Is Music a Gift FROM God or TO God?

Is music a gift FROM God or TO God? I’ve been grappling with this question in particular this week. I was asked last week at church choir practice if I thought music was created by God as a gift for man, or if it was created by man as a gift for God.

I instictively answered that I believe music is a creation of man. After saying those words I felt odd, as if I had said something wrong. There are some things that are easy to say as a facade, but may not actually be a true representation of our inner motivations. Of course, there is the possibility that neither option is true, but we’ll leave that out for the sake of discussion.

If music is a gift from God for man to worship God, then we would be commanded to only use music for that purpose. I am all too aware that many people subscribe to this school of thought. But I am struck with the not-so-popular thought among church folk that this situation is exceedingly boring. I try my best, with my feeble human mind, to picture God listening pleasantly to the first hundred or so songs in his praise – and in time I would think he would long for a change of pace. But who am I to pretend to know the mind of God.

But I do know my OWN mind a bit – and I grow tire of the same fare. If I listen to all Baroque music too much, I can’t help but turn on the classic rock station for a while. And when that gets old I want to hear some Jazz, then some country, then I am back at Baroque again. Sometimes I want to hear songs that teach me, and sometimes I just want to be in a mood. Sometimes I want to be challenged, and sometimes I just want to get lost in a thought.

Music is a tempestuous mistress. It serves different purposes at different times. Anytime it is put into a box with firm borders I become a little restless.

Music is soundwaves – we have a Western scale of half steps, where the 13th step is an octave above the first step. And to us this is “music” – in other cultures there are 24 steps, using quarter tones. And in some music there is only 5 steps making a pentatonic scale. What is “good” or “bad” depends on the ear of each culture – what Western ears might describe as being out-of-tune might be absolutely delightful to an Indian or Eastern ear.

So then, which does God prefer? That answer might safely be “whatever glorifies his name” or something along those lines. Well then, we aren’t talking about music anymore, we are talking about intention and lyrics. And when it comes to instrumental music without lyrics, we are left with only intention. Is God less pleased when instruments are out of tune? Suppose the musicians do not have the skill to know they are out of tune, is God less glorified? Would be difficult to answer that question with a “yes”.

So I submit to you that music is a non-issue when it comes to praise – it is the intention of the heart that is most important.

Jesus said to give unto God what is God’s, and give unto Caesar what is Caesar’s. So when it comes to praise music, let the intention of the heart be the gift to God. Let the music be for man.

And I would humbly ask that if I have to listen to you during this process, please tune your instruments and play them well. And THAT, is the point of all this rambling. God will have an eternity to enjoy the intent of your heart; I would like to spend my short time on earth hearing music performed well. 🙂
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Luther saw music not as a liturgical act but a natural talent to be used in the world. Writings of Martin Luther:

Music is an outstanding gift of God and next to theology. I would not give up my slight knowledge of music for a great consideration. And youth should be taught this art; for it makes fine skillful people (W-T 3, No. 3815).

Nor am I at all of the opinion that all the arts are to be overthrown and cast aside by the Gospel, as some superspiritual people protest; but I would gladly see all the arts, especially music, in the service of Him who has given and created them (W 35, 474).

Song: If I Could Go Anywhere

Song: If I Could Go Anywhere

I wrote this song in 2003. On this demo track vocals are by Cherish Whisner, Background vocals by Fred Reliford, Guitar parts by Sean Clavin. The rest of the track I sequenced on ProTools.

I’d like to pick up the tempo a little more in this song and let the beat slide a little more for a looser feel. I feel it would work equally well as a country or R&B/hip hop arrangement. For a country arrangement I can definately hear the pedal steel.

My personal inspiration for the lyrics were my friends at the time in Southern California. At the time I had a job with a very small church and was being approached by a larger church to join them. This song was my statement to the smaller church about what they meant to me. It was a great core group of people. The memory of those people is strong and an inspiration to me. Although my personal religious conviction has changed since then, I value that time with them and what is has brought to me.

