Opera Atelier's production of Iphigénie en Tauride
Photo: Bruce Zinger / Artists: Soprano Peggy Kriha Dye (centre) as Iphigénie with Artists of Atelier Ballet

As usual, the latest production by Opera Atelier is satisfying.

Narratively, it fulfills Ruby Mercer's descriptors for opera: love, sex and violence put to good music! Sensorily, it addresses all the senses, right down to the rustle of fabric, some rows back; visually, it is texturally full. If you aren't familiar with baroque opera and baroque arts in general, it is extremely stylized and carefully crafted. I felt Iphigenie en Tauride attained this most successfully in the fourth act. As usual, the cast is superb, including the Atelier Ballet, accompanied by Tafelmusik's Orchestra and Chamber Choir. The set was beautiful, albeit a bit anachronistic with the altar triptych, since the latter was a medieval church invention, at best based on the Roman writing tablets....but perhaps that's me just being too anal.

Opera Atelier is the creator of an art form that is not to be missed. Presentations are still be available on November 3, 4, 6 and 7. For ticket information, please go to http://www.operaatelier.com/season/iphigenie.htm.

Opera Atelier's production of Iphigénie en Tauride
Photo: Bruce Zinger / Artists: Tenor Kresimir Spicer as Oreste and soprano Peggy Kriha Dye as Iphigénie

It's Opera Atelier Season Again!

Photo: Bruce Zinger / Artist: Jack RennieOpera Atelier's production of Iphigénie en Tauride

Christoph Willibald Gluck
Iphigénie en Tauride
OCTOBER 31 - NOVEMBER 7, 2009
Ticket Information
Single Ticket prices
Section AA: $135.00 Section A: $125.00 Section BB: $ 99.00 Section B: $ 79.00 Section C: $ 65.00 Section D: $ 35.00
Ways to purchase tickets:
By phone: (416) 872-5555 Online: Ticketmaster In person: Elgin Theatre Box Office, 189 Yonge St. (Yonge & Queen)

for more info go to http://www.operaatelier.com/season/iphigenie.htm

copyright V.Wells 2009 not for unauthorized distribution/posting

CELEBRATING!

Just had the 20 000th hit on Beautiful Feet!

In(ner) Activity

Current News and Happenings
The Good Fight presents: Our theme of In(ner)Activity is a play on the overall theme of Chicago Artists Month - Interactivity. In(ner)Activity is a better description of the common bond we have, the creative spark that connects us and moves us forward. We are having an exhibition of local visual artists from many backgrounds and disciplines connected by that one thing - Light. As Christians we have a common source from which we explore our faith, doubts, fears and triumphs. Each one has a spark of creative brilliance and by coming together we will shine an even brighter. This little Light o' mine is about encouraging artists to unveil their God-given brilliance despite the obstacles of poor finances, community, lack of training and limited access to technology. Some of the artists that will be presenting are:
Jason Stebbings - 3D/furniture & graphics
Raquel Soto - Author & motivational speaker
Hector E. Soto - Fine artist
Monica Kass Rogers - Illustration
Ryan Patrick Clarke - Photography
Myth - Illustration
Please join us for an evening of inspiration and discussion. Together we will shine on even brighter! October 8th at Evanston Vineyard Church. For more info check us out on Facebook or contact Michael at 312.282.6752.
is part of Chicago ArtistsMonth 2009, the fourteenth annual celebration of Chicago’s vibrant visual artcommunity organized by the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and made possible through Support Provided by Bank of America. For more information, visit www.chicagoartistsmonth.org.

The Who and the Why.
An online community where we can all come together for greater illumination on the issues of faith and art. Light is where it all began. God Himself said "let there be light" before He began his grand work of creation. Imagine turning on the light at a drawing board, desk or to a recital room. Nothing is there but the raw materials needed to begin, but the light needed to be on before the work could begin. Now the light is on, you can truly see and the work can begin.
©2008 Worth the Fight - The Vision of the Good Fight. All Rights Reserved.

fab piano recital------------saturday, august 29th 09: 7:30pm-9:30pm including intermission. reception: 9:30-10 ish. Victoria Chapel, 2nd Floor, Room 213, Victoria College Building, 91 Charles Street West, Toronto (outside of Museum station) PROGRAM---------Bach Italian Concerto; Beethoven Sonata "Waldstein"; Brahms Op.118 #1-6; Brahms Duet: Hungarian Dances #1, 3, 4, 6; Liszt "Un Sospiro"; Schumann Fantasiestucke Op.12 #1-4; Prokofiev Sonata No.3

more from eternallycool.net

Lennox Contemporary in Toronto. 12 Ossington Avenue, Toronto (416) 924-7964

Art AND Coffee--all riiiiggghht

from eternallycool.net:

A few weeks ago, Sydney, Australia celebrated the 12th annual Rocks Aroma festival, an event that attracted some 100,000 people and showcased coffee from around the world.
As part of the celebration, 3604 cups of coffee–each filled with different amounts of cream to create differing shades of brown–were used to create a giant image of the Mona Lisa.

Highly Favoured!

I tried this today and it is very cool: Daily Prayer for your mp3 Player from Pray-as-You-Go, a British Jesuit project.

From the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels and Martyrs, Rome. © Garry Glowacki, 2009.

La Bruschetta Restaurant

I was recently taken to dinner at La Bruschetta Restaurant at 1317 St. Clair Ave. W. between Dufferin and Lansdowne. I've eaten at some pretty upscale Italian restaurants in this city but this is a notable place both in terms of cuisine and atmosphere. Silvia Piantoni welcomed us warmly--not as 'clients' but as people. She discussed the menu in a way that showed her love of the food, not just as today's fare. And, yes, the eponymous appetizer was fantastic! We took her advice and had the insalata with mushrooms, gorgonzola and fresh figs--the latter a first for me, and I appreciated that the cheese did not overpower the salad. My companion marveled over his flaky black cod and I enjoyed the best penne (homemade) arrabiata I've ever had. A pino grigio was served properly chilled not cold, which was a refreshing change. We shared a torta (della) nonna, a light ending to a perfect meal. I hadn't intended to blog about this Umbrian gem, but my friend was right in suggesting it. It's no wonder it's a serious hangout for celebs visiting TO. You would be wise to make reservations by calling 416.656.8622 or emailing labruschetta@hotmail.com. Dinner is offered from 5:30-10pm Monday to Saturday, with lunch on Wednesday and Thursday 12-2pm. You can view their menu at http://www.labru.ca/ . Buon appetito!

For All you Fellow Latinists

from Eternally Cool Blog on Facebook

"Unfolding" CD release concert Sunday July 12th 8:00pm admission $8 El Mocambo (1st floor) 464 Spadina Ave Tel: (416) 777-1777 Composer-pianist John Farah performs works from his new CD "Unfolding" on piano, rhodes and electronics, fusing contemporary composition with electronica.presented by John Farah and Dross:tik Records http://www.drosstik.com

from Eternally Cool Blog: Pope Sergius on the Street; it’s an image from Piazza Magione in Palermo depicting Pope Sergius (reigned 687-701), the first Pope born in Palermo. By street artists Sten and Lex.

Kids' Summer Arts Camps

They will be in Guelph, at Crimea Street Studio. 4 sessions: Fantastic Fantasy July 6-10. Ages: 8-10... Passion for Painting July 13-17. Ages: 11-13...Making Faces August 17-21. Ages: 8-10...Bust-it-open Bookworks August 24-28. Ages: 11-13
Run by artist Phil Irish, profiled below. For more info contact him via www.philirish.com or on Facebook.

Film Recom

DAKOTA, a quirky Canadian film which you know is refreshingly different, but ya don't realize what it is until they mention toonies! Good fun, not too heavy AND it's got a couple of tracks by Royal Wood whom I've plugged here previously.

Interview with Scott Belluz, The Shadow

Scott Belluz, Countertenor © V.Wells 2009

I had a meet-up after the press night for Tapestry’s The Shadow with that role’s artist, countertenor Scott Belluz. We had an engaging conversation about new opera works, music education and his performance in this new opera by Omar Daniel and Alex Poch-Goldin. [What follows is my paraphrase of our discussion and any errors or omissions are entirely mea culpa].

