A Visit From The Gulf Coast Youth Choir

It’s been such a horrific day outside. I woke up this morning seeing snow on the ground, but by the time I first stepped foot out of doors at 9:30, all the snow had been washed away by cold, puddly rain. The sky was gray with no hope of letting the sun peak through. It was a slow day filled with napping, moping, and moaning about the hundreds of pages I needed to read for class. I had no plans for the evening, and was hoping for something interesting to happen.

Who knew there was a concert tonight at LeFrak Concert Hall? I definitely didn’t! Luckily, in calling a friend, I found out that a visiting school was planning on performing with our own Queen’s College Women’s Choir. Due to the inclement weather, Gulf Coast Youth Choir logohowever, the concert was pushed to 6:00 instead of 7:30, leaving me in a rush without dinner.

As I approached the Aaron Copland School of Music, I saw young girls in black dresses rushing to the front doors with their camera phones out. Were they excited to see someone coming to their concert? I didn’t realize, though, that they had never seen snow before! These children are from Florida, a place where snow never falls. They were in a winter wonderland!

Now, what is the Gulf Coast Youth Choir?
Founded in 1992 by Dr. Lynne Gackle, the choir is a not-for-profit, choral arts organization for young people in the Tampa Bay and surrounding metropolitan area. This community is dedicated to excellence in the performance of choral music and to the creation of an environment which fosters musical development.

Within this Youth Choir, there were various small groups – the Voce di Vita, Mannchor, Girl Choir, and Le Petit Choeur. They each had their moment to shine, and I shall highlight one song from each group. Read more »

Posted: February 8th, 2013
Categories: Music
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Becoming a demographer

On this extremely frigid evening, January 24th, I made my way from Queens to the Gerald Lynch Theatre on the far west side of Joseph SalvoManhattan to attend a Macaulay Honors College common event. Last semester, there were two events held based around the topic of our Arts in NYC course. We went to the Brooklyn Museum and we had our own gallery opening at the Macaulay building, featuring our photos from Snapshot Day. This semester, our Macaulay seminar is entitled “Peopling of New York City,” and for this reason, I had to venture out in the cold. For this event, we had the honor of listening to a lecture given by Joseph Salvo, the director of the Population Division of the NYC Department of City Planning. Hearing about all of the different people that make up New York City reminded me about my English 110 Honors course from last semester. So much goes into this city that we are almost unaware or take it for granted. One of the secret ingredients in our melting-pot is our diverse population.

 

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Posted: January 27th, 2013
Categories: Museums & Culture
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My Name is Asher Lev – A Theatrical Adaptation

My Name is Asher Lev

My first and only exposure to the literature of Chaim Potok was at the end of ninth grade in my English class. Many people say to me now that it is peculiar that a public school would teach Potok, for his work is very Jewish. Though I agree with this statement – Asher Lev is filled with Jewish themes – it is clear that at least in this one book of his, there are stronger and more prevalent themes than Judaism. There is a line in the play (and possibly in the book, but as it’s been four years, I cannot claim to remember any lines from the book) that likens Asher’s artwork to Chagall’s – “he’s a little Chagall!” It’s funny, because when I read the book all those years back, I saw a slight Chagall-esque style to his artwork – bold colors with strong outlines. Having had all of these years to learn more about Chagall (obvious example being my visit to the Chagall exhibit at the NCMA), I find it interesting that Chagall used the imagery of the crucifixion as did Asher, while both of them were Jewish. Read more »

Posted: January 14th, 2013
Categories: Theatre
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It’s a nice day for a PICNIC

Picnic Broadway

How lucky am I to have a friend in the theatre world now (shout-out to Alyssa Blumenthal again)! Without her, I might not have seen this quaint, Pulitzer Prize-winning show by William Inge! I must say, it was quite a picnic. The story is a simple one, yet not too simple to have you drooling by the end. I’ve left you hanging long enough, here’s the show in a nutshell: Read more »

Posted: January 14th, 2013
Categories: Theatre
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I Cried For You, Evita