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I purposely left the lyrics a bit ambiguous so it would appeal to different relationships in different situations. Better to let the listener fill in the details with their personal life to better connect with the piece. It has been performed three times, two times for a church service and once at a wedding. To me it is not simply a love song, it is a statement of conviction between peoples that have endured the long race together.
If-I-Could-Go-Anywhere-Final.mp3

Verse 1
After all this time
After all we’ve been through side by side
We’re still standing strong
Holding on to the love deep inside
And I wouldn’t trade it for the world

Chorus
If I could go anywhere
Anywhere in the universe
And if I could have anything
That my heart desired
I know where I’d want to be
And I know what I’d want to have
If I could go anywhere, have anything
I’d be here with you

Verse 2
I can cry a tear
And you’ll always be there holding me tight
So I’ll take a chance
And wear my heart on my sleeve by letting you know
Just a bit of how I really feel

Chorus

Bridge
There may be other places more beautiful than this
But they’re not the same without you by my side
There may be other people who try to catch my eye
But they don’t know anything about what moves me

Chorus
So if I could go anywhere, have anything
I’d be here with you
Tag
With you
With you

QandA – How Do I Backup MySQL Databases?

How do I backup mysql info for my forum? I read that you run a lot of forums so thought you might know.

Jeremy (Last name omitted)
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Hi Jeremy,

If your forum is fairly small you can use built in database backup features from the admin section. PHPMYADMIN also works, but only for smaller database sizes (it will time out with larger databases). I’m assuming you have a dedicated server and have a larger database.

I have several forums with over 100,000 member entries, so the built in MySQL backups and PHPMYADMIN don’t work for those. You’ll have to buckle down and use your command prompt via SSH.

A good SSH program is WINSCP – You can find it easily via Google or currently at download.com

SSH into your server, open the command prompt:
1. Change to the bin subdirectory in the directory where MYSQL is installed
For instance, typd cd /urs/local/mysql/bin

2. Type the following:
mysqldump –user=accountname –password=password databasename >path/backupfilename

*********

accountname – is the name of the MySQL account that you’re using to back up the database

password – is the password for the account

databasename – is the name of the database that you want to back up

path/backupfilename – is the path to the directory where you want to store the backups and the name of the file that the SQL output will be stored in.

May seem a little confusing, but you’ll get used to it real quick.

Music Related World Records

When I was a kid I had a copy of Guinness Book of World Records and I wore that book out. We didn’t have the internet back then, so to find all the strange and bizarre in one place was a treasure trove. Wouldn’t it be great to know you had the world’s record in something, no matter how ridiculous? I was looking online for piano related world records and didn’t find what I was looking for; like the most hours playing a piano without stopping (that would be a fun one to try). But I did find some other fun music related world records, so here they are as of August 2006.
Check out the Guinness World Records Website

Oldest Symphony Orchestra
The oldest existing symphony orchestra, the Gewandhaus Orchestra, of Leipzig, Germany, was established in 1743.

Youngest No.1 Classical Artist
Welsh soprano Charlotte Church was just 12-years and 9-months old when her debut album, Voice Of An Angel, reached No. 1 in the UK classical album charts on November 9, 1998. It went double platinum in the UK within four weeks of release. Church first appeared on stage at the age of three at a Welsh holiday camp.

Most Prolific Conductor
The Austrian conductor, Herbert von Karajan (1908–89), made over 800 recordings. He was conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the Vienna State Opera, and La Scala Opera of Milan, and founded the Salzburg Festival, in 1967.

Most Prolific Symphonist
The most prolific symphonist was Johann Melchior Molter (1696–1765) of Germany, who wrote over 170 symphonies.

Most tour tickets sold in a day (concerts)
A total of 1.6 million tickets, valued at £80 million (US$142,825,258.47) were sold in the first 24 hours (November 19 2005) for Robbie Williams’ 2006 World Tour.

Most Valuable Cello
On June 22, 1988, a Stradivarius cello was sold for a record £682,000 ($1,213,960) at Sotheby’s, London, UK. The cello, known as “The Cholmondeley”, was made in Cremona, Italy, in approximately 1698. The instrument is called the Cholmondeley as it is known to have been in the possession of the Marquess of Cholmondeley in the middle of the last century, from whom it passed to an English amateur, Mr Drury, and from him to David Bittner, a Viennese dealer.

Most Valuable Music Manuscript
The record payment for a musical manuscript is $4.1 million, paid by James Kirkman at Sotheby’s, London, England, on May 22, 1987, for a bound volume of nine complete symphonies in Mozart’s handwriting. Consisting of 508 pages, the book was sent in for auction by a private anonymous collector. Sotheby’s reportedly described it as “the most important music manuscript to be auctioned this century”.

Oldest Jazz Club
The Village Vanguard cellar jazz club opened in New York City, USA, in 1935, and has hosted mainstream jazz concerts ever since. Artists who have appeared there include John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Stan Getz, Wynton Marsalis, and Thelonious Monk.

