.
It was pleasant to sit with my neighbor, Anna G. and to meet Josh and Joanne's two children, as well as to see Josh's parents and his brother Charles again.
Finals Spring 2006
I must go to prepare to administer finals for my sections this week. Students in some classes take finals a week early, our class included. I have no complaints about that--especially with a practical exam. I've wished them all luck studying several times. First final of the week is in an hour and a half!
Happy Easter!! Happy Spring!!
Happy Easter!! Happy Spring!! Happy Pesach! Happy Post-Vernal Equinox!
Today is Easter Sunday. I was in the choir at noon Mass and greatly enjoyed the time--Jess and Mark ran around taking pics of groups of choir members before Mass, Geoff and Masako brought family members, much of the music was familiar from earlier in the weekend, and we were all in a generally good mood since Lent was over and the shared joy in Easter was evident.
I took Mom and Dad out to lunch afterwards at a Chinese buffet and I ran into Helen and Olga Y., who were celebrating with their families. Olga has retired since I last worked with her, and Helen is at a different work location. I was pleased to see them again, as they were to see me. I also saw Huang Xiang and his wife Ling with their fellow Pitt faculty member from East Asian studies. It was good to see my friends and to have them meet my parents.
The afternoon was devoted to nap time, and I discovered a package outside M+D's door that contained something from the Easter bunny!
Easter Vigil 2006
Mom, Dad, and I went early to the Pitt Filipino Students Association Barrio Fest. We saw Nenette Angeles, FAAP president, who suggested we go see the YFAP dancers practice. We met up with Ben Pacifico, Rafael Evangelista, Charise Shively, and some of the other dancers. We also went to the Assembly Room at the student union to see the FSA students practice--and I saw Zach, one of my current bio students practicing his break dancing moves. We saw Charise's mom and other FAAP members preparing to serve the dinner to the students.
Dad and I left there around 7pm to go to Church for the Easter Vigil Service, he for the television ministry, and I for the choir.
~~~~~~~~~
The Church service started after sundown, with the church robed in darkness. Slowly, at the entrance of the church, people passed the light of candles to each other, and up the nave, until the whole church softly glowed in candlelight, and twinkled in handbells and the sung exsultet of glory in the risen Lord.
The light service was followed by the liturgy of the Word, with several responsorial psalms sung by the choir with handbells. The Gloria (P. Jones) was sung before a reading from the Romans, and the choir sang a glorious Alleluia by Fr. Chepponis. The homily by the celebrant, Most Reverend Bishop Donald W. Wuerl, concluded the liturgy of the Word.
The third part of the service involved the liturgy of Christian initiation, welcoming the RCIA candidates into the Church. One of the choirs own, Anne K., participated in this portion of the service. It started with a sung short litany of the saints, followed by a blessing of the baptismal water (Springs of Water, D. Fellows), a sung alleluia after each baptism, and a welcoming into full communion with the Church of confirmed individuals with a sung amen.
The final part of the service involved the liturgy of the Eucharist. The choir sang
Hallelujah! from the Mount of Olives (Beethoven)
Acclamations (Haugen)
Agnus Dei/Lamb of God (Isele)
Be Known to Us, Lord Jesus (Schalk)
Hallelujah Chorus (Handel's Messiah)
Sung dismissal
Jesus Christ is Risen Today
organ postlude: Toccata from Symphony V (Widor)
Bishop Wuerl was assisted by a number of priests from the Cathedral, Oratory, and other locations. The music ministry was led by Don Fellows, assisted by Adam Brakel (organist), Daphne Alderson and Linda Ortenzo (cantors), and the St. Paul Cathedral Choir.
I had a chance to congratulate Anne K. on her initiation into the Church after the Mass.
I met up with Dad, who had assisted in the television ministry that evening.
Good Friday 2006
Good Friday, 2006--I found myself heading toward the painting exhibit of the Stations of the Cross at the Ryan Catholic Newman Center this morning. Ann Schneider, a local Pittsburgh artist, had made small paintings of the Via Cruz in Jerusalem. Despite the small size of each painting, her use of the colors, their value, and her painterliness make the scenes come alive. As it was late in the week, there were few explanatory brochures left; my friend Roz had one from a prior visit of the exhibit, and I accompanied her as we read the descriptions of each Station.