EVITA

…and not a good cry or a proud cry for the woman who was such a beloved figure in Argentina in the 1940’s and ’50s (and arguably still remembered to this day), but a sorry cry. I must say that Elena Roger, the Argentinian actress cast as Evita, did a poor job at portraying Eva Perón. By the end of the show, I felt no fondness for the fallen heroine. But let me not jump the gun here – who was Evita? Read more »

Posted: January 7th, 2013
Categories: Theatre
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Welcome to Inisfada

St. Ignatius

It is extremely hilarious how unmotivated I am while at home, but when I’m at college, I hop right onto my computer and type up a blog. Well, here’s my first post of the new year!!! Hope it meets your expectations.

Father Damian, Marina, and Auction CatalogI have neglected up until now to mention Inisfada or the St. Ignatius Jesuit Retreat House located in Manhasset. But before this, I would just like to thank Father Damian Halligan, the onsite historian at St. Ignatius, for being so welcoming to me, taking me around, and informing me of all its intricate details. Read more »

Posted: January 3rd, 2013
Categories: Art, Museums & Culture
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A Semester in Perspective

It’s been a pretty eventful semester if I do say so myself. From the first day of classes to today, my “final final” as I call it, I’ve jam-packed my schedule to fit in as many extracurricular activities as possible. In this blog I want to concentrate on areas that I have not really focused on in the past.

One such example of a previously non-mentioned topic is my involvement with Queens College Hillel. I wouldn’t consider myself a KOACHQC Hillelreligious Jew of any sort – I haven’t been to temple in ages, and until coming to college, my family had stopped holding Shabbat on a regular basis. And, prior to actually beginning my studies at QC my impression was that Hillel was an overall Orthodox bunch of students, I really had no desire to be involved. The funny thing is, though, that apparently the Orthodox Jewish population on campus is only 1/4 of the entire Jewish population! Anyway, my involvement all changed when I found out about a small grassroots, progressive Jewish movement taking form with the leadership of Alyssa Blumenthal – I would call her a mentor of mine. With her help, I was introduced not only to progressive Judaism, but also Orthodoxy. Read more »

Posted: December 22nd, 2012
Categories: Museums & Culture
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Turn of the Screw – Set Design

So the semester is over, and I will never again step foot in that strange warehouse/studio looking classroom at the back of Klapper with the same students. I must say, I really enjoyed these past 16 weeks of Introduction to Theatre Design with Meghan Healey (see previous post).

The TowerFor our final project, we were asked to listen to and read Benjamin Britten’s The Turn of the Screw – a fairly modern and hard to listen to opera. I originally wanted to design costumes, but after seeing The Mystery of Edwin Drood on Broadway, I was inspired to design the set. I created drops to illustrate all of the scenes instead of three-dimensional settings. I used props sparingly, to bring more focus to the grandiosity of the drops, stage, and story. I wanted the opera to feel slightly old fashioned – where the singers come on stage and sing their lines then leave (unlike modern operas when they almost act as if they are in a musical or drama). Read more »

Posted: December 21st, 2012
Categories: Art
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Last Minute Guitar Recital

I believe this guitar recital was last minute in every sense – as of last week, my cousin (Zeke Bardash who’s a classical guitar performance major at the Aaron Copland School of Music) wasn’t even sure there would be one! And with Zeke Bardashregards to me, I woke up at 6:30 today after a nap and planned to regretfully skip it, but thanks to some pushy parents made it there just in time! Read more »

Posted: December 20th, 2012
Categories: Music
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Water by the Spoonful – a Second Stage Theatre Production

Water by the Spoonful

Thanks to my lovely friend Alyssa Blumenthal who applied for an internship through TDF (Theatre Development Fund) to Second Quiara Alegria HudesStage Theatre, I was able to see the Quiara Alegria Hudes (In The Heights) Pulitzer Prize winning play Water by the Spoonful for absolutely no cost at all – except for the $7.61 we split at Schnippers pre-show. Read more »