Longest Album Title
The album with the longest title to reach the US chart contains ninety words. ‘When the Pawn Hits the Conflicts He Thinks Like a King What He Knows Throws the Blows When He Goes to the Fight and He’ll Win the Whole Thing ‘Fore He Enters the Ring There’s No Body to Batter When Your Mind Is Your Might So When You Go Solo, You Hold Your Own Hand and Remember That Depth Is the Greatest of Heights and If You Know Where You Stand, Then You Know Where to Land and If You Fall It Won’t Matter, Cuz You’ll Know That You’re Right.’The album was by Fiona Apple, a singer from New York. It was released on November 9, 1999.

Loudest Drummer
A peak reading of 109.1 decibels was recorded during a show by the French one-man show The Jerome Experience (aka drummer Jéróme Dehèdin) at the Celtic Warriors 10th Birthday Bash at Woodgreen Animal Shelter, Cambridgeshire, UK on April 12, 2003.

A peak-level sound meter was used to record Dehèdin’s drumming, which peaked at a volume equivalent to a propeller plane taking off and louder than a pneumatic drill from 3 m (10 ft) away.

Most Drumbeats In A Minute
The most single-stroke drumbeats played in one minute is 1,026, achieved by Johnny Rabb of the USA, on April 28, 2000, at the Nashville Music Institute, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.

Most drumbeats in a minute, hands
The world record for the most single-stroke drumbeats played in one minute is 1,507 and was achieved by Alberto Arias Pellitero (Spain) on the set of ‘Guinness World Records – El Show De Los Records in Madrid, Spain on May 25, 2006.

Largest choir
Excluding sing-alongs by stadium crowds, the greatest choir assembled contained 60,000 singers who sang in unison at the finale to a choral contest held among 160,000 participants in Breslau, Germany on August 2 1937.

Largest Concert Audience For A Rock Artist
The largest paying audience ever attracted by a solo performer was an estimated 180,000–184,000, in the Maracanã Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, at a Paul McCartney concert held on April 21, 1990.

Largest Orchestra
The world’s largest orchestra consisted of 6,452 musicians from the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and music students from throughout British Columbia. They played at BC Place Stadium, Vancouver, Canada, on May 15, 2000.

Largest Trombone Ensemble
The largest trombone ensemble consisted of 289 musicians, who gathered to play for 9 minutes 28 seconds at Café-zalencentrum, Broekhuizen, Netherlands, on June 8, 1997.

Largest Violin Ensemble
On June 15, 1925, at Crystal Palace, London, UK, 4,000 child violinists gathered to play Recollections of England – Selection by Mareston, conducted by Arthur Payne and assisted by HM. Grenadier Guards Band.

Highest Paid Pianist
Wladziu Valentino Liberace earned more than $2 million per 26-week season with a peak of $138,000 (then $49,285) for a single night’s performance at Madison Square Gardens, New York City, USA in 1954.

Farthest Distance Traveled By A Human Voice
The normal intelligible outdoor range of the male human voice in still air is 180 meters (200 yd). Silbo, the whistled language of the Spanish-speaking inhabitants of the Canary Island of La Gomera, is intelligible under ideal conditions at 8 km (5 miles). There is one recorded case of the human voice being detectable at a distance of 17 km (10.5 miles) across still water at night.

Fastest Rap MC
Ricky Brown (USA) rapped 723 syllables in 51.27 seconds on his track “No Clue” at B&G Studios, Seattle, Washington, USA, on January 15, 2005.

Fastest Playing Of The Sailor’s Hornpipe
Trombonist Peter “Fats” Baxter, of Hove, England, played The Sailor’s Hornpipe in 8.5 seconds at the House of Commons in Westminster, London, England, on December 15, 1998. The Sailor’s Hornpipe is a well-known English folk tune, often performed to accompany a dance, which is believed to have been invented by sailors of the English navy.

Biggest-Selling Christmas Song
Bing Crosby’s recording of White Christmas (1942) has sold over 100 million copies around the world, with at least 50 million sales as singles. White Christmas has been reissued annually since 1942. The latest chart success with the song was in December 1998, when it charted for three consecutive weeks in the UK, reaching No. 29.