I commented that I knew a teenager who was totally hooked on Tapestry New Opera Works, and wondered what was the appeal of this company that it could be considered a cool entertainment option for the partying demographic. Scott felt that it was twofold in nature. The subject matter of Tapestry’s productions is very current which is atypical of what we usually think of as opera, so the content is automatically appealing. He also pointed out that the youth of the composers and librettists and performers involved also contributes to a common, current worldview, and the material is therefore very much of this time.

Chatting about music education and the pitfalls of the more traditional system—such as the potential to be pigeonholed and therefore restricted from growth in new directions—we segued into a discussion about stereotypes. We tend to think of tenors as playing the love interests/protagonists, so I asked why the countertenor’s range fits the malevolent Shadow? It works, but it seemed contradictory. Scott offered several enlightening reasons. If we take the Jungian idea about the totality of the human being the sum of the feminine and masculine in us, then the countertenor as male in body and “female” in range is actually very á propos. And, as he pointed out, the humanity is really the essence of the matter, not the gender or its implications—and if we are unsettled by any of this countertenor stuff, it’s really our issue and a result of our socialization. Finally, the singer also said that because more roles are now being written for countertenors, which are inherently going to be different and new to our sensibilities, this will break the mold in some areas.

Speaking of sexuality &c., I asked Scott if he had intentionally crafted his performance to be very sexy or if that was a result of direction. He said he had been surprised to have this reaction from others as well, because it was not a conscious creative decision but came from the music itself. Interesting how greed and covetousness go hand in hand with seduction….

Promoted as ‘an allegory for our time’, The Shadow centers on issues around guile, hidden identity and other dark secrets. I asked if the singer thought the century-old setting and the archetype of the disguised man trying to win a woman over still had resonance today. He answered that definitively it did, internet dating being a prime example. One goes online—an anonymous forum to start with—and creates a ‘profile’ which is, more often than not, a description of what one wishes one were or would like to be; the idea is to make oneself appealing to seekers. Just like the main character, one can create an alter ego that a) strangers can’t contradict and b) one can convince oneself is one’s true identity. I thought the debt aspect of the storyline was particular relevant to identity and the roles we play out in front of others; if we are to believe the stats on personal debt, most of us are faking our social status and financial security big time. As the Shadow says, “…secrets make a man into a myth…”.

Scott Belluz has ideas germinating about where his voice and acting can take him in the future, particularly in the space of new opera. He is going to be a major player in the development of the countertenor repertoire, both here and abroad. I am grateful to have the opportunity to watch a very fine artist mature and flourish.

Hmmm. New wine in old wineskins {Matt 9:17; Mark 2:22; Luke 5:37-39}... I’m liking it.

Runs to May 30th only

Scott Belluz (countertenor) as The Shadow; photo © Michael Cooper, CooperShoots

There must be something in the water here: Canada turns out a lot of outstanding opera productions and stars, and thank God for that. Last night I had the pleasure of seeing another homegrown operatic world premiere: The Shadow presented by Tapestry New Opera Works. Part thriller, part cautionary tale, this strong piece was composed by Omar Daniel and written by Alex Poch-Goldin (see details in last week's post, below). I say strong because the work itself really doesn't need any propping up by external elements--although the very fine cast and well-appointed visuals certainly heightened the dramatic effects.

Might as well accuse me now of partiality because this is yet another rave review of a Tapestry project. This is a consummately professional company whose studio members always deliver: there's never Over The Top acting or bad props or distracting shortcuts. These touches allow us to focus on the music, the libretto and the art as a whole. No sympathetic cringing here.

Tapestry always throws in something innovative, too. This piece introduces the main character, Raoul the Postman, with him delivering letters (bills?) to audience and orchestra members alike before proceeding onstage. In the past they have employed unexpected but refreshing visuals such as puppetry and video; here, the overbearing father (Theodore Baerg) of Allegra (Carla Huhtanen) menacingly beckons her from offstage via a backlit silhouette through their villa door. They also know how to work with humour--despite the overall dark tone, the entertaining waiter (Keith Klassen) is spot-on, but the laughs never dip into sillyville--another indication of the company's acumen and good creative production leadership.

As for the story itself, The Shadow (Scott Belluz) provokes many questions. The themes of guile, covetousness and social status & power are overtly addressed in this moral tale. However, I suspect these are the kinds of issues from which we excuse ourselves; easy to point out in others but oh so hard to admit in ourselves! I think this piece is about being exposed for what we really are and whether we can accept that reality. We are a deceptive society (to ourselves and others), and much of our psychic energy is spent hiding our fraudulent lives and lifestyles. [More about this thought in my interview with the engaging Scott Belluz, to be posted in a few hours]. But if you like to fool yourself and hide behind your carefully constructed persona, don't go to see The Shadow--it'll unnerve you mercilessly. Just ask Señor Cartero....

Carla Huhtanen (soprano) as Allegra, Peter McGillivray (baritone) as Raoul (as his alter ego Hernando), Keith Klassen (tenor) as the Waiter; photo © Michael Cooper, CooperShoots

INTERVIEW and REVIEW to FOLLOW 05/23!

"Enter a world of duplicity in which a humble postman assumes the identity
of a wealthy suitor to win a woman’s love. Determined to maintain the
ruse at all costs, he is haunted by the Shadow as he spirals deeper into
deception. Set in Old Barcelona, Alex Poch-Goldin and Omar Daniel
have created a world premiere opera full of intrigue, desire and deception.
Director Tom Diamond and Music Director Wayne Strongman lead a stellar
cast including baritone Peter McGillivray as Raoul, soprano Carla Huhtanen as Allegra and a comic turn by tenor Keith Klassen as the waiter. Renowned Canadian baritone Theodore Baerg makes his Tapestry New Opera Works debut as the Don and Allegra’s father and countertenor Scott Belluz is The Shadow.
Written by Alex Poch-Goldi, , Composed by Omar Daniel, Director Tom Diamond, Music Director Wayne Strongman, Set & Costume Designer Camellia Koo, Lighting Designer Robert Thomson, Stage Manager Isolde Pleasants-Faulkner, Assistant Stage Manager Gerry Egan
Cast
Carla Huhtanen, Peter McGillivray, Scott Belluz, Keith Klassen and Theodore Baerg
with Chamber Orchestra
PERFORMANCES
May 21 at 8pm - Press & Community Night
May 22 at 8pm - World Premiere
May 23 at 8pm - Regular Performance
May 24 at 4pm - Matinee (all regular tickets 50% off)
May 27 at 8pm - PWYC
May 28 at 8pm - Regular Performance
May 29 at 8pm - Regular Performance
May 30 at 8pm - Regular Performance
The Shadow runs approximately 90 minutes with no intermission.
TICKETS $49 regular tickets; ; $20 students & arts workers; 50% off Rush seats (1 hour before curtain on regular tickets); 50% off Regular Tickets for Sunday May 24 at 4pm; 15% off Regular Tickets for Groups of 10 or more; PWYC for Wednesday May 27 at 8pm (day of, limit of 2 per order) BOX OFFICE 416.368.3110 / canstage.com / totix.ca"

IMPORTANT EVENT for CHRISTIAN ARTISTS

SYMPOSIUM ON THE ARTS: PERSPECTIVES AND PRACTICES FOR CHRISTIAN ARTISTS

Featuring Lyann Purcell Jennings and featured performance by Canadian Baritone Sung Chung

SATURDAY MAY 23 12:30-4:00 41 BRITAIN ST $15 GRACE CENTRE FOR THE ARTS

please register at gracecentre@gracetoronto.ca

movie recoms

THE DEVIL AND DANIEL WEBSTER or ALL THAT MONEY CAN BUY (1941 VERSION)

PRIEST (1994 with Linus Roache--yes, as in dad William Roache of Coro)

RIVER'S EDGE (1986 with our own Keanu Reeves; Crispin Glover is excellent as the stoner with a heart too).

I Furiosi Returns ~ How Decadent!

"NOW IN ITS TENTH ANNIVERSARY SEASON!
I FURIOSI Baroque Ensemble is one of the world's most innovative Baroque ensembles, comprised of four of Canada's leading early music specialists: soprano Gabrielle McLaughlin, violinists Aisslinn Nosky and Julia Wedman, and cellist/gambist Felix Deak.

