The Voice Box recommends

Neighborhood festivals combine two of my favorite things: food and music, both prepared and shared with a love for the community that inspired them. Here's what's cookin' this weekend (9/25 - 9/27):


St. Demetrios Greek Festival
St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church, 2100 Boyer Ave E
Friday, September 25th, 12 - 9 pm
Saturday, September 26th, 10:30 am - 9 pm
Sunday, September 27th, 12 - 7 pm

Souvlaki, spanikopita, gyros, moussaka...are you hungry yet? Admission is free but bring plenty of cash for all the food you'll want to eat. After you grab your first plate, have a seat and enjoy the traditional Greek music and dancing.

*****

Wallingford Wurst Festival
St. Benedict School, 48th and Wallingford
Friday, September 25th, 4 - 10 pm
Saturday, September 26th, 11 am - 10 pm

Mmm...bratwurst and sauerkraut. Or grilled salmon and fried sweet corn if you prefer (but why would you when there's bratwurst to be had?). Also, lots of great local music including Portage Bay Big Band and Klez Katz!

*****

Music Back on Jackson Street
Flo Ware Park, 28th and Jackson
Sunday, September 27th, 12 - 5 pm

What a perfect way to spend a Sunday: a free concert in the park with a special musical tribute to John Coltrane. Plus there will be barbecue and a dunk-a-cop booth - love it.

Recital wrap-up 9/20/09

Whenever I watch my students perform, I try to listen with a neutral ear so I can give honest feedback if it's requested. Still, every once in a while I can't help but wonder if my reaction will be more like the mom in Bride and Prejudice during the "Cobra Dance":



Okay, I'm probably not quite that bad! But I definitely feel a sense of pride for my students and the work that they've put into their performances. Last night that feeling was especially warranted as Achil Jackson gave an impressive solo voice and composition recital. For the 45-minute program, she prepared 14 songs, including one solo and three ensemble pieces of her own composition. Jeremiah Oliver accompanied as Achil sang her way through a variety of musical genres and styles, with songs themed around the sun, moon and stars. Fellow students Arlene Havlark and Barbara Leigh lent their voices to the recital for the duet and trios that Achil had composed, and the three blended beautifully on the final two a cappella pieces.

Congratulations to Achil on an outstanding achievement, and thanks to everyone who participated and attended!

(And yes, this post was an awesome excuse to share that clip.)

Opera in the news

Two fun articles about opera in the NYT yesterday, one about the young American soprano Danielle DeNiese and another that provides an entertaining look inside the world of Ring enthusiasts (with special attention paid to Seattle Opera).

Magazine
Opera’s Coolest Soprano
By CHIP BROWN
Published: September 20, 2009
Danielle de Niese sings at Covent Garden, tops the iTunes classical-music chart and is about to marry opera royalty, but she isn’t above flexing her voice to the beat of Beyoncé.


Travel
If It’s Tuesday, It Must Be ‘Siegfried’
By HENRY ALFORD
Published: September 20, 2009
Wagner’s “Ring,” a towering blend of music and myth, continues to send a certain breed of operagoer in quest of the next performance.

TVBR: Another op'nin, another show

Lots to choose from this weekend in the local musical theatre department...let's get started!

The Secret Garden
Driftwood Players
Wade James Theatre, Edmonds
September 11 - October 4

I may be slightly biased since I'm in this show, but it's lovely. Beautiful songs, two amazing children, a tragic love story with an uplifting finale...they're all here. We opened last weekend and the show runs through October 4th. Contact me or become a fan of the show on Facebook to get the friends and family discount code!

Read the review from The Enterprise here.

*****

The Producers
Seattle Musical Theatre
Building 47, Magnuson Park
September 18 - October 4

One of my favorite things about SMT is that they provide study guides for their shows. These guides move beyond mere entertainment and encourage audience members to think about the larger societal issues that are being examined through the lens of musical theatre. The trivia, history and suggested activities for further study are sure to enhance your enjoyment of this hilarious musical satire.