Seussical Cast List 08/06

Seussical Cast List

Jojo-Ireland Woods

Cat in the Hat-Mike Marlin

Horton-Matt Olsen

Mayor-Nate Young

Mrs. Mayor-Paige Woods

General Genghis Khan Schmitz-Cody Thompson

Gertrude-Bianca Campbell

Mayzie-Ashley Henning

Bird Girls:

Zoey Kypuros

Mary Witt

Lynette Cole

Corinn Holberg

Savanna Woods

Lydia Randall

McKenzie Willis

The Sour Kangaroo-Falon Calderon

The Grinch-Jayme Craig

Vlad Vladikoff (the Eagle)-Kaylah Golub

Yertle the Turtle-Sam Mitchell

The Wickershams:

Karina Grech

JessieJo Huizinga

Trevor Hansen

Michael Giles

Tiffany Richardson

Kayla Watson

Anna Oomen

Citizens of Whoville-

Katie Arthur

Selena Tibert

Brittany Schmidt

Sela Shepard

Nathaniel Voth

Robert Summers

Mariah Schmidt

Adelle Clark

Jackson Dillard

Olivia Pedrosa

Zoe Whidden

Elle England

Anissa Burke

Cadets-

Faith Shepard

Seth Lawrence

Tatum Sprouse

Jahldi Merritt

Whitney Lindquist

Jungle of Nool Dance Captains-

Lauren Riley

Makenzie Fox

Citizens of the Jungle of Nool/Circus Characters/and more…

(specific creature identities to be announced)

Courtney Bunnell

Devon Fair

Kiara Landi

Taryn Aldridge

Drew Evlandson

Magdalena McGuire

Blakelee Clay-McBee

Bailey Hodges

Elena Olefke

Nicole Trepus

Cydney McFarland

Emma Johnson

Emily Watilo

Katie Keck

Sarah Bamba

Chamidae Ford

Angela Uptain

Susie Pollino

Jensen Weynandas-Mains

Miranda Uptain

Summer Sanders

Paris Sanders

For more information visit the META Performing Arts WebsiteÂÂ

Theatre: Know Who You Are – Or Get Off The Stage

I was having dinner with a couple directors tonight and we started talking about character motivation and how to teach that to young actors. They said their acting coach taught them “If you don’t know what you want – get off the stage” or “If you don’t know why you’re on stage, get off.”

I love that. It’s so simple. If you don’t understand your character’s motivation, then you cannot adequately add to the movement or motivation of the play. The last play I worked on, the director would say “Don’t move unless you know why you’re moving” – another great way of relaying a similiar thought.

If you brush your hair, why are you doing it? I see often times actors that don’t know what to do with themselves – they will often just thrust their hands around while they talk. We usually don’t naturally do that too much (well…..maybe if you’re Italian!)

The reason I brought up motivation with them, is that as a young actor I didn’t understand motivation. Music is my thing, so usually I have a reason for every note. I had great music instructors. In composition my teacher used to pick random notes on my score and ask “why is that there”? If I couldn’t answer that question, I had to erase it. I think this kind of methodical training is fantastic when starting out. Always remember – you have to learn the rules before you can break them. But when it came to acting I didn’t draw the parallel.
For me as a young actor (and I feel funny writing that, because I am certainly no actor, but was in many plays as a child, including a paid professional musical), I knew who my character was, but I never really connected it in my head to integrate that background into my own, and to also use my own personality as development for how I would react to things. I mistakenly thought that if I didn’t have lines, my job was to be unnoticed until my lines came. I moved where the directors told me to, without really understanding the depth of my character.

So know who you are, know why are you doing what you are doing, and understand your character’s past as if it was your own – easier yet: pull from your own experience so your character becomes real.

Just what you needed, acting advice from a non-actor.
🙂

Peter Pan Auditions – Theater Arts Guild 2006

PP-Poster-small.pngMount Vernon, Washington – Auditions for Peter Pan will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 6th & Thursday, Sept. 7th at 6 pm, 7 pm, and 8 pm both nights.
Callbacks will held on Saturday, September 9th.
Rehearsals begin September 11th.
This is the non-musical version.

PERFORMANCE DATES, McIntyre Hall 2006:

Nov. 17, 18 (2 shows), 19, 22, 24 (2), 25 (2), 26

AUDITION APPOINTMENTS

Visit http://theaterartsguild.org for audition contact info.
AUDITION LOCATION: 124 S.12th St., Mount Vernon (1/2 block south of Division Street, near Skagit Valley Hospital)

(NOTE: Actors auditioning for Peter, Wendy, John and Michael must be in good physical condition and be unafraid of heights.)

REMEMBER …
Peter Pan will run for two weekends only, November 17th through 26th, 2006, at McIntyre Hall in Mount Vernon.

For more info visit http://theaterartsguild.org

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

The classic story of Peter Pan, the boy who would not grow up, has delighted audiences for 100 years. First written by J.M. Barrie as a stage play, then adapted by Barrie as a book, then the animated film by Disney, then morphed into the popular musical, the story is familiar to almost everyone. Actors auditioning for this play are urged to read the play or the book prior to auditions. Several movies have portrayed Peter Pan, including the Disney animated film, “Hook” with Dustin Hoffman in that role, “Peter Pan’ a 2001 adaptation, and “Finding Neverland”.