DECADENCE
Saturday May 16, 2009 8:00
Calvin Presbyterian Church 26 Delisle Ave Toronto $20 & $10, at the door
Guests: Olivier Fortin, harpsichord; Edward Reifel, percussion
SILENT AUCTION before the show and at intermission!
www.ifuriosi.com
I FURIOSI's new disc CRAZY (on the Dorian label) will be available for purchase at the concert.
CHECK OUT their VERY COOL VIDEO:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRiLJWs9k0w "
photo: Paula Wilson and Cylla von Tiedemann

New Exhibition by Phil Irish!

Watershed
Kitchener Waterloo Art Gallery
101 Queen Street North
Kitchener, Ontario
May 15 - July 5, 2009.
Public Reception: May 22, 7-9 pm.
Curated by Allan Harding MacKay

but what about the trees???

kinda funky!

Latin and Drag?

ck out this link to a film about Eleanor Roosevelt in which Sean Penn stars........also a new film about early church martyrdom done in lingua latina! euge!!!

Not Tom Hanks~

"UPCOMING EVENTS by Esprit Orchestra:
Friday, May 1, 2009 Demon
Along with presenting two of Esprit's outstanding players in soloist roles, Esprit highlights this concert with a welcome to the Nathaniel Dett Chorale for a fanciful Afro-Latin collaboration. The featuring of two World Premieres makes this event a powerful gala finale to Esprit's season. Saidôki (Demon), Maki Ishii's concerto for percussion and orchestra, strides two musical worlds in multi-layered time and sonic textures. Combining Western compositional methods with elements of Japanese traditional music, the late Japanese composer's piece also calls for the cidelo, a rare and unusual instrument created by his friend, metal sculptor Kazuo Harada. Cidelos are octagonal or rectangular metal boxes with ornate artistic cuts in their top surfaces creating metal sections, that, when struck, create vivid colours and a rich array of pitches. Esprit member Ryan Scott, featured as soloist, will play a set of these instruments, one of only two sets available in the world (placed on timpani heads), in a highly improvisational manner. Saidôki, a work of great power and deep mystery, is being given its North American premiere by Esprit. Chris Paul Harman has just finished his Concerto for Harp and Orchestra commissioned by Esprit to feature another member of the orchestra as a soloist, Juno award-winning harpist Erica Goodman. Douglas Schmidt's Discouraged Passion, commissioned by Esprit, features The Nathaniel Dett Chorale.
Join Esprit on Facebook for event details and discussions.
Order Your Subscription Today - Call Esprit's Box Office416-366-7723 or 1-800-708-6754Visit www.stlc.com for more details."

Photo: Bruce Zinger / Peggy Kriha Dye & Michael Maniaci Opera Atelier's production of The Coronation of Poppea

OMG, I don't know where to start, as usual with Opera Atelier. Their production of Monteverdi's Coronation of Poppea is so spectacular--every season of OA's success brings larger corporate sponsorship and excellent subscription results, but really they do know how to put it on.... Last night I was treated to their latest offering; and I do love Monteverdi so....Okay, on to the kudos: loved the deus ex machina thing going on; LOVED the fact that this production brought back a bit more of the baroque stylized gesturing; the monochromatic layering of the sets, stage dressings and costumes in the amorous colour of red was very a propos; I continue to appreciate the subdued lighting (which I assume is intended to mimic the original candlelit productions); basically the whole thing was one big Big O, if you'll pardon the expression, although that may suit the original context also. However, a couple of little *hein*s (that's my attempt to express the vocalization-perhaps somewhat quebecois sounding-of the things I dare to suggest were so-so): while the audience seemed to love the portrayal of Poppea's Nurse by Laura Pudwell, I found it a bit slap-sticky or panto for this kind of art; and while I was not offended by what my companion called the homoerotic episode between Nerone and his pal, it did seem a bit misplaced, again for this art form.
However, here are my bravi: Carla Huhtanen as Drusilla and Fortune was, comme d'habitude, in excellent form and did not push her comedic interpretation over the top; Kimberly Barber's Ottavia was outstanding and completely sympatico; and I must say I am now a total Olivier Laquerre fan! We felt Cynthia Smithers' Amore was sensational, too. Of course the Artists of the Atelier Ballet were as delicious as ever (but what gives with the danse sans musique at the beginning? a patron behind me vocally expressed the perplexion of most of the audience).
Time to talk Michael Maniaci. I can't be very objective where he's concerned. I loved him as Orfeo and Idomeneo. This time he stole the show again. As David Perlman and Jack Buell of Wholenote Magazine commented (in paraphrase:), Maniaci seemed much more comfortable in his own skin this year, an even better actor; and we all agreed that he seemed past any need to justify to the uninformed his range as male soprano. The final scene was wrenching, particularly by its treatment by Maniaci and Peggy Kriha Dye. Ita vero: sometimes more is less. Absolutely gorgeous.
You can still catch the last two performances May 1 & 2 at 7:30pm at the Elgin, $30+. Various ticket packages and further info are available at 416 872 5555 or at www.ticketmaster.ca or www.operaatelier.com .

Photo: Bruce Zinger / Carla HuhtanenOpera Atelier's production of The Coronation of Poppea

REAL TALKS!

Photo: Bruce Zinger / Meredith Hall & Laird Mackintosh Opera Atelier's production of The Coronation of Poppea

THANK GOD it's OA season again. Monteverdi's The Coronation of Poppea is the current offering by Opera Atelier, running April 25, 28, 29 and May 1 & 2 at 7:30pm, and April 26 at 3:00pm at the Elgin, $30+. We are blessed to have Michael Maniaci back (as Nero), as well as Peggy Kriha Dye (Poppea), Olivier Laquerre (Ottone), Carla Huhtanen (Drusilla) and other top drawer performers. They are joined by artists of Atelier Ballet and Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra and Chamber Choir under David Fallis. Despite all this talent, Maniaci is worth the price of the ticket alone if you ask me.

Various ticket packages and further info are available at 416 872 5555 or at www.ticketmaster.ca or www.operaatelier.com .

once in a while the cbc is still interesting

cbc.ca has an interesting article about Grey Gardens. didja know that money breeds eccentricity? it's true.

Opera to Go!

Engage...With provocative, often hilarious bite-sized operas. Come inside the making of opera today.
The Virgin Charlie
Taylor Graham, librettist / William Rowson, composer An unexpected recipient bears an immense responsibility.
One Lump or Two
Sandy Pool, librettist / Glenn James, composer Arsenic and Old Lace meets Hitchcock. Where is that butler, anyway?
My Mother's Ring
Marcia Johson, librettist / Stephen Andrew Taylor, composer A young man, a psychiatrist, and two mysterious deaths.
The Perfect Screw
Alexis Diamond, librettist / Abigail Richardson, composerWill it be Robertson or Phillips? What’s a girl to do?
"...one of the most anticipated events of the musical year...This program is not to be missed." ...Paula Citron, Classical 96.3 FM
Director, Tom Diamond
Music Director, Wayne Strongman
Cast
Scott Belluz,Sally Dibblee,Keith Klassen,Peter McGillivray,Krisztina Szabó with Chamber Orchestra
Set & Costume Designer, Julia Tribe
Performances
*March 26 at 8pm: Press Opening & Community Night March 27 at 8pm: World PremiereMarch 28 at 8pm: Regular PerformanceMarch 29 at 3pm: Regular Performance (Matinee)
Tickets
$40 regular$20 student / arts worker$25 birds eye view seats15% off regular price for groups of 10 or more *all tickets $20 for March 26 at 8pm
Box Office 416.973.4000 or call 416.537.6066 ext 221: to order as part of our 2008-2009 Subscription Series ext 224: to order a Gala ticket ($99) for the world premiere March 27 at 8pm

Artists at the Project

Chickadee by JJ Lee

I attended http://www.theartistprojecttoronto.com/ this weekend; it was a showcase for 150+ artists at the Liberty Grand, by the One of a Kind people. Lots of great new stuff--o that I had dreamt up some of it!--including two friends of Beautiful Feet. OCAD Instructor JJ Lee showed me her gorgeous paint and collage encaustics. Phil Irish, who has taught at the AGO, explained some of the process behind his series about place and personal experiences. I'll continue to highlight their shows as they occur.