Posted: December 17th, 2012
Categories: Theatre
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A Trip to Vienna

Vienna Boys Choir

The name “Vienna Boys Choir” is somewhat of a misnomer today. Though the Vienna Hofmusikkapelle is still based in Vienna, the boys that sing in the choir come from all over the world and are not all genuine Viennese children – one of the singers today even comes from Virginia! That being said, I find the history of the group very interesting. Did you know that these young boys used to be shielded away from public eye, only to perform for the imperial court? This was the case all the way up until 1918! Though that is almost 100 years ago, it’s relatively recent in a historical perspective. Today, the boys are split up into groups of 25 and travel the world to perform for the general population. Read more »

Posted: December 16th, 2012
Categories: Music
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Wishing you Happy Holidays through MUSIC!

Quick fun fact from WQXR: Did you know that “carols” were not originally songs that people sung going from door to door on Christmas? In the 12th century, carols weren’t even choral songs at all, but dances! What one can learn when being softly lulled to sleep by classical radio!

What I’m really here for today is not to talk about the history of the carol, but to talk about the Holiday Gala at the Aaron Copland School of Music presented by the CSCDC (Classical Singers Career Development Club) and NAfME (National Association for Musical Education). The cabaret style performance included many musical numbers including vocal pieces, instrumental, and even a cappella groups! Raffles were available to raise money for victims of Super Storm Sandy – gift cards to music stores, tickets to comedy shows, and even an iPad! Read more »

Posted: December 15th, 2012
Categories: Music
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Innovation Exchange: Re-Imagining America

Cerru Innovation Exchange

Men often hate each other because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don’t know each other; they don’t know each other because they cannot communicate; they cannot communicate because they are separated. -Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

CERRU, the Center for Ethnic, Racial, & Religious Understanding, hosted its first annual Innovation Exchange panel featuring eleven notable professionals in today’s progressing world. The format for the exchange was, in honor of the date 12-12-12, a twelve minute lecture from each of these inspirational figures. Topics discussed ranged from religion, economics, social, and cultural matters.

Here is a link to a youtube playlist of all of the speakers from this event!

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Posted: December 13th, 2012
Categories: Museums & Culture
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Introduction to Theatre Design: An Evaluation

All Queens College and CUNY students are urged to fill out teacher and course evaluation forms towards the end of every semester. They are encouraged to do this with the bribe of $15 worth of Q-Bucks for printing and photocopying. For me, however, I think it’s really important to let my professors know how I enjoyed or disliked a class, and how they might improve in the future. That being said, I thought I’d do a brief public evaluation of the first class I ever stepped foot in my first semester of college – Introduction to Theatre Design with Professor Meghan Healey.

Today in class we went around the room reviewing elements of design and how we’ve applied these elements in projects we’ve completed. The list of my projects went as follows (click on project descriptions to visit previous blog posts): Read more »

Posted: December 11th, 2012
Categories: Museums & Culture
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All the way from Venezuela!

The Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela was founded in 1975 by economist and conductor Jose Antonio Abreu, who said, “An orchestra means joy, motivation, teamwork, [and] the aspiration to success.” This orchestra comprises more than 200 musicians ages 18-28, representing the most polished students who learned music through El Sistema – the National System of Youth and Children’s Orchestras and Choirs of Venezuela. Much more than a music education program, El Sistema is a visionary global movement based on Maestro Abreu’s philosophy that learning music as a collective practice can teach youth values and skills that will help them achieve their full potential in life. The program currently serves 400,000 people across Venezuela, 75% of whom live below the poverty line. There are a growing number of programs modeled after El Sistema in the US.

The above blurb came from the KidsNotes activity booklet that I received earlier today at the Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra performance at Carnegie Hall. The concert was geared towards young children. One piece, La Conga del Fuego Nuevo by Arturo Marquez, introduced the different instrument families to the audience as they passed a melody back and forth between the various instruments. Here is the full program (click to hear!): Read more »

Posted: December 10th, 2012
Categories: Music
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