The TAG production is the non-musical play, and the cast will have between 40 and 60 people. The production will include special effects enough to give our cast members advanced training in theater technology, including a Tinkerbell laser, fog, Peter’s dancing shadow, a sinking Tiger Lily, pixie dust, sword fights, and, of course, flying.

For the part of Peter and the Lost Boys, we will audition both boys and girls; however, a boy age approximately 12 to 13 is preferred for Peter. We will not cast a small woman in the part of Peter as is normally done in the musical version. The Mermaids will be girls between the ages of 13 and 25 (or so). Pirates will be actors of all ages, including women as pirate wenches. Actors auditioning for pirates should leave their inhibitions at home.

Actors need to prepare a monologue or poem no more than 2 minutes in length. Callbacks will be Saturday, September 9th, and rehearsals start Monday, September 11th. Rehearsals will be from 6 pm to 9 pm Monday through Thursday with some Saturday rehearsals for Peter and his Shadow. For one or two days the week prior to opening (November 13th to 17th) the actors playing Peter, Wendy, John, and Michael may need to be excused from school early to perfect their flying, since this effect requires practice with a professional crew in order for everyone to be comfortable and safe. The flying effects are being produced by the company Flying by Foy.

CAST

The cast of speaking parts is as follows: (in order of appearance)

Nana (a dog played by a child)
Michael Darling
Mrs. Darling
John Darling
Wendy Darling
Mr. Darling
Liza the maid for the Darlings
Peter Pan
Peter Pan’s shadow
Tinker Bell (played by a laser)
Fairies
Lost Boys
Slightly
Tootles
Nibs
Curly
First and Second Twins
Captain Hook
Pirates
Cecco
Bill Jukes
Cookson
Gentleman Starkey
Skylights
Noodles
Smee
Crocodile
Tiger Lily
Panther
And little fairies, pirates, Indians, mermaids, birds, and animals
We may also use some child actors to be in the audience for Pirates to drag up on stage!

For more info visit http://theaterartsguild.org

2006 Skagit River Shakespeare Festival by Shakespeare Northwest

DSC01032.jpgI went to the Skagit River Shakespeare Festival by Shakespeare Northwest – saw Hamlet on Saturday night and the final performance of Comedy of Errors on Sunday night. So much to take in with these two shows that I could hardly express it all. This is a relatively new Shakespeare troupe that is still blossoming – this is their 5th year and only 4th season running. It promises to be very strong in time. Visit Shakespeare Northwest at http://shakesnw.org.
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Photo – Damond Morris, Artistic Director for Shakespeare Northwest. DAMOND – YOU ROCK!
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So the question of the day is – which one was better – Hamlet or Comedy of Errors? Both were EXCELLENT. Too many variables to address the question properly, but if I were to have a choice to see one of these again with the same players – I would choose Hamlet.

I choose Hamlet because the plot was more compelling to me. To watch the insanity slowly unfold and deepen was intoxicating. Comedy of Errors to me is more like an advanced plot of Three’s Company – fine fare every once in a while. As far as Shakespeare Northwest’s presentation of both – they took a lot more chances with Comedy of Errors which was very fun to watch.

Hamlet was not nearly as deathly serious as I had anticipated. There were several light moments and the actors were excellent in delivering the scenes in a way the riveted the audience and kept us engaged.

For both shows Shakespeare Northwest features many very young actors – many in their early twenties and teens. In each show there were some obviously seasoned Shakesperian actors, so it appears that Shakespeare Northwest is providing fertile soil for new generations of Bard actors to learn the craft from seasoned players.

Ticket prices were $12 which I thought was very fair for the plays. In fact, that’s partly what encouraged me to see both plays and get tickets for friends. Some amateur theatre groups price themselves too high, where their ticket take would have been much higher on the bottom line if they LOWERED their ticket prices. Shakespeare Northwest has the right idea, build a following and encourage as many people as possible to see the plays. I will for sure tell everyone about it, and plan on going next year to all their plays. So there the word begins to spread.

COMEDY OF ERRORS
They set this play in the 1980’s with costumes ala 1980’s Madonna, and interspersing 1980’s New Wave music. There were hilarous references to 60’s hippies and take-offs on the 70’s and 80’s – The play opened with New Wave dance music playing and that theme kept recurring during the show as different players would walk onstage with boom boxes.