Esprit Orchestra

Thursday, March 26, 2009 Brand New and Pre-Loved 8 pm concert; 7:15 pm pre-concert talk Jane Mallett Theatre, St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, 27 Front Street East, Toronto Tickets: 416-366-7723 / 1-800-708-6754 Buy online: click here
BRUCE MATHER, Hommage a John Hawkins* ANDREW STANILAND, Big Bang!* MAYKE NAS, La Belle Chocolatiere OMAR DANIEL, Trope
Alex Pauk - conductor, Aiyun Huang - percussion
Brand New and Pre-Loved is a concert covering a broad spectrum of compositional intent including a world premiere tribute to a late, highly respected composer, a brand new percussion concerto featuring a spectacular soloist and celebrating the International Year of Astronomy, a charming musical bon bon from Holland and a piece previously commissioned and premiered by Esprit. Brand New and Pre-Loved promises to be moving, meaningful and adventurous musical evening.

shakespeare does not suck

Today my students were treated to a demonstration and workshop on Shakespeare and Elizabethan drama by Shakespeare in Action, a nonprofit educational outfit under artistic director Michael Kelly. We enjoyed the talents of Xuan Fraser, Adam Seybold and Kate Fenton and then had extensive language and dramatic tutoring by Mr. Kelly. This group held the attention of students from grades 6 through 12, and even seasoned Shakespeare students learned much.

Thus, I can heartily recommend Suddenly Shakespeare which runs during March break through the TPL (see link for details). It's an hour-long performance (with much more) of highlights from the Bard that are sure to amuse the young 'uns. Well worth the cashola. And yay! entertainment that is not passive, puerile or prepackaged!

Coraline (voiced by Dakota Fanning) is a young girl who discovers a mysterious door in her new home that leads to an alternate world in the film Coraline. (Focus Features Films). Photo courtesy of www.cbc.ca/arts
I think I want to see this. Comments anyone?

somebody's on acid

i dunno. i just don't get the outdoor thing at the best of times.....
from Sympatico MSN Real Estate

pretty darn funny (unless you're the webmaster...)

from davidbarker.ca:
"wholly ugly
Ugly religious websites have a special place in my heart. I'm rather ecumenical in that regard. One of the things that unites all religious people, UCC, Lutheran, RC, Moslem, Jewish, Buddhist, is our celebration of all that's ugly in life and our commitment to sharing it on the web. If you should find an ugly patch of the web that is particularly stirring for you, I invite you to share it with me. You'll find new sites posted here twice a week."

The Distillery District . 55 Mill Street . Case Goods Warehouse . Building 74 . Studio 306. Toronto, ON M5A 3C4 416 367 1800 . info @dancemakers.org

Last night I learned a lot about dance.
I hadn't been to much contemporary dance for about a decade (save the National Ballet's Rooster last year), but I landed in a great place to reacquaint myself with it.
60 dances in 60 minutes delivered. I was surprised at how apparently disparate elements could be drawn into a movement piece, particulary with great humour--not only the audience but also the company had fun. If you feel up to speed on contemporary from watching So You Think You Can Dance, treat yourself to it live: there was an energy in the room that was engaging, even to the relative neophytes like me. I was also struck by the physical strength of the five dancers, which you can't always appreciate in a larger performance space. I certainly was made more conscious of time and our interaction with it, reinforced by the cyclical elements of the choreography--and who'd have thought water, tickling and shepherd's pie would accomplish that??? By the end of the performance I felt like I had started to develop a working vocabulary for dance and movement--at least an understanding I had lost as an uninhibited child. As my companion said, it was a 'perfect performance': you were totally engaged the whole time, and that from a lifelong dancer. It certainly whet my whistle for another whirl at live dance.
You can still catch performances of this world premiere at 8pm til the 14th with a 3pm matinee that day too. Tickets are $32-38 and are available through 416 973-4000 or http://harbourfrontcentre.com/nextsteps You can also see more at www.dancemakers.org .

Another Whack Film

Pi (as in 3.14....)is a decade-old film by Wrestler director Darren Aronofsky, which is a pseudo thriller/scifi/psychological film that dabbles in Kabbalistic mysticism, mathematical theory and theology, and migraine-racked pscyhotic behaviour. Filmed in grainy black and white, this is one INTENSE film. Think A Beautiful Mind gone Jewish and (even more) paranoid. But it had me completely riveted the whole time. Another one not for the faint of heart, but very cool for the true pscyhological film junkies!

"No watches allowed"

Performances of this world premiere are at 8pm with a 3pm matinee on the 14th. Tickets are $32-38 and are available through 416 973-4000 or http://harbourfrontcentre.com/nextsteps You can also see more at www.dancemakers.org .

New Artist (to me)

Thanks to the Rev. Greg Carpenter, I have learned about exciting new Christian art!!!!! Brit Ian Pollock has several cool series on his website: Miracles and Parables 2000, Testament 2004...this stuff is awesome. Above is Man with the Unclean Spirit.

#617

But what to those who find?
Ah, this nor tongue nor pen can show;
The love of Jesus,
What it is none but his lovers know.

Edward Caswell, tr. 1814-1878

"It's What's on the Inside that Counts"

I am going to tell you about one of the weirdest but most interesting pieces I have run into lately: REPO! The Genetic Opera. This is a piece that can garner lots of moralizing and tut-tuting due to its gore, but I ask you to read to the end before dismissing this. I'm glad I didn't dismiss it out of hand: I absolutely hate gorey stuff and will not watch horror flick commercials, let alone the movies. But listen.
Repo! The Genetic Opera is the creation of two Canadjyun boys, Darren Smith and Terrance Zdunich who have put together a movie of their long-developed eponymous stage play. It is attractive on many levels, even if you don't want to watch disembowellment (more on that later). Here's the deal:
GeneCo is a company that will give a postapocalyptic society necessary (or just fashionable) organ transplants OAC; that is, you have to pay up or they will repossess them. This film is presented through various media: comics, animation, CGI (cell phones of the future are cool!), film and opera. It gives a HUGE nod to the Rocky Horror Picture Show visually, and yes, it will not only be a cult classic, after its Toronto premiere they were already talking about a shadow cast for screenings at the Bloor when it returns, just like at RHPS now. It is a relatively respectable rock opera musically and put together with some comic relief--to deal with the retrieval scenes, shall we say--and it turns out to be a big, fun picture. Rolling Stone and Variety trashed it; well, poo on them--what were they expecting, Evita??? They missed the point completely. It is camp, it is intense (as all good horror and rock and roll should be) and it is a moral tale ("My legacy is not left up to my genes", sings the enlightened Shiloh).
Which brings me to more serious criticism (in the artistic sense of the word). I am a symbolist, so I found the use of the name Shiloh, as in its Biblical meaning, to be very interesting; was it the writers' intention? I doubt it. The other thing I get excited about, aside from the post-apocalyptic as setting for art, is the morality. Ok, so it's not quite a medieval Morality Play, but it has some interesting points. It examines: addiction, especially when it results from lack of direction in life; the issue of personal debt and its toll; organ donation/reuse/retrieval; genetic issues (enuff said); the obsession with vanity and the multi-faceted costs of plastic surgery;and very beautifully, the notion of celebrity and its ridiculous place in our society's psyche. I actually found it a bit cruelly ironic to cast Paris Hilton as they did. (And no, you shouldn't avoid it coz it has Paris Hilton in it). I don't think I'm stretching it here. Yes, it has very trite lines and undeveloped elements. They took a risk with casting Paris, but it works. I was determined to dislike Sarah Brightman whom I refuse to consider a 'real' opera singer, but she worked the part well. They had some fun cameos (no spoilers here!). If nothing else you'll recognize the Backwards 7 casino guy who's in about three commercials at the moment. And it's got Paul Sorvino as a lead (is that really his voice???) and who doesn't like Paul Sorvino for pete's sake? (Alexa Vega is good too, fyi).
So, should you see it? It is not my goal to sway you one way or the other. I just wanted to present one fairly kind review of this movie in cyberspace before you hear anything else. You decide.
Do you like horror flicks? Check.
Musicals? Check.
No problem with minor nudity? (Remember, MTV is worse!) Check.
Films noirs with comic relief? Check.
Movies that will keep you thinking about them afterwards? Check.
Well, there's a lot worse crap out there you could spend your $13 on, so it's worth a shot, out of curiousity if nothing else. Better yet, support the Bloor Cinema and see it there when it comes back. That's a real theatre with real people and they don't rip you off there.
Check out more about the film at the Repo! website. Then make an informed decision. This is definitely not standard fare for the conservative Christian, but the artsy-fartsys might be willing to give it a go.
98 mins. [Now available on dvd but the Bloor might be a more satisfying venue.] Rated a well-deserved R for some offensive language, the gore, drug use and sexual references. The Sound of Music it ain't.

