I grew up with fog, and sang on the way to Oakland High madrigals at 7:30 in the morning.  It made my hair wavy like Janis Joplin…

On Saturday September 22, I’ll be singing with a fog/art project at the Arnold Arboretum.  Maria Finkelmeier’s piece for voices, brass and percussion lasts 20 minutes, so we’ll do it three times: 4:30, 5:30, and 6:30, right by the front gate and Hunnewell building.  Free and you are invited to wander around us as we make music!

http://www.mariafinkelmeier.com/live/2018/9/22/flow-through-at-fogxflo

 

 

Image may contain: textMake Music Boston

Water Music: 5 premiers, sung and played at the Esplanade on the longest day of the year…this is what I call new music heaven…percussion, brass and voices.  I can’t wait to hear what they all sound like out there, and I cannot imagine what the audience will experience as they wander through the Esplanade island near the Hatch Shell, among and between us performing musicians.  It’s sure to be a great event–I have done other large-scale pieces with Maria Finkelmeier, the organizer (“In C”, “Inuksuit” at the Arboretum, playing the wall of the Green Monster during a light show), and trust her implicitly.  These compositions are by Maria herself, Marti Epstein, Anthony Green, Neil Parsons and Manuel Garcia Albornoz.   7:30-9pm on Thursday, June 21, 2018, the River Charles in Boston…

Make Music Boston's photo.

4 color Bach

Sing/play Bach arias this semester at NEC–class begins Wednesday February 7, 7:30-8:30pm.  Learn how to choose great arias, rehearse them as chamber music, and make a recitative sound like a great story…details: NEC voice classes

Appropriate for singers who can learn this wonderful music on their own and are comfortable singing in German; also welcome: flutes, oboes, strings, keyboard players…please pass this on and questions welcome…

 

practicing-instruments

I recently attended a workshop on improvisation*, and one of the interesting topics was practicing.  Not just figuring out how to improvise over a jazz standard, although we did some of that as well.  Finding new ways into the music, ways to make it more creative and a lot more productive.  I was fascinated, because I had already been invited to offer an evening workshop at the New England Conservatory about the very subject.  I had a lot of ideas before and now I have even more. The free event, for adults of all persuasions (beginners are encouraged), is coming up soon.  Here’s the scoop:

Wednesday January 31, 8-9:30pm, Pierce Hall, New England Conservatory of Music, 241 St Botolph Street, Boston.  Free to all, no NEC affiliation necessary.  Appropriate for all styles.  Bring your questions or even a bit of a song you’d like to ask about…there will be handouts, so if you’re coming, shoot me an email so I know how many to prepare.  No one is required to sing, but there will be opportunities for the group to try exercises together.

*it was a weeklong workshop with two master performers/teachers, Rhiannon and Laurence Hobgood.  In Hawaii.  Poor me.  I did, however, suffer through Boston’s Big Chill before earning the right to get warm.   There was also an exciting false alert sent to my phone about incoming missiles.  Some people have all the fun.

Large color JP Jubilee Dec 2017

My sweet, fun choir of elders (JP Jubilee) is taking a big step this December, performing with a local community orchestra.  We’ve learned the Hallelujah chorus and there are many other sweet holiday pieces on the program, which will be conducted by Geneviève Leclair.  I am spitting proud of my “kids”.  I have relented in my taboo of women tenors–with 72 members and only 11 men, I wisely chose to let our “lady baritones” have their day.  Well, lady tenors.  Post-menopausal and rarin’ to sing!

All proceeds of this concert go to support our program, which is a free class and meets at our local library.

2017s concert jubilee 5 color flat

This is late notice, but hey, it’s good to know at any time that elders can learn to do hip-hop…and I will do a cameo solo in Deborah Henson-Conant’s song about the library, in honor of our return to the newly renovated branch library where we have met since we started in 2013.  Lots of good fun, and short, too!

Singing classes which double as performing groups–what’s not to love?  Two groups start this week, plus private lessons in Central Square and Jamaica Plain.

The Platinum Singers at USES meet after an excellent exercise class on Wednesdays…see below for complete list of classes (and can you spot us in the little photo?)

senior-services-fy17

Red and Green

Porchfest 

 

Porchfest JP Choral Singers                Led by Pam Kristan

Sat July 9,    1:30 – 3 pm

7 John Andrew Street, Jamaica Plainoff Newbern/Elm/Carolina/Sedgwick

Brahms ¯ Mozart ¯ Lauridsen ¯Goin’ to Boston, arr. Alice Parker ¯ Haydn ¯ Wm. Byrd ¯ Orlando di Lasso ¯Sacred Harp style piece

Join in on a hymn or madrigal

More info at http://jpporchfest.org/

What could be more fun than getting together with neighbors and making music?  I did this years ago in Berkeley on Saturday afternoons, and the easy camaraderie and sharing of duties (conducting, bringing snacks) is perfect.  What’s more, we’ll do Alice Parker’s arrangement of “Goin’ to Boston,” which I’ve been wanting to put together for quite a while now.  Since it’s Ms. Parker’s 90th birthday year, folks are posting videos of their performances of her many compositions and arrangements. Alice Parker is 90 We look forward to adding ours…I’m multitasking: conducting and singing some alto on this one, but also being a percussion section.  The other pieces I just get to sing…

Leonard Bernstein quote on violence

I was happy to find this quote, because I’ve been thinking about it.  Come on Tuesday evening to the Boston Common and do a Circle Sing with us–it’s Make Music Day–Fete de la Musique since it started in France…

Lots of places to hear music, but here is the link to MAKING music with others.  participatory events  Website for the whole shebang Make Music Boston 2016

If you don’t know what a Circle Sing is, just come and try–nothing required, just listen and let us play together while making beautiful, new sounds.  We learned it from Bobby McFerrin, and we take turns leading.  How about that?  Parkman Bandstand, Boston Common, 6-7:30pm on Tuesday June 21, 2016.  All free. Come any old time, drop by after work…