The acting was excellent overall – all of the leads were very believable in their roles. Both twins of Antipholus commanded their roles well and the two Dromios were absolutely hilarious. I had not seen this play before or read the director notes before the show – the two Dromio’s looked so much alike, and me not knowing the play was about twins – that I was fooled for the first 15 minutes – totally NOT understanding the plot because I didn’t realized I was seeing two different actors. I wonder how many other people were tricked like me?

A nice surprise was the role of Headsman Officer played by Sean Haahr. I don’t think he had any lines, but had the audience in stitches with the funny diversions he would create. Sometimes scratching his back with the axe, then becoming increasingly bored and depressed when it turns out he will not be able to execute anyone. I wish I had videotape of his role – a great study in how a seemingly trivial part can help propel scenes when executed well (pun intended).
HAMLET
Highlight of the show for me was Mike Wallace as the gravedigger. Already a great scene, he delivered it with such spellbinding grace he had us hanging on every word. From costuming, makeup and delivery he was a cut above in my book. When he delivered his lines, I got lost in it and transported back four hundred years. That’s the magic of theatre and he delivered.

I was in awe of the depth of Shakespeare’s writing, in awe to the point of wondering how one man could contain so much wisdom in just one play (and I was watching a version with over an hour cut from it). I was relieved to read Damond Morris’ director’s notes for Hamlet which explained that Hamlet is most likely a collaboration from many sources. Here is what he was to say on it:

HAMLET DIRECTOR’S NOTES
by Damond Morris
Hamlet was never meant to be read, yet it has been translated into as many languages as the Bible. It is the most often quoted piece of literature, memorized by thousands and debated by scholars worldwide.

You may assume that the scripte was written by W. Shakespeare himself, “Every word made true and good”, but you would be mistaken. A group of actors came together and placed the words onto paper from memory years after they were in the play. There is conjecture that a later version of the play was printed from an original “script”, but the main work, all four hours of it, was remembered. If you have ever been on stage take a moment and try to remember your lines from a play you were in two years ago. You may remember ten minutes of the play, perhaps twenty with a fellow actor, but to remember four hours of text is outstanding. (Don’t worry, I have trimmed Hamlet to two hours twenty.)

Picture the scene; you are an actor asked to come to a meeting where you are going to translate your lines from the play of Hamlet. I have a romantic picture in my head of players sitting around with a giant pint at a pub recounting the words to the one person at the table who can read and write. The actors remembering the lines have been in many plays. Who is to say that all of the language they are remembering was actually penned by the Bard? It could have been remembered from another play and inserted into the text. The fact is that one of the most hotly debated texts in the history of the English language was remembered by actors who more than likely were illiterate.

Photo – Damond Morris (Artistic Director for Shakespeare Northwest)

ARTISTIC STAFF
Shakespeare Northwest 2006
Construction Foreman: Howie, Rob Slater, Damond Morris, Tanner Musick-Slater, John Gonzales
Artistic Director – Damond Morris
Stage Manger: Comedy of Errors – Molly Weiland
Stage Manger: Comedy of Errors – Ryn Bishop
Stage Manger: Hamlet – Dinah Steveni
Box Office Manger – Mairi Andrus
Properties Manager – Clare Tatarsky
Costume Design: Comedy of Errors – Marjo Henning
Costume Design: Hamlet – Maura Marlin
Master Electrician – Allysa Thompson
Electrician – Mike Miller
Lighting Designer – Marc King
Lighting Guru – Amy Chisman
Light board operator – Randi Kivett
Sound Technician – Adam Lynn
Sound Design – Jerry Fortier
Videographer – Zach Hammer
Head Usher – Grady Bonner
Security – Tanner Musick-Slatter
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COMEDY OF ERRORS
ARTISTIC STAFF
Director – Rob Slater
Assistant Director – Trey Hatch
Dance Instructor – Dan Claverie