JFF*

*Just For Fun

My Prayer for Epiphany and the New Year

Edward Hicks

A Heads Up

FYI, there are going to be some new, edgy and unique arts items listed here this year-stay tuned via RSS or your favourites folder to keep up to date.

Merry Christmas!

by good ol' Giotto

Happy Advent 4

Happy Advent 3

Happy Advent 2

Three Chains and a Light Bulb

Photo credit: Greg Henkenhaf – left to right – R.H. Thomson, David Ferry and Ryan Hollyman

Do you think that a cell and three hostages could be good entertainment of a Saturday night? That's what Someone Who'll Watch Over Me, Frank McGuinness' play, is about and it is a tribute to the craft of Thomson, Ferry and Hollyman. The play is loosely based on a real story, but that's not what makes it successful. These three don't have costumes or sets or props to prop them up, as it were, for two hours: the energy and credibility have to come from them alone, and they are superb at it. It's the kind of piece you don't want to end (for your sake, not the characters'!).

You can still catch the production, directed by Tegan Shohet, at the Berkeley (Upstairs) this week; see last week's posting for details or go to http://www.watchovermeshow.com/

Dr. Atomic

I saw the Met Opera's HD broadcast of Dr. Atomic by composer John Adams and librettist Peter Sellars, and while I am already partial to modern opera, it was one of my favourite opera experiences to date. This is the story of JR Oppenheimer and his emotional response to his involvment with the Trinity test of the first atomic bomb in 1945. The music is out of this world and the libretto is so moving--from documentary sources as well as poetry, such as John Donne's. What might strike one as a potentially dry subject was incredibly poignant and hard-hitting simultaneously. Everything about the production was excellent, too: costumes, casting (esp Gerald Findley as the protagonist) and particularly the sets. The Met seems to do a lot of tiering in their opera sets, which I find appealing and flexible in interpretation. This was the encore presentation of the simulcast, but try and catch it in the future--exactly what modern opera should be!

Sasha Ivanochko

Photo by Solomon Krueger

Dancemakers presents Sasha Ivanochko's world premiere solo The future memory of heartbreak junction this week from December 11 to 13th at 8pm at the Dancemakers Centre for Creation (Distillery's Cannery Bold 58 Ste 313). This dancer, teacher and choreographer created her own dance company, blackandblue dance projects in 2005, and is busy with projects and new commissions. You can catch this artist for $22/$18 by calling 416 367 1800 or at http://www.dancemakers.org/.

Happy Advent 1

Do yourself and the world a favour: go to http://buynothingchristmas.org/

More Relevant than Ever

Photo: Greg Henkenhaf

This week sees the opening of Someone Who'll Watch Over Me by Frank McGuinness, starring (L to R) R.H. Thomson, David Ferry and Ryan Hollyman and directed by Tegan Shohet. Spanning the full emotional spectrum, this piece is about the relationship among three hostages in Lebanon. You can catch this illustrious cast from December 4th to 13th, Monday to Saturday at 8pm with an additional matinee on Saturday at 2pm. Tickets are $15/30 (PWYC Monday) via 416 368 3110 or via www.canstage.com. It runs at the Berkeley Street Theatre (Upstairs), 26 Berkeley St.. Ck out more about the play here.

True Love Lost and Found

Photo: Isabel Gomez-Moriana

Five minutes of hooting good operatic fun! If you didn't see its premiere screened by Tapestry New Opera, you can catch The Perfect Match on tv. Written by Krista Dalby and composed by Anthony Young, it originated in the 2006 Composer-Librettist Laboratory that has been touted here previously. This mini opera will be airing on an upcoming episode of "Bravo!FACT Presents" at 7:30 pm ET/4:30 pm PT, Sunday 30 November 2008 on Bravo!
The episode will be re-run at 8:00 pm ET/5:00 pm PT Friday 5 December on Bravo and many other stations and times across the country. Ck Tapestry New Opera's website for other listings.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, (Michel Gondry, 2004), is surely cult film material if I ever saw one: move over Dark Side of the Rainow and RHPS! This is a quirky, clever movie along the lines of Being John Malkovich (1999) and I suspect you either love it or hate it. I, obviously, loved it or it wouldn't be posted here. (I do tend to politely not mention books, concerts etc that I didn't like). It's got a good cast, Kate Winslet finally sheds her Titanic/Rose role while taking up an American accent and blue hair, and Jim Carrey is his typical wonderful self. It is very easy to dismiss him if you think only of Pet Ventura or even Cable Guy (no links there....), but he is able to deliver some pretty touching performances. (One of my favourite films that I watch from a Christian perspective is The Truman Show, or even Simon Birch). I understand his personal life has shaped him artistically. ANYHOW, this is 128 minutes you won't feel are wasted. As long as you are into quirky.

Esprit Orchestra Season Opener

Esprit Orchestra is Canada’s only orchestra devoted exclusively to performing new orchestral music and developing a legacy of Canadian orchestral music. Founded by composer/conductor Alex Pauk (above) in 1983, Esprit Orchestra is comprised of a core of 45 dedicated musicians with the special skills required to perform contemporary orchestral music. Esprit commissions and premieres new works each season. Their opening concert of the season, Inspired by Traditions, has been specially designed to appeal to listeners who might be new to them although there is much to appreciate by Esprit's regular audiences. The programme features pieces linked to earlier traditions in music and provides a jumping off point into new, more adventurous musical terrain. Alex Pauk will conduct the program which features pianist Andrew Burashko and violinist Marie Bérard, Concertmaster of the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra.

Inspired by Traditions includes John Adams’ exhilarating Short Ride in a Fast Machine, R. Murray Schafer’s romantic Dream Rainbow, Dream Thunder, the North American premiere of Valentin Silvestrov’s Dedication and Aaron Copland’s rarely-performed, jazz-inflected Piano Concerto No. 1. The concert takes place on Sunday, November 23, 2008 at 8 p.m. at the Jane Mallett Theatre in the St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts (27 Front Street East). A pre-concert talk begins at 7:15 p.m. Tickets are $15 for students, $24 for seniors and $32 for adults. Group rates (8+ people) are $25. Subscriptions to Esprit Orchestra’s 2008-09 season start at $45. For tickets or subscriptions contact the St. Lawrence Centre Box Office at 416-366-7723 or http://www.stlc.com/ .

concert listing courtesy of KLCommunications and Esprit's website. For more information visit http://www.espritorchestra.com/.

Hot Button or Thinking Man's Issue?

I'm likin' this website and its accompanying blog and facebook page more and more. Check out Art Lessons from God: Stuff You'll Never Discuss in Art Class! and in particular this page. The 5 Steps starts with this: 1) Ask yourself, “What’s the last artistic thing that I know for sure, without a doubt, that God directed me to complete?” They have an interesting thing going about Christian artists and whether they should do tatoo art on their facebook at the moment. I, of course, had to put in my two cents' worth...

for photographers and nostalgics

Here is a sentimental look at America's past through old photos done with the emerging Kodachrome. Just make sure you turn the volume down before hitting the link.

Photo: Bruce Zinger / Amanda Pabyan, Frédéric Antoun, Curtis Sullivan, Lawrence Wiliford, Carla Huhtanen in Opera Atelier's production of The Abduction from the Seraglio

Can you imagine the fun of traditional panto married to the music of Mozart and still in control of artistic integrity? Opera Atelier does not disappoint: they manage to present all this in The Abduction from the Seraglio, with four languages to boot!