*****
Chasing Nicolette
Village Theatre
Francis J. Gaudette Theatre, Issaquah
September 17 - October 25


Village Theatre has done a great job preparing the audience for this new musical, providing a production preview guide (available as a Word document, visit the show page for access) that contains the plot synopsis and content. You can also find a few song samples on the show page.

*****

Spotlight Night: Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and White Christmas
5th Avenue Theatre
1308 5th Avenue, Downtown Seattle
September 20th - 3:00 pm

Spotlight Night events, free to the public, are an informative look behind the scenes of musical theatre productions and a great way to get a taste of upcoming performances (oh, and did I mention they're FREE?). This Sunday's performance will showcase Joseph, which opens October 10th, and the holiday favorite White Christmas which opens November 28th.

Upcoming choral auditions

From the Seattle Times' callboard:

Cantare Vocal Ensemble is seeking two tenors and one bass for its 40-member chorus. To schedule an audition, call 206-367-5667 or email mark.adrian@comcast.net.
More info at www.nwassociatedarts.org/cantare/

The Voice Box recommends-Bumbershoot edition

This is the first time in 4 years that I won't be attending all 3 days of Bumbershoot, due to tech week rehearsals. Am I bitter? Only a little...but it will be totally worth it when opening weekend hits and I know what I'm doing.

Here's where I'll be Saturday and where I would be Sunday and Monday. If you can only go one day I think Sunday looks the best. Hey Marseilles, Cold War Kids, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, U.S.E. and The Helio Sequence? That's a perfect day right there.

More info at www.bumbershoot.org.

Saturday, September 5th
11:00 am - The Seattle/Moscow Poster Show (NW Rooms)
12:00 pm - F Is For Food (Literary Arts)
1:30 pm - The Goldberg Variations (Performing Arts),
The Not-Its (NW Court)
2:30 pm - Natalie Portman's Shaved Head (Broad Street)
3:30 pm - Best of SIFF Award Winners (1 Reel Film Festival)
4:30 pm - Flatstock (Fisher Pavilion)
6:30 pm - The Whore Moans (Sky Church)
7:45 pm - The Old 97s (Mainstage), UH HUH HER (Broad Street)
9:30 pm - Kay Kay & His Weathered Underground (Sky Church),
The Long Winters (Broad Street)

Sunday, September 6th
11:00 am - Snack Bar (NW Rooms)
12:45 pm - Hey Marseilles (Broad Street)
1:00 pm - Cold War Kids (Mainstage),
Central Services Board of Education (NW Court)
1:30 pm - The Dusty 45s (Mural Amphitheatre)
2:45 pm - Yeah Yeah Yeahs (Mainstage),
Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band (Broad Street)
4:15 pm - U.S.E. (Broad Street)
5:00 pm - Sera Cahoone (Mural Amphitheatre)
5:45 pm - Common Market (Fisher Green)
7:00 pm - Aussie vs. Kiwi (1 Reel Film Festival)
7:15 pm - Michael Franti and Spearhead (Mainstage)
9:30 pm - The Helio Sequence (Broad Street)

Monday, September 7th
11:00 am - Kerfuffle (NW Rooms)
12:15 pm - Dept. of Energy (Sky Church)
12:45 pm - Visqueen (Broad Street)
1:30 pm - Recess Monkey (NW Court),
The Minus 5 (Mural Amphitheatre)
1:45 pm - Point Juncture, WA (Sky Church)
2:30 pm - Say Hi (Broad Street)
4:00 pm - The New Mastersounds (Fisher Green)
5:00 pm - Champagne Champagne (Sky Church)
5:30 pm - Made In Seattle (1 Reel Film Festival)
6:45 pm - The Cave Singers (Mural Amphitheatre)
7:30 pm - Vieux Farka Touré (Fisher Green)
7:45 pm - Franz Ferdinand (Mainstage)
9:30 pm - Metric (Broad Street)

Things that make you go hmm...

For those of you who wonder about how to attain vibrato, here's a well-crafted answer from yesterday's Science Times:

Q & A

Trills and Thrills

By C. CLAIBORNE RAY

Published: September 1, 2009

Why do some people’s singing voices have more vibrato than others? Can it be taught?