DRAMATIS PERSONAE
Dromio of Syracruse – Mike Tilton
Antipholus of Syracruse – Cail Musck-Slater
Dromio of Ephesus – Caleb Joslin
Antipholus of Ephesus – James Brown
Adriana – Sarah Mickelson
Luciana – Emilia Zuber
Aegeon – John Gonzales
Aemillia/Balthazar – Tonja Myers Slater
Pinch/Taylor – Mike Wallace
Angelo/Officer – Marin Trautman
Solinus – David Cox
Merchant/Luce – Courtney Harmer
Townsfolk – Ian Slater
Galore/Headsman – Sean Haahr
Drummer/Nun – Blakelee Clay-McBee
Nuns/Make-up/Servant – Karina Grech
Pinch’s Assistant – Kristin Bruce
Courtezan – Carolyn (Travis) Hatch
Merchant – Lydia Randall
Camera Folk/Servant – Emma Lynn
Townswolk/Nun – Sheridan Musick-Slater
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HAMLET
ARTISTIC STAFF
Director – Damond Morris
Vocal Coach – Andy Friedlander
Fight Choreography and Costume Assitant – Mike Marlin
Consultant, Music – Stoney Bird
Puppet Construction – Dave Cochrain, Carolyn (Travis) Hatch
Costume Designer – Maura Marlin
Hair and Make-up – Mary Bingham
Costume Crew – Michelle Beach, Lindsey Bowen, Mae Louise Dopps, Maura Marlin and Miriam Smith

DRAMATIS PERSONAE – HAMLET
Bernardo/Captain/Dane – Charlie Jensen
Lucianus/Sailor/Priest/Voltemand – Kelsey Milligan
Player Queen/Dane/Osric – Carolyn (Travis) Hatch
Horatio – Jalyn Green
Gertrude – Merrilyn Jones
Gravedigger – Mike Wallace
Fortinbras – Nate Young
Ophelia – Rebecca Cox
Dane/Cornelius – Erin Hemmenway
Laertes – Emmett Brost
Hamlet – Steve Sherman
Claudius – Lucas Naylor
Polonius – David Cox
Marcellus – Alex Mutegeki
Rozencrantz – Sean Haahr
Guildenstern – Trey Hatch

2006 Skagit River Shakespeare Festival by Shakespeare Northwest

Stuart Hunt – Conductor and Music Director

DSC01023.jpgSTU BABY IN THE HOUSE! I have to let you know about my friend Stuart Hunt. I met him while working on Elton John’s AIDA. Being new in town there was a lot of info I needed and he totally hooked me up. He’s one of the “good guys”. Not only did he hook me up, but spent a considerable amount of time detailing his approach to orchestra scores, choral conducting and mindset on preparing music for performance.

(Photo – at Intermission where Stuart was conducting Guys and Dolls – Stuart (left) and Conrad (right).

So let me tell you what I like most about Stuart. Stuart DEALS. What’s that? People that “deal” are the people that jump right in and start getting things done, they don’t mess around. I went to see Jacques Brel at the Lincoln Theatre, Stuart saw me and grabbed me by the arm to give me a tour of the whole backstage area and introduced me to all the players. Then before the show and at intermission brought up all the little nuances and music approaches to listen for. It was intense. Stuart is intense. I like that.

I had told him I needed some assistance on preparing a score. Most people would have given a couple tips over the phone. Not Stuart – he cleared a day for me, had me come over to his house and sat down with me in person to go over the score in detail. What kind of man is this? I thought…that would take this time. Stuart has a passion for music that is totally absorbing, that is our common bond. So if he has time he will help where he can. This should be the NORM where people share their experience like this. Sadly it is not. Stuart is a priceless treasure to the arts in Skagit County, in my very not so humble opinion.

We also share a religious conviction that commands our work to be the best it can be. That is a strong bond and he has been very open with me about his personal testimony, which aside from music is most moving by itself.

Stuart Hunt has been an incredible inspiration and resource to me. His insight particularly into choral music is mind blowing. So a big thumbs up to Stu Baby for being one of the “good guys”, and I highly recommend him for any choral or conducting work.

STUART HUNT – BIO

Stuart Hunt has an Associate of Arts degree from Lower Columbia College, and a Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Music from the University of Washington, studing conducting under Prof. Rodney Eichenberger. He was Director of Choral activities in Quincy, WA for eighteen years and was Choral Conductor at Marysville-Pilchuck for twelve years. Mr. Hunt was the Associate Conductor of the Seattle Girl’s Choirs from 1990-2003. Choirs under his direction have performed 7 concert tours of the US West and East coasts, 5 concert tour of British Columbia, and 2 5-nation concert tours of Central Europe-with second and third prizes in the Vienna Youth and International Festival. In 2000 Seattle Girl’s Choir Cantamus, under his direction, placed 2nd in the International Kathaumixw, the highest place of any choir in Norht America of 42 choirs from 25 nations.

For two years, he was a staff arranger for Warner Bros. Music, arranging the Supersound series for string orchestra. His choral compositions are published by Hinshaw Music. He is past president of the Sno-King music educators and served 5 years as Pacific Northwest Repertoire and Standards Men’s Choir Chair for the American Choral Directors Association.