Last night's opening of this latest presentation by Opera Atelier was an interesting meld of genres. Certainly, audience members included people from different arts such as Robert Cooper, Veronica Tennant and Michael Maniaci (who returns to OA in April for The Coronation of Poppea!). Tenor Lawrence Wiliford stole the slapstick/physical comedy category with his Pedrillo, while bass Gustav Andreassen (Osmin) and bass-baritone Curtis Sullivan (Pasha Selim) were entertaining Turks in their own right. And, as usual, Carla Huhtanen played Blondie with a finesse that makes me anticipate the day she will be the lead at OA; for now we can also enjoy her at Tapestry New Opera. She is musically and theatrically versatile, and while my personal preference leans towards the serious, she makes funny fun, and not dumb(ed down).

So this commedia dell'arte works on many levels. I must sound like a) a broken record or b) a paid plant, but what can I do? It's always the same: the Atelier Ballet was beautiful, Tafelmusik's Orchestra and Chamber Choir are luscious and intimate, and the sets (Gerard Gauci) and costumes (Margaret Lamb) first rate. No wonder Opera Atelier is in the black and holds Dora Mavor Moore, Ruby and Muriel Sherrin Awards. I'm just grateful that we have a Canadian product (Corner Gas aside) that is internationally recognized and artistically valued.

Now, if we could only get those few ignorami in the seats to stop talking; one day I'm going to jump on stage and join Marshall Pynkoski's intro, strike a Vicky Gabereau-like attitude and teach them audience etiquette.......but you've read this rant before..

The Abduction from the Seraglio continues November 9 at 3pm and 11, 12, 14 and 15th at 7:30pm at the Elgin Theatre at a bargain $30 to $135, or $20 if you're a young'un, i.e. under 30. Go to their site or call TicketMaster at 416 872 5555.

Eyegasm

from cbc.ca/arts:

A renovation of the University of Toronto reading room has revealed architectural details hidden for almost a century.
Diamond and Schmitt Architects discovered carved wooden trusses, rafters and a dramatic glass skylight while renewing the heritage wing of the Gerstein Science Information Centre.
"No one at the university could remember the ceiling ever being exposed," said Gary McCluskie, a principal at the firm.
The ceiling was covered up during a renovation in the early 1900s when metal bracing was installed to support the trusses. McCluskie said he believes the bracing was covered up because it was considered unattractive.A false ceiling had covered the carvings and a skylight for many years. (Diamond and Schmitt)
In the redesign of the Gerstein Reading Room, architects integrated the bracing into their ceiling design, exposing the woodwork and skylight.
The ceiling was in remarkable condition despite being hidden for decades. The neo-gothic carved woodwork was cleaned and is now visible from the library.
The renovation, funded by the Frank Gerstein Charitable Foundation and the Bertrand Gerstein Family Foundation, is part of a larger transformation of the original library. The Gersteins are a prominent Toronto family that have also donated to York University.
The library was constructed in 1892 after the original library burned down in 1890. It was renamed in 1997 after its benefactor, the Gerstein Charitable Foundation.

Gallery Recom

From Robert Hengeveld comes this announcement about Marcia Huyer's opening at DeLeon White gallery this coming Thursday, November 6th from 8-11pm. Check out both their websites for cool stuff going on.

Cool Branding

Check out my favourite theoblogger, David Barker and his new website! Ya even get a free poem every month! I'm 99.9999% certain he doesn't sleep (based on all the stuff he does on top of being a lawyer). Yay David!

Jesus costume gets child sent home from school

Friday, October 31, 2008 BY KATIE O'CONNELL

A Paramus, N.J. eighth-grader was sent home from school today and told to change out of his costume: They deemed Jesus Christ inappropriate.“We're a little stupified by this whole thing,” said the boy's mother, Kim Woinski.Jesus Christ was “one of the greatest men that ever lived," she added. "If he went as Abe Lincoln would they say he couldn't do that?"Alex Woinski, who already has shoulder-length brown hair, donned a long white robe with a red sash, a fake beard, sandals and a crown of thorns.“They would have let him wear the costume, but he had to get rid of the crown of thorns and the beard,” Woinski said.In order to do that, she said, Woinski had to leave work and pick her son up from West Brook Middle School so he could go home and shower.Woinski said other students who had inappropriate costumes were able to simply turn their shirts inside out or take off any offensive pieces. Superintendent James Montesano said he didn't know about the incident but said he believes the reason for doing so was most likely not because anyone was offended by the religious nature of the costume but that it may have been disrupting classes.“As much as we want to have our kids enjoy celebrations, whether it’s through school spirit week or something like this, the fact of the matter is we certainly are here for the central purpose of education,” said Montesano. “If students in any form are wearing things that are bringing too much added attention that disrupts us from an educational environment, then school administrators would make that decision.” The school year is only 180 days, he added, so it's important that youngsters are able to get the most out of each day of instruction, and a disruption in the classroom could impede that goal.Woinski said her son complied with the requests of teachers and administrators, without complaint, and called his mother to pick him up. He was home for an hour and a half before returning to school. When she went to pick her son up from school, administrators were unavailable to speak with her regarding the matter. But in an effort to comply with their requests she took her son home, she said. “It's not like he’s not a good student. The kid’s on the high honor roll,” she said.Woinski is Catholic while her husband is Jewish. Their son, who had recently celebrated his Bar Mitzvah and has been studying Bible scripture, is interested in Jesus as an historical and religious figure, according to his mother. He wanted to translate that interest into a Halloween costume. Alex's older brother, Jason Riggio, said due to long hair and darker skin, Alex's friends already say his brother bears a resemblance to the famous figure, which gave Alex the idea for the costume.“We have both religions in our house, and he's learning about both. He wasn't poking fun at anybody,” said Woinski. “I think what it was was that he was getting too much attention.” from the North Jersey Record online

Happily, Not an Amber Alert

It's Opera Atelier season again......and it's Mozart's The Abduction from the Seraglio running November 8, 9, 11, 12, 14 and 15th at the Elgin at 7:30/ 3pm for the matinee on the 9th. This production features Frederic Antoun, Amanda Pabyan and Gustav Andreassen, includes one of my faves, Carla Huhtanen (thank you God) and of course is directed by Marshall Pynkoski and choreographed by Jeannette Lajeunesse-Zingg. German libretto will be surtexted. Tickets to this luscious event are a bargain $30 to $135, or $20 if you're a young'un, i.e. under 30. Go to their site or call TicketMaster at 416 872 5555. I can't wait!!!

An Open Invitation to Madonna

Hey, Madge, just wanted to invite you over for a drink and a natter. I hear you have comments about EQ. So do I. Let's talk. V.

Lux Mundi Call for Artists

Banner by Jan Neal, ECVA Exhibitions Director

Episcopal Church and Visual Arts is putting out a call for artists' submissions on the theme of the Light of the World or Lux Mundi, for us Latinists, as we approach the season expressing for that which is longed for, Advent. The deadline is November 1st. Go to the ECVA website for submission details. Previous exhibitions are online also.

De-Stress THEN go to Chill at Jazz Vespers

Stressed out? CCDP is offering an evening with Dr. Helen Rosemary Meier, Staff Psychiatrist at the St. Joseph's Health Centre, on Wednesday October 29th from 7-9pm. She will discuss life transitions and relationship changes, including 'acceptance through understanding ' as a means to contributing to resilience. Refreshments will follow.

Then, once you've put your new skills into practice for a few days, go to Jazz Vespers on Sunday November 2nd at 4:30. This week features the Mark Eisenman Trio: Mark on piano, John Sumner on drums and Steve Wallace on bass.

It Hardly Needs Advertising But.....

The 33rd Annual Book Sale at Trinity College, UofT
is coming up Friday October 24th to Tuesday October 28th (ck site for various hours and when admission is charged). 6 Hoskin Ave. 46 978.6750. A great event for those of us who are thin. Read: it's extremely crowded. However, you can get a year's worth of reading for under $50. If anyone sees a Lewis and Short Latin Dictionary (about 6 inches thick, regular retail price $400+) please save it for me!!!! I've been going to this sale for 10 years trying to get a used one. Fun times, fun times.

