An email received with questions about performing the music for AIDA by Elton John.
EMAIL:
I am the pit orchestra director for an upcoming High School prodcution of
Aida. This is my first experience working with a more contemporary style
pit. I noticed that you have experience with conductn the show. I’d
appreciate any help or advice you might have for working with instrumentation -particularly with regard to the keyboards and percussion.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZ7Hn2CbJys
The ZAiA Band plays live musical accompaniment for Cirque du Soleil’s ZAiA show. ZAiA is a multidisciplinary circus arts show about a young girl who travels through the universe to find love. Come to Macau and dream with us! Now playing at the Venetian Macau Hotel Casino and Resort.
Music by Violaine Corradi
Directed by Gilles Maheu
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1MEDm8to4M
Video of Santa’s 2009 Christmas Eve visit to China. He is also spotted on the official NORAD Santa Tracker as having already visited Kowloon in Hong Kong.
NORAD uses a combination of satellites, Santa cams, escort Jets and infrared radar (locked onto Rudolph’s nose) to track Santa. You can follow the official NORAD Santa Tracker at:
http://www.noradsanta.org/en/index.html
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vd0UAdpBNUg
Rowan Atkinson 1979 in a sketch “The Piano Player”. A little high brow comedy from back in the day. The first piece he plays is the first movement of the Pathetique Piano Sonata in C minor by Beethoven.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDeXUvWbLp8
There is a little confusion in China when it comes to Western holidays. For instance, on Christmas Eve the street was littered with confetti as people exploded party poppers at the stroke of midnight for the beginning of Christmas Day. And then Auld Lang Syne is playing on all the bar sound systems. Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve – what’s the difference right? Ugh.
So thank you to my friend from the Great White North who sent me this. I got home tonight as Christmas Eve turned to Christmas Day in China. Was feeling very sad not to be with my family, and to not have the usual Christmas events around me. This video helped center me a bit.
Her is an alternate verse for O Holy Night (Cantique de Noel), and I think a more powerful one.
Chains shall he break
for the slave is our brother
And in His name
all oppression shall cease
Sweet hymns of joy
In grateful chorus raise we
Let all within us
Praise His holy name
Christ is the Lord
And ever ever praise we
Noel, Noel
O night, O night divine
Noel, Noel
O night, O night divine
ZAIA press photo from the Hand to Hand act. Cirque Du Soleil in Macau (SAR) China.
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/BUSINESS/12/16/macau.casino.comeback/index.html
CNN interview with Sheldon Adelson, chairman of the Las Vegas Sands; home to Cirque Du Soleil’s ZAIA show. We will have more news regarding Adelson and Cirque within the next month or so.
I really could not believe this news. I read it several times to make sure I was not misunderstanding it. Since I run many websites I had contemplated running a Chinese network hosted in China – and I’m so glad now that I didn’t do that. What a waste it would have been.
In short: China will be reviewing all personal Chinese websites for content; will ban any website they think has bad content (porn, anti-government, dissidents, etc.); and anyone registering a new domain will have to present business papers.
Continue reading “China Bans Individuals from Registering Websites”
What a trip. Someone posted this photo on Facebook. I think it’s 1982 at Interlake High School (Bellevue, WA) at a Symphonic Band concert. I am the third French Horn player from the right. I graduated the following year in 1983 first chair. So I think I was 15 years old in this photo. Leo Dodd was the music director for bands and jazz ensembles. He is a legend.
After this I went to Pacific Lutheran University, gave up French Horn, and focused on piano, voice and composition.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nl0HqlbX7dc
Rowan Atkinson interviews Elton John at Hysteria 3 (1991)
This was a little obscure, but in conversation with a clown he mentioned this interview so I looked it up. I thought it was very entertaining.