I had a brief meeting with a student at work this morning, then headed home to drop my backpack off and clean-up and change to sing for the 1:30 Good Friday Service. The Seven Last Words of Christ at noon was attended by Dad (for he participated in the television ministry), who stayed for part of the 1:30 service, veneration of the cross, and Communion. Mom watched all from home. The Good Friday service was led by Bishop Donald Wuerl, and contained a lot more periods of silence than most High Masses.
We had visitors in the choir loft today, among them Karen's family members and Geoff's family.
I called Wawa at work to wish him a "Happy Birthday," since he and Marissa will be away for the weekend.
This afternoon, I met some Filipino students at a table in the Towers on the Pitt campus who were advertising the annual Barrio Fiesta tomorrow night. They invited me and my family to attend.
Fasting and abstinence is pretty difficult--only one full meal, and two very small meals, and no meat. Mom had made champorado for brunch(, which was met by my song for it). Mom, Dad, and I were ravenous by the time dinner rolled around. It's just about 24 hours since the beginning of my fast + abstinance day. Can't wait for that little snack....
Ecclesiastical day
Today is a special ecclesiastical day...it was Pesach/Passover/Holy Thursday. Today, I was an apostle, along with my friend Judi, and Bob H., and Eileen (sp?), who also had their feet washed. Footwashing seems like a difficult activity, what with the kneeling and the hard marble floor, even though we did not have the grimy feet of the original twelve. Christ's washing of his apostle's feet reminds us that one should be ready to minister to others, regardless of one's position in life.
It was an honor to have my foot rinsed on this very special day of the ecclesiastical year. After having our feet washed, I quietly commented to Judi on our way back up to the choir loft, "I feel cleaner!!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I've noticed in the past two weeks a 50% increase in the number of total unique views of this website,
TrulyGrace
I wonder why the sudden spike, I'm really not sure, unless it's because I'm writing about topics that are of interest to others or my posts to my friends' websites cause the additional viewing activity.
Twinkle
Finally, William and Marissa are announcing to the world the presence of Twinkle . A couple of months ago I suspected something, but until they officially announced Twinkle's presence, I meekly hinted, but said nothing beyond that.
At my birthday party, William introduced himself, then introduced "Marissa and Twinkle" to the group.
I said, "This is the second birthday cake Twinkle will have--the first was Dad's."
"Twinkle doesn't know what's being eaten," William replied.
"It's birthday cake, Twinkle!" I gamely said to Marissa's abdomen.
"Twinkle doesn't know whose cake it is," William replied.
"It's Auntie Mimi's, Twinkle!"
Twinkle received the nickname as the little flutter of a heartbeat was detected for the first time by ultrasound. The last ultrasound featured Twinkle's head and body.
I am excited about becoming an auntie again.
St. Paul's Cathedral Concert Series--Crystal Strings, Daphne Alderson, Donald K. Fellows
Yesterday afternoon, the St. Paul's Cathedral Concert Series featured music by the Crystal Strings, Daphne Alderson, and Donald K. Fellows. The Crystal Strings played Haydn's The Seven Words of our Savior on the Cross . The group sounded wonderful together, performing the seasonal piece in a space meant for the work. I felt that Haydn could have written the piece with more dramatic dynamics, given the subject matter of the work. During a brief interval, I chatted with my neighbors Elaine J. and Mary Lou P. After the break, Daphne Alderson, a gifted contralto, was accompanied by the Crystal Strings and the Cathedral's own Don Fellows on organ to perform Vivaldi's Stabat Mater , which describes Mary's maternal vigil at Christ's crucifixion. Ms. Alderson's rich, emotive voice was well-accompanied by the quartet and Mr. Fellows's organ playing. The group performed well together, and were received by a standing ovation.
I mused to my neighbor Tina W. as we crossed the busy street after the concert that I was somewhat thankful that I was not fluent in Latin, as the words were quite sadly depressing---The emotive performance, along with words in a language with which I am familiar, would have caused me to weep.
just a little get-together
I had a little get together of friends yesterday for my birthday--Theta, Judi, Anjali and I shared music, conversation, stickers, and dining with cookies (with fortunes), food, and cake. William, Marissa, et al. arrived later, after a CMU event. I received a bath pampering basket, beautiful carved stone Indian items, an earring set, a picture frame, and photos of yesterday's party as gifts. We were all planning to stay and play a round of "Celebrity," but the restaurant was closing.
Afterwards, I had a chance to go swing dancing at my regular place and met some New Yorkers from CUNY there...one, a PhD theater student and another, an English faculty member. It was nice to see some of my regular friends there, too. I was coaxed into a Charleston line dance by the visiting New Yorkers. Truly, I had a fun Saturday.
it's going to be a great day!
Today is my birthday. It's going to be a great day. Dad and I went to morning Mass--Fr. Breier was the celebrant. In his homily he spoke about the trials of Cardinal Win in Vietnam and segued into how that related to perfect love of God. John served as the altar server, Loretta S. was the lector, and Don provided the music ministry.
After lighting a candle in Church, Dad and I returned to their apartment. Mom had decorated the house with streamers in green and gold and in paper napkins all over the table, cabinets, and walls announcing "Happy nth Birthday!" (where n is 10x, and where x is greater than Benny's age [2.75yr] and less than Miranda's age [5.75yr]). It was just about as festive as Benny's birthday. Dad and I had a delicious breakfast of soft-boiled egg, oatmeal, and orange juice. As I typed the last web log entry, Mom played a glorious rendition of "Happy Birthday" on the piano, drawing me into the living room to dance around the room.
So, for one week Wawa and I are the "same age."
It's going to be a great day!!
~~~~~~
For lunch, mom had prepared sinigang soup; pancit noodles [for long life]; and a veggie mix of snow peas, button mushrooms, water chestnuts, and onions. Mmmmmm, delish!
~~~~~~
Dinner was at Buca di Beppo, where Joyce called mom's cell phone and the kids sang "Happy Birthday"! I told them that I had received their cards: One by Benny with varicolored marks, and one by Miranda with her family in the airplane and wishing a "Biy,biy, biy" ['Bye, 'bye, 'bye, etc.] to us. Dinner consisted of fried calamari, Caesar salad, eggplant parmigiana, and linguini di mare. The waitress brought a candelabra by, and the room sang "Happy Birthday" to me!
Dessert at home followed opening of gifts....a selection of scented hand-poured and hand-carved soaps from William and Marissa, and varied gifts with a "hint" outside each one from Mom and Dad. Desserts were a German chocolate cake and varied cheescakes, carrot cakes, chocolate cakes, and tiramisu provided by William and Mom.
BAD!
I have it bad! I have bilateral acetabular dysplasia--BAD! Born with it, so just have to accept it. To translate, I have extremely shallow hip sockets. Never caused me a problem when I took ballet, lettered in track, choreographed modern dance, participated in Filipino, square, swing, ballroom, Pacific Island, Irish ceili, Scottish Highland, or contra dance. No problems until about 1.5 years ago!
So, the past two weeks I have been working on building up a physical therapy regimen to strengthen the muscles in that whole area. My PT has an hour+ of exercises that she has me do. I have given nicknames to many of my exercises:
one of my STRETCHES: "I'm a little teapot,"
LEG RAISES, modified: on my side ("Jane Fonda"); and "dying bug";
"Frogkick";
"Oompa Loompas";
"Swimming/arabesque" on the ball;
"Bonnie Blair;"
When the PT student brought out the sliding board for the "Bonnie Blair" moves, I saw the bottom of the WHOLE LENGTH of the sliding board and stated loudly, "I may THINK I'm Bonnie Blair, but I'm NOT Bonnie Blair!" It wasn't until I saw the reverse, sliding surface and the blocks installed on it limiting the sliding distance; that I breathed a sigh of relief, and gladly donned the boots to happily glide across the surface.
It all comes down to this: I guess I'm just not hip! This is one of my little limitations in life.
Labels: BAD
tag, you're it!!!
I sent Wawa a chain email at the end of last month, with some interesting responses from him. Select responses of mine sent out late one evening last month are included below. The subject line was:
Tag, you're it! Have fun!
Four places you have lived:
1. an apartment with a view of Yankee Stadium, and within walking distance of the Justice Building, Grand Concourse, Bronx
2. Grandview, on a hill with a view of the confluence of the Ohio and Muskingum Rivers at the first permanent white settlement of the Northwest Territory (Marietta, Ohio)
3. Pomeroy Hall, Wellesley College AND on Memorial Drive, Cambridge, Mass for a summer (both in the same year)
4. In the foothills of the Boxspring Mts. in Riverside, California (where there ain't no river by the side!)
Four TV shows you love to watch:
1. Curb Your Enthusiasm
2. Monk
3. reruns of Murder, She Wrote
4. Jeopardy (caught the bug from my mom!)
Four places you have been on vacation:
1. in 20+feet-high waves at Baja California (the beach, after stints of fieldwork in the boondocks)
2. Death Valley (100+F and freezing temps all in the SAME DAY)
3. an open-air palenke at the winter capital, Baguio, Philippines
4. Europe and the British Isles
Four websites I visit daily:
1. www.google.com (for News)
2. www.mynetscape.com
3. hotmail.com (to keep in touch with people like you written to my email friends)
4. trulygrace.blogspot.com (to check the hypertext-linked websites of my friends!)
Four of my favorite foods:
1. My mom's Pilipino cooking (lowfat version!!)
2. grape juice
3. GOOD Pad Thai
4. Girl Scout cookies (samoas or thin mints--they ROCK!)
Four places I would rather be right now:
1. at a birthday party with my friends (not my party, but I just left such a party)
2. in my own bed, sleeping
3. in the kitchen, with a glass of grape juice
4. in a warm tub
Four hobbies you enjoy:
1. exercise, including swimming AND dance
2. choral singing AND karaoke
3. poetry (writing and reading) AND travel (don't get to do either as much as I'd like to)
4. hanging out with my parents (!) AND other family
As Marissa said, you have to consider to whom you are sending the Tag, you're it!! email--we all tend to mirror each other in some responses (such as where we have lived), or, conversely, try to list the most "unusual" places we have gone on vacation. I had particular trouble coming up with more than 2 television shows I watch regularly that I really enjoy, and had problems limiting all my hobbies to just four.
911 on 9/11
The front page of the New York Times this morning featured a story about the EMS telephone operators and the calls placed there on 9/11/2001.
The 11th of September, 2001 became a day like D-Day or "where were you when the lights went out" in the mid-1960's in NYC. People remember where they were. I recall that I was in a classroom at the University of Pittsburgh when we decided to take a break. After about 3-5 minutes, one of my fellow classmates ran into the classroom, his eyes watering, saying that a plane has hit the World Trade Center (later news included that the Pentagon had been hit). The first thought I had was that the repeater or other signaling device on the top of the Twin Towers had gone awry and the plane had accidentally hit it.
After the news about the Pentagon was disseminated, I immediately made a phone call to one of my relatives, as my parents had left earlier that morning for a Northwest Airlines flight out of PITtsburgh International Airport for a series of flights to Manila. Walking home from class, the streets were full of people walking away from the various campuses in Oakland; of people walking from work, of people walking and talking on cellular phones. I went home, called PITtsburgh International and Allegheny County Airports for some sort of information about whether airplanes were taking off or landing there. For all I knew, my parents were sitting in a plane on the tarmac for hours. I called my brother-in-law, who said that he and my sister had not heard anything from my parents. I called my work, and my coworker Joan indicated that the library was still open.
On my way into work I passed by the big-screen television by the Hall of Minerals in the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, which had preempted the educational video loop, and the TV was trained on CNN. Museum workers had their eyes glued to the set, taking in the information. Then, at work: The library was full of students studying and using the computers and people trying to get information from the Internet. My boss, Jim, said he had thought that the plane that crash-landed in Somerset County was originally headed for the Software Engineering Institute, a block away from us, and that we surely would close early that day.
I later found that my parents were headed back to the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh by ground transportation.
When we were preschoolers in NYC my Dad would pass by the future site of the WTC every day on the way to work. Every day, the construction workers kept digging and digging, deeper and deeper. He had inquired as to what they were building at the site: The foundation kept going deeper and deeper. A worker replied that they were going to build a really TALL building there, so they had to dig really deep. After visiting the site after the excavation of the 9/11 tragedy, I feel that time must pass if another tall structure is to be erected around Manhattan. And the affected families would want to keep the grounds as a memorial site.
I find it disturbing how some people believe that "all Muslims" are not to be trusted because of 9/11. Do we blame all Christians for the actions of extremists?