Get Stuffed!

Zach enters his school cafeteria hungry, but quickly finds out that today is not just another day at school.
Get Stuffed is a comic opera about serious decisions. The production features vocalizing vegetables along with a big helping of other opinionated edible characters, all competing to influence Zach’s daily diet. A new Canadian opera for young audiences, Get Stuffed is co-produced by Tapestry and Words in Motion, and has been developed in association with The Canadian Diabetes Association. After preview performances in the GTA in fall 2008, the opera will tour Ontario beginning spring 2009. This new work focuses on encouraging youth to make wholesome dietary choices. Written for 5 singing actors and 2 musicians, Get Stuffed is intended for family audiences and touring to schools. Set in the school cafeteria, Get Stuffed promotes environmentally-friendly, healthy food choices inspired by the Canada Food Guide, with special prominence for fruits and vegetables grown in Ontario. The dramatic conflict revolves around the daily dilemma: What shall I eat today? With a libretto that includes foods representative of Canada’s ethnic diversity this opera will be a feast for young ears, eyes, minds.

Spring Tour
April 19 to May 9, 2009 GTA & South Western Ontario
Recommended for Grades: 1-6 Audience Maximum: 250 (within a standard gymnasium)
Technical Requirements: Large open area or stage (minimum 20' x 30') Access to A/C power for electric piano and bass guitar.
For more information about Get Stuffed or to book a performance at your school please contact Amber Ebert, Outreach & Education Manager, Tapestry 416.537.6066 x224 or education@tapestrynewopera.com

Art Exhibit and Panel at UofT

Co-sponsored by Imago, TST is hosting Till We Have Faces: Art & Theology in Dialogue An Exploration of the Human Countenance and the Sacred.

Exhibition hours are October 27 to November 14th, Mon-Fri 9-5pm at the Toronto School of Theology, 47 Queen's Park Cres. E, with an opening reception on Nov 4th from 4 to 6pm. There is a panel discussion, The Face in Art, Theology and Science on that evening from 6:30-8pm at St. Mike's; then next day there is a public lecture, Till We Have Faces: The Human Face in the History of Western Art also at St. Mike's.

If you can't laugh at yourself, you shouldn't be blogging

from our friends at www.despair.com

BTW

No, I haven't become computer illiterate overnight, and yes, I know my Facebook link and pages have a blank photo--that's intentional. It is part of a Facebook movement to remove our faces as symbols of an oft-neglected/ignored artistic community in Canada. We return to self-promotion after the election! If you want to do the same, join the group Faceless for the arts and support our point.

Cool Beginnings

A very eclectic and original sounding cd, In Last Night's Party Clothes, belongs to The Roaring Girl Cabaret, a cool group of musicians who have put together a debut album, although their experience is not new and it shines through. The interesting thing about this cd is that it has something for everyone, as they say; there are so many music influences in it that everyone is bound to find something to their taste on it (if not everything), and it's many elements makes the whole self-propelling. I keep playing it, trying to nail it down to a particular description, but perhaps my inability to isolate or pigeon-hole it is indicative of its charm. If I am sounding annoyingly vague, it's my fault, not the Roaring Girls'. If you're looking for something creative and freeing, check out this beaut. If I find a word or phrase worthy of ascription to the cd, I'll let you know.

More CDs for your Christmas List

Yes, it's not too early to start your Christmas shopping--then you can enjoy Advent instead of rushing around like a mad fool. Two cds which I recommend, from the Dorian Sono Luminus label, are Sweet Desire, 17th century sonatas from Chatham Baroque, and Fire Beneath My Fingers, featuring lots of Vivaldi and some of his contemporaries, by Musica Pacifica Baroque Ensemble. Gorgeous stuff to enjoy as you go to sleep or upright!

Jazz Vespers

This evening service continues on October 19th at 4:30pm with the Alex Dean Trio. More info about the venue, Christ Church Deer Park, is available here.

Mayor's Arts Awards

The winners of the 2008 Toronto Arts Council Foundation Awards will be announced Friday October 17th at the mayor's Arts Awards Lunch downtown. Nominees include the organization SKETCH (art programming for street youth), David Fallis and Richard Underhill. The Regent Park School of Music choir, with Jackie Richardson, will perform under the direction of Wayne Strongman, artistic director of Tapestry New Opera. You can learn more about these awards at www.torontoarts.org/awards.html.

Tapestry Presents Opera Briefs 8

September 26 & 27 at 8pm, and September 28 at 3pm, Tapestry presents its annual season opener, a string of 5-minute rough cut gems, fresh from the Composer-Librettist Laboratory. Many of the works, created in less than 24 hours in the LibLab, have astounding power, humour, pathos, and skill. Our accessible short operas continue to be seen and heard in a number of unusual places and these forays into non-traditional, non-operatic spaces, are an effective way to showcase our company, our methods and the talents of all of our collaborators:
Writers:
David Brock
Spy Denomme-Welch
Ken Gass
Andrew Moodie
Composers:
J. Scott Brubacher
Theresa Connors
Jack Perla
Justine F. Chen
Director:
Tom Diamond
Music Directors:
Christopher Foley
Jennifer Tung
and
Singers:
Scott Belluz
Carla Huhtanen
Keith Klassen
Lauren Phillips
Justin Welsh
TICKET PRICES: $10 students & arts workers / $20 adults / $25 door
VENUE: The Ernest Balmer Studio at Tapestry, Distillery District, 55 Mill St. Bldg. 58, Studio 316. BOX OFFICE 416-537-6066 / www.totix.ca or see their WEBPAGEwww.tapestrynewopera.com
Also available as part of Tapestry’s 2008/09 Subscription Series. Call 416.537.6066 x221 for details.

story here

Imago Evening

photography - Paul Thuysbaert

Brit Jason Carter plays the harp guitar--click here to see a cool video if you don't know what I mean. Imago is hosting an evening of his performance along with actor Daniel Jones as the opener on Friday October 3rd, 7:30 pm in Toronto. Tickets are $10 at the door of 21 Shaftsbury Ave but seating is limited. For more info, email imago@rogers.com.

Artist friend Phil Irish's website has some news about a studio tour for the next two weekends, Sept 27/28 and Oct 4/5. Why not combine the trip with the quintessential and requisite Canadian pastime, going for a drive to see the fall foliage?

Cool Job posting

My friends at Geez magazine have a wicked part time position available. Click here for the details.

It Was CRAZY!

Monday night's cd release party was eponymously successful! The evening at the Gladstone began with a screening of I Furiosi's video Piangero from Handel's Julius Caesar, which I love more and more with every viewing. The fab 4 played two sets, the second starting with one of my favourite pieces they perform, Sonata Decima a Tre by Dario Castello (c.1590-1644). The Vivaldi was engrossing, too. Signing on with Dorian-Sono Luminus was a very smart move: they are obviously very committed to I Furiosi, and I'm convinced this label will catapult the ensemble into the proverbial household nomenclature. A great way to launch their 10th anniversary. Normally I eschew celebrity and aggrandizement, but if I sound like a swooning fan, I'm pretty damn close. Probably because this group of musicians, for all their leather shtick, strikes me as being fiercely true to their artistic vision and not selling out to gain increased sales. I think Dorian is working with their branding and respects their integrity. Good on all of them. Once again, here is I Furiosi's website; use it or Dorian's to buy Crazy for everyone on you birthday/Christmas shopping list. You can also keep up with their and other musicians' seasons through the free Wholenote Magazine (see permalist link, right). I Furiosi's first concert of the season is on Friday October 4th. Click here for info.