Since 2004, he has been a board member of the Skagit Performing Arts Council and conducts or voice coaches an average of 3 musicals per year – most recently: Oklahoma, Annie, Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris, The Magic Flute, Oliver, The Sound of Music, Wonderful Life, Elton John’s AIDA and Guys and Dolls. Active as an adjudicator, lecturer, clinician, independent conductor, and arts curriculum consultant for school districts, Mr. Hunt has a lovely wife, 4 children and is the founder of the Northern Sound Children’s Choirs and conductor of the Adoria Treble Choir.

Guys and Dolls – Northwest Musical Theatre Company


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I went to see Guys and Dolls yesterday at the Stanwood Performing Arts Center presented by the Northwest Musical Theatre Company. It was a great production with a lot of talented actors and musicians. Standouts to me were TJ Thaddeus Burzynski (Nicely Nicely Johnson) and Jerome Chandler (Big Julie). All of the parts were well played.

The sound was excellent – I could hear 99% of the lines and the vocals always projected over the pit musicians. The costumes were fun, especially the colorful gangster suits. The set was minimal, but worked very well for this production. Audience response was good and people were bebopping along at the end to the orchestra exit music.

There were several people in the production I have worked with before or traded contacts with, so it felt a little like family to me. Kyle Blevins does excellent sound, Stuart Hunt is always a pleasure to see conduct, Doug Morasch (Saxes) gave me several players for my last show, Clarence Holden I worked with in AIDA, Amanda Curtis also from AIDA, Sam Buchanon I remember from FAME (He was OUSTANDING!), Jerome Chandler I saw for the first time in Jacque Brel (He has charisma up the ying yang, very strong presence). So hats off to current and future friends, a show well done!
CAST
(In order of appearance)

Nicely Nicely Johnson – TJ Thaddeus Burzynski
Benny Southstreet – Steve Feris
Rusty Charlie – Shaman Winn
Agatha – Amanda Curtis
Martha – Ksenia Popova
Calvin – Mason Eger
Arvide Abernathy – Clarence Holden
Sarah Brown – Tiffany Jewell
Harry the Horse – Bob Nydegger
LT Brannigan – Jim Ruth
Nathan Detroit – Mark Abel
Angie the Ox – Jerry Vander Veen
Scranton Slim – Sam Buchanan
Miss Adelaide – Melissa MacNeal
Sky Masterson – Nathan Lacy
Joey Biltmore – Bob Nydegger
Announcer – Shaman Winn
Hot Box Dancer – Skye Dahlstrom
Hot Box Dancer – Erin Grandy
Hot Box Dancer – Heather Bartle
Hot Box Dancer – Lorna Faxon
Mimi – Erin Grandy/Skye Dahlstrom
General Matilda B Cartwright – Laurie Miller
Big Julie – Jerome Chandler
Liver Lips Louie / Drunk – Don McPherson

ORCHESTRA
Musical Director/Conductor – Stuart Hunt
Trumpet – Larry Laverne
Trumpet – Bill Oakes
Saxes – Doug Morasch
Synthesizer – Josh Zimmerman
Bass – Martin Rush
Trombone – Erike Hunter
Percussion – Todd Parks

GUYS AND DOLLS
Music and Lyrics by Frank Loesser
Book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows
Directed by Robert MacNeal
Music Director and Conductor – Stuart Hunt
Executive Producer – Melissa MacNeal
Choreography by Skye Dahlstrom

PRODUCTION TEAM
Artistic Director – Robert MacNeal
Executive Producer – Melissa MacNeal
Music Director – Stuart Hunt
Choreographer – Skye Dahlstrom
Technical Director – Bob Nydegger
Stage Manager – Amy Lazert
Lighting Design – Brent Stainer
Sound Design – Kyle Blevins, Robert Campbell
Scenic Designer – Bev Schatz
Scenice Design Coordinator – Craig Wollam
Property Master – Bob Nydegger
Property Assitants – Anya Petrick and Kara Composano
Costume Mistress – Brenda Scamehorn
Backstage Crew – Ashley Anderson, Audry Ugrin, Anya Petrick and Kara Composano
Rehearsal Pianist – Dorothy Herivel and Lauren Lippens
Graphic Design for Poster and Postcard – Walking Cat Design
Website Manager – Sydney Paige
Advertising – Doug McLaughlin and Melissa MacNeal
Publicity – Katie Garner and Anna Ronning
The Stanwood Performing Arts Center
August 4-20, 2006
The Kirkland Performance Center
August 24-27, 2006

Presented by Northwest Musical Theatre Company