Pittsburgh Opera--Ormindo
7:47 am, Wednesday
This past Friday a group of us choristers obtained tickets to Ormindo, an opera infrequently performed and recorded. The lead character Ormindo was played by Mr. Arthur Espiritu. Espiritu is a talented Filipino-American tenor who is in residence at the Pittsburgh Opera.
It was delightful that so many of us choristers could attend the performance of Ormindo. We truly enjoyed it, and were delighted by the lilting pace of the story in the first act, and enchanted by the operatic antics in the second act. The chamber-music-like accompaniment was unique in an opera.
This was certainly a rare opportunity to enjoy this particular opera.
We headed to Dawes on Ninth after the show to enjoy appetizers and drinks, and some of us to enjoy dancing with a friend of the barkeep.
Labels: friends, opera, singing
Light in the Piazza
This Tuesday night William, Marissa, and I attended the Broadway show, Light in the Piazza, at the Benedum Theatre. Yes, of course, the show has won awards, as well as the music, but I found even more engaging the set design and lighting--very reminiscent of Firenze. Practically everyone in the theatre fell in love with the two young adults as they fell in love, but I fell in love with the light!
As I say, "If you can't fall in love while in Italy, you can fall in love WITH Italy." And while in Roma, I threw a coin in the Fontana di Trevi, to ensure my return...
Labels: Broadway, light
Chatham College Choir, University of Virginia Glee Club
Saturday I purchased shoe traction devices for walking in the snow and ice. Mom, Dad, and I babysat Beatrice, and in the evening I donned the traction devices on my Doc Martens and took a bus to Chatham College. I met up with my friend and we made the snowy trek up the hill to Campbell Memorial Chapel. There, we enjoyed the sounds of the University of Virginia Glee Club (who sang, among other pieces, Biebl's Ave Maria for men's voices), followed by the Chatham College Choir (who sang less densely layered-voice pieces). After intermission, the combined choruses sang Poulenc's Gloria, and sounded glorious, considering that they had practiced merely one day together.
My friend and I enjoyed the music, and we saw Richard Teaster at the concert, too, with several of his choristers.
I spotted--and was subsequently surprised by--a vole in the cold, wintry snow on the way to the bus stop.
Labels: Chatham College, Choir, traction
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra--Theofanidis, Beethoven (Bronfman), and Mahler's First
Anjali and I went to hear the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra this Friday after a delicious dinner of Thai food--Andrew was our server. I heard my second Theofanidis performance of the season, this time of Rainbow Body, a spiritual piece that reminded me of music from the Cosmos TV series of the 1980's. Chris Theofanidis is the PSO's Composer of the Year in residence, and images from the Hubble Spacecraft were provided by Mario Livio. Anjali and I enjoyed the gently changing variety of themes in the piece.
Next was Yefim Bronfman at the piano for Beethoven's Concerto No.1 in C Major, Op. 15. He was, as usual, dynamic at the piano and played one of my favorite pieces, Chopin's Revolutionary Etude, as an encore. This is the second time that I have heard Bronfman perform with the PSO. The first was at last year's Mozart's 250th birthday concert at the PSO.
After intermission was the Mahler piece--I've found previous symphonies by Mahler to be rather dark and foreboding, but this particular performance of his Symphony No.1 in D Major was rather emotive, moving, with distinct themes that differ enough from each other to provide interest. Okay, okay, I admit it--I actually ENJOYED this particular performance of Mahler's First! Peter Oundjian conducted, and Anjali and I both enjoyed his animated direction of the orchestra.
After the long evening, we stood at the bus stop and discussed leg wear in the sub-zero temperatures while waiting for the bus. Meanwhile, we decided against attending the Lunar New Year Party in Squirrel Hill after the concert.
Labels: Bronfman, Mahler, PSO, Theofanidis
Ask your local
...scientist or librarian, if your question deals with finding information about how we humans have impacted our environment. In the past two and a half weeks I have attended talks by a mid-career geologist and by a retired physicist. Both had comments to make about humanity's impact on our planet: global warming and nuclear issues alike.
In lieu of a scientist, one can ask a friendly librarian, who can direct your information search and suggest possible ways to think about your question, to approach the information-seeking, and even to photocopy the information.
