Hyundai.jpg, originally uploaded by Behold How Free.
I finally sold my Hyundai (named ‘Tosca’) yesterday. It feels like the end of an era! Tosca was very good car to me - took me all over Houston and also on dozens of trips ALL over the USA. RIP Tosca!
0121102008a.jpg, originally uploaded by Behold How Free.
Enjoying great food and Flamenco at Andalucia with Abby, Lauran, and Eric.
I’ve just enjoyed a wonderful week of singing in Austin with Conspirare. It was a wonderful evening of mostly German music, including the monolith Deutsche Motette by Richard Strauss. You can see a couple of the reviews here.
There are so many things I love about singing with Conspirare, and one of the my favorites is the many wonderful ways that Craig Hella Johnson talks about music. I archived some of my favorite Craig quotes last year. So without further delay, here is Part 2 of Craig-isms:
“Everybody be Rolf from ‘The Sound of Music.‘”
“Sing it through your ‘oo’ tube.”
“Sing it right up here with your ‘ah’ plate.”
“I want to do this music again someday, so please keep this piece in mind as you go off and have children and change jobs.” (Paul Guttry: “Or as you change children and have jobs…”)
“Let’s just do the math, with lots of trust.”
“That’s what I said I would do, which I didn’t do, but I will do.”
“Coming right up to the altar.”
“Slow the potter’s wheel down, get all those paint colors in.”
“Really get the blood out of that turnip.”
“Make your stand with every single voting member.”
“If you’re willing to play with me, I’ll paint with you. Who wants to come out and play?”
“Just one shovel of snow, then another.”
“Shake your St. Bernard jowls.”
“Flit through the garden, there’s fruit enough for all.”
“Get busy inside.”
“Let that word be the one you love with your mouth.”
“Just change the shoulder strap, not the whole dress.”
“Cotton balls on your trampoline.”
“Touch it with a firm cotton ball.”
“Just the flutter of a guppy tail.”
“Love is a dark dangerous shaft.”
“Bring in a little more schmerz.”
“Stick to your knitting there.”
“Who needs a string section when we have your guys?”
“Some of you are bringing lower hanging fruit on the trees.”
“And now we are going to sing to you about how short life is. It is sure to be uplifting.”
I wanted to share this incredible poem. My dear friend Jacque Darragh gave me this poem as part of our Artist’s Way class. I just adore what it says. You can take “Love” to mean so many different things: the love we receive from others or from God, or the act of giving love to others. In my current journey, I read this poem to be about loving myself. “I know how you can get when you have not had a drink of [giving] Love [to yourself].”
(A little background: the poem is by the Sufi poet Hafez, sometimes referred to as Hafiz. He is from the same era and spiritual tradition as Rumi. In the poem he mentions “Hafiz,” which is also a term used to describe people who have memorized the entire Qur’an. In the context of this poem, it really just means people who are enlightened and wise.)
I know the way you can get
When you have not had a drink of Love:
Your face hardens,
Your sweet muscles cramp.
Children become concerned
About a strange look that appears in your eyes
Which even begins to worry your own mirror
And nose.
Squirrels and birds sense your sadness
And call an important conference in a tall tree.
They decide which secret code to chant
To help your mind and soul.
Even angels fear that brand of madness
That arrays itself against the world
And throws sharp stones and spears into
The innocent
And into one’s self.
O I know the way you can get
If you have not been drinking Love:
You might rip apart
Every sentence your friends and teachers say,
Looking for hidden clauses.
You might weigh every word on a scale
Like a dead fish.
You might pull out a ruler to measure
From every angle in your darkness
The beautiful dimensions of a heart you once
Trusted.
I know the way you can get
If you have not had a drink from Love’s
Hands.
That is why all the Great Ones speak of
The vital need
To keep remembering God,
So you will come to know and see Him
As being so Playful
And Wanting,
Just Wanting to help.
That is why Hafiz says:
Bring your cup near me.
For all I care about
Is quenching your thirst for freedom!
All a Sane man can ever care about
Is giving Love!
Weinberg Center.jpg, originally uploaded by Behold How Free.
My return to the Weinberg Center! Just being here is a flood of great memories from days gone by. I’m excited about the performance tonight.
Every Man Heart Lay Down opens tomorrow night for the first of two performances. This is the third annual production of this musical, with new cast members and new revisions to the script.
Every Man Heart Lay Down is a Christmas musical set in Africa, based on a children’s book by Lorenz Graham. This production was created by choreographer Sandra Organ Solis, musician Daniel Buchanan, and visual artist Karen Capper. It tells the story of the birth of Jesus, using unique modern dance, original music, African folk music, and a lush, vibrant set.
I’m really excited about the production this year. I hope you can make one of the performances! Admission is free.
December 4, 2009, 7:00pm
December 6, 2009, 6:00pm
Every Man Heart Lay Down
An African Christmas Musical
Created by Karen Capper, Daniel Buchanan, and Sandra Organ
City of Refuge Church
3150 Yellowstone Blvd.
Houston, TX 77054
You are invited to see HGO “Opera to Go!” perform tomorrow (Saturday, November 21) at Houston’s Discovery Green Park.
We are performing as part of the Flavors Festival, an international food festival, including cooking demonstrations and lots of great food.
10:00am Hansel and Gretel performance
This will also include (as I understand) an opportunity to make gingerbread houses!
1:00pm How Nanita Learned To Make Flan performance
This will include a cooking lesson from a gourmet chef, teaching everyone how to make flan!
Sounds like it will be a great day! Hope you can make it!
P.S. I understand that we will not be performing on the large main stage, but at a stage set up near “The Grove” restaurant.
"Opera To Go!" at Discovery Green, Spring 2009
I got to Swell Season and The Frames live last night. I loved it! So charming and fun! (Is case you don’t realize, these are the two stars of the movie “Once.”) Their music is joyful and diverse. They invited us to sing along at lots of different points in the evening. They even invited one girl onstage to sing with them, who turned out to be a really great singer! The whole band clearly had a sense of adventure and improvisation about them. The opening song was accompanied by an old Casio keyboard - you know, the kind with the really silly canned drum beats! And then they ended with a simple song sung acapella, all of them standing at the front of the stage. Great music, and just a heartwarming evening. Loved it!
I posted some new pictures of Hansel and Gretel with “Opera to Go!” taken by Eric Melear. Click here to see them.
I was SO glad I took the time to go see the final dress rehearsal of Wagner’s Lohengrin at Houston Grand Opera on Tuesday night. I had NO idea that I would experience such a special performance. I have seen several Wagner operas live, but it has been quite a few years. I just remember enjoying certain parts and being a bit bored. On Tuesday night, however, I was not bored in the least! The story is so interesting and compelling. The production is modern and intriguing. The orchestra plays so passionately and gutsy. And most importantly, the singing is TOP notch. The 80-member chorus sings with hundreds of colors and timbres, including my personal favorite: nail-you-to-the-chair LOUD! The principal artists all sing with nuance and beauty. I especially enjoyed hearing Ortrud, played by Christine Goerke. That is a voice I will not soon forget!
I highly recommend that you go see Lohengrin. October 30 - November 15, 2009 at Houston Grand Opera.