FINAL REMINDER--DON'T MISS OUT

CD Launch Party for CRAZY
by I FURIOSI Baroque Ensemble
Gabrielle McLaughlin, soprano
Aisslinn Nosky, violin
Julia Wedman, violin
Felix Deak, violoncello
the disc features guests:
Lucas Harris, lute and theorbo
James Johnstone, harpsichord
Stephanie Martin, organ

Monday, September 15th, 2008
Gladstone Hotel Ballroom
1214 Queen Street West
Toronto, Ontario
Doors open 7:30pm
Live performance 8:30
Admission:
$17/$10 at door
$25 admission plus CD at door
CDs $15
Advance tickets available at Dorian.com
Come celebrate the launch of this superb new disc with the ensemble,
food, alcohol and recording executives!
CHECK OUT THE NEW VIDEO:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRiLJWs9k0w
and the facebook page

Film Recom

I saw an excellent film the other day: Household Saints (Nancy Savoca, 1993) with the dishy Vincent d'Onofrio and Tracey Ullman, who surprised me with her performance (I had previously only regarded her, perhaps erroneously, as a comic actress). Here is yet another film that totally missed my radar, and I suspect it was because it dealt with faith and, more specifically, religion. Looking at the promo still, I wonder if it also suffered misleading coverage because the photo and bi-line (coupled with Tracey Ullman's name) suggest that it is a comedy, which it most certainly is not. I would put it in the Ordet camp. While it had its light moments, the story became very intense and the climax was a bit of a shock. If you are into movies about the role and power of faith, check this out. I was very glad to have found it.

Calendar Reminders

Just a few reminders about events on my facebook Beautiful Feet group calendar (click at the bottom of it to enlarge the view) about stuff going on at my church this coming week. [A caveat: thanks to the New Facebook (argh), there have been glitches on the group page, so if you go there and it's pretty much blank, click refresh and you should actually get some info!!].
Wednesday is our first Faith and Film night of the season at 7pm with Cry the Beloved Country, with Mr. Velvet Voice, James Earl Jones (yay).
Sunday the 21st we have Jazz Vespers again, starting at 4:30pm, this week with Lorne Lofsky & Rob Piltch on guitars. As our webiste says: This evening service of music has a reflective reading, prayers for our city and the world, and a jazzy congregational hymn! It is one of our most popular services - with wonderful music, and with some of the finest jazz artists in Canada, coming to CCDP.
The next night, Monday September 22nd, is our second gathering of Beautiful Feet ~ Care for Artists from 7 to 9pm (again, ck the facebook page or the webpage for more details; the calendar, above, will tell you what's on for that and upcoming nights). Come to chill out and pray for other artists/make some prayer requests.

"When the woes of life o'ertake me, hopes deceive and fears annoy,
Never shall the cross forsake me......
towering o'er the wrecks of time".

~John Bowring 1792-1872

CD Recom: CRAZY!

Crazy, by my fave people in leather I Furiosi, is their new cd of baroque music. This is icing to the cake of their previous cd's Defiled is My (Middle) Name (2005)-- I don't know which I like better! Produced by Dorian Sono Luminus, this record does have a different sound to it, but what is consistent is the ensemble's ability to draw the listener in as much through the technology as they do in live performances; I'm pretty sure I've seen them perform the first piece, Sonata Decima a 3 by Dario Castello (1590-1644), and the recorded version just sucks you right in. I'm not a huge fan of the inclusion of pieces that diverge from the original genre, but Leonard Cohen's Suzanne really works here. I Furiosi do that successfully in concert, too. They have guest artists, including the wonderful Stephanie Martin on organ, and I must say that Gabrielle McLaughlin is one of the few soprani I like to hear. Normally I find them grating, but she has such a different quality to her voice (boy soprano? something original anyway), that she always makes me sit up and take notice. And I figure if she can please picky ol' opinionated me, she must be good! And of course the strings by Felix Deak, Aisslinn Nosky and Julia Wedman are gorgeous. It's lovely to have two of their cds to chill out with now. I'll keep you posted about their upcoming concert season, as I did last year. And really exciting::: ck out the cool video on YouTube! It's awesome!

This Just In......

I've plugged Jason Hildebrand's Prodigal Trilogy film before and now he is doing a performance of his play "Blue Like Jazz" on the 7th Toronto Alliance Church for an Art and Soul Cafe. It is a pay-what-you-can event. 602 Queen St. W (Upstairs) - that is at Queen St. W & Bathurst on the North-West corner. It is above the Mac Fab...Sept. 7/08 doors open at 7 and performance begins at 730. This will be awesome. Go to his site for more details.

Two Flicks and a Book

This week I have 2 1/2 recoms for you. The first, a video of Kirk Douglas' Lust for Life (Vincente Minelli, 1956) is a bit lame, I suppose, but you gotta love these old movies where he or Charlton Heston are pronouncing God's name Gad. It's the story of Vincent Van Gogh's life, with perhaps some added melodrama to the already real drama of it. Ok for a free movie from the library. A dvd I finally got to see is Who the *#)^&@ is Jackson Pollock? (Harry Moses, 2006) about a feisty (if nothing else) 73 tough-mouthed truck driver from the States who lands a Jackson Pollock for $5, inadvertently obviously. It is the documentary of her attempts to have it provenanced and examines the Art World, with capital letters. I won't tell you the conclusion of the film. All I will say is that it is impartial in some parts, and I laughed my head off at the end. Delightful, with a grain of salt. But for sure, go watch Ed Harris in Pollock (Harris, 2000). The book I want to flog is called The Shack by Canadian-born William P. Young. (I have two more books from the same publisher to review, but have only got this one so far). Whether you love it or not, buy into his theology or not, or are Christian or not (how'd you like that trinity?), this book will change you. Period. It fell into my lap at a very significant time, and while I didn't agree with every assumption in its worldview, it definitely speaks to our time and culture. Do yourself a BIG favour and read this book, at the very least so you can enter into conversations about it, which are sure to come up as its popularity spreads. Go to the website for more info. There's a lot of references to Bruce Cockburn music and other popular nods and topics. Come to think of it, you should read it particularly if you are disillusioned with religion. You'll find it refreshing.

CD Release Party!

I'm very excited to be going to a cd release party next week, Friday September 12th for The Roaring Girl Cabaret's In Last Night's Party Clothes. Recommended to me by a well-versed music friend, these girls have a very eclectic style--check out their myspace to hear some clips. $20 will get you the cd and admission (or $10 admission only) for doors-open at 8pm at St. Stephen-in-the-Fields, 103 Bellevue Ave TO. Call 647 341 2923 for more info.

Cool Organ--and that's just outside the building!

FUNtain by Steve Mann at the Ontario Science Centre

Thanks to an anonymous donor, my daughter and I recently went to the Science Centre for the first time in yonks, and were pleasantly surprised, as they say. This place is really hopping with new stuff and updates galore, not the least of which is the inclusion of more art, including the above piece, plus Michael Awad's and David Rokeby's Cloud inside. We had a blast in the Communication area, and noted the updates in other sections. Unlike many interactive museums one takes anticipatory kids to, we found that all the exhibits we wanted to use were in working order which was helpful! I like the direction the centre has taken over the last decade or so. It was also nice to see the ravine still untouched. Great outing. Check out details here.

Chasing Francis

Chasing Francis: A Pilgrim's Tale is a novel in the genre of wisdom literature that embraces my own life theme: pilgrimage. Ian Morgan Cron, an Anglican priest, has written this completely endearing and accessible story about the protagonist's (read: our) postmodern pilgrimage alongside the historic St. Francis. It is one of my favourite books this year. One of the most appealing aspects of this ride is that it is 100% non-preachy, yet illuminates history and issues for the reader. There is also an EXCELLENT study guide at the back for personal reflection or group discussion. I can't speak highly enough about this book, available through Navpress (2006). I have recommended that the Anglican Book Centre carry it.

Lilith is Fair

Just wanted to highlight Maihyet Burton's store Lilith as it has changed location since I last mentioned it. This funky clothing (et. al.) store is now in Studio 103 of the Case Goods Building of the Distillery District, 55 Mill St. And Buttoons buttons are still being carried there!
She and partner Denis Taman Bradette also have a very funky thing going on with the Warmings Project, part artistic endeavour, part environmental/social activism which assumes a post apocalyptic language and visual reference for Ontario should our land be decimated by our climatic abuses. They express this creatively through their photography and imagined mythology. I'll let her blogs express it better: "The hope is to voice the urgency of climate change through the development of a body of work that interconnects art, design, sustainability, education & literature....On 150 acres of scarred, previously clearcut land in