Useful people, those scientists and librarians. I hear tell that this administration has eliminated the librarians of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s main library in DC. Can this possibly be true?! If this is true, how can it be? And if it is true, does the First Lady know that there are no librarians? It seems she would care, given that she is a librarian herself. *Sigh*
~~~~~
15:15 16 Feb 2007
Lord Almighty, it's true! The EPA HQ library has become a "repository."
Labels: EPA, library, science
Dad's Home!
Dad returned home after a short medical mission with PAMS.
Last week was minus teens wind chill: COOLD! Last Monday I hunkered down for most of the day--didn't go to campus, didn't go to the radio station, didn't make it to a Cathedral meeting.
Mom and I took the bus to meet dad at the airport, after we had received several emails from famiy recognizing him on Wow Wow Wee! a Philippine game show. (He attended Wow Wow Wee! with a dozen other attendees of the medical mission in Batangas City, Philippines. They invited him to participate in the game show portion, and lost to a 9-year-old girl.) It had snowed, and started to rain on our way back from the airport--the bus driver took the frontage road instead of 279 N on the way home. The University of Pittsburgh closed early yesterday. More work for me because one of my classes was cancelled.
Dad and I were two of about only a dozen people who attended Mass this morning: Fr. Tom and Jeff were on the altar celebrating Mass, which was brief because of the cold and the lack of music. The people at Mass were warm, though, and we wished each other warm wishes and a happy Valentines Day. It had rained last night, so there was a layer of ice sandwiched between the snow. I used my hiking boots and baston to get around. Icicles abounded from last night; the rain had started to freeze ~10pm.
Labels: cold, Mass, medical mission, Philippines, TV
Enjoying One's Work
I have been really fortunate in some of the jobs that I have had---science research (working on everything from trying to elucidate the structure of an anti-viral compound to crawling around this planet looking at how the surface echoes the underlying parent rocks); science teaching (at universities, science centers, libraries, and on bookmobiles; and for pre-kindergarten through university students and their grandparents); and interdisciplinary teaching and research.
Some of my moments while working include finding my dear friend while working at the Children's Museum, singing the Star-Spangled Banner to a group of nursery students at the JCC, waking up from a nap while my advisor intoned a telephone message from our colleague, singing Elvis in lab, and selecting my undergraduate and graduate theses topics to reflect my interest in science and art.
One of my choir friends asked me this week if I had a chance to attend many professional conferences. I replied that I did not travel much to conferences recently---I attend many conferences locally. Part of enjoying one's work is enjoying the company of one's colleagues, and also those colleagues who live afar and with whom one does not have an opportunity to reunite and communicate on a regular basis. We both also agreed that going to conferences is more fun when you are visiting one's family. Maybe I'll try in future years to get back to seeing my "work family" as well as my own family.
Then there's the whole issue of balancing one's work and one's personal life (which includes friends and family for many people). The perennial question that one hears raised....essential to enjoying one's work.
Labels: family, friends, work
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra--Peer Gynt et al.
A week ago I attended the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra's performance of Peer Gynt and another Scandinavian symphony and a concerto, too. It was directed by Arild Remmereit, who vivaciously conducted the 2+ hour program. It opened with Carl Nielsen's Symphony No. 1 in G minor, Opus 7; followed by a break for the performers. The program continued with the Concerto in E Major for Trumpet and Orchestra by Johann N. Hummel, with George Vosburgh on the trumpet. Mr. Vosburgh performed the fanfares spectacularly, with amazing breath control. The program finished with Grieg's Suite from Peer Gynt. What a wonderful way to spend the afternoon!
I ran into Mr. Ted (from my Head Start Bookmobile days) after the program in front of Heinz Hall. He is now a manager at a local minibus company. How great to see someone from my first days at the Carnegie. We used to bring books, storytelling, music, museum mini-exhibits, and more to the Head Starts in Allegheny County. WHAT FUN! I remember telling one of my friends, Michael M., that I can't believe some of the jobs that I have had--I've had a lot of fun with some of my work.
written 8 Feb 2007, posted 14:30 9 February 2007
Labels: Carnegie, friends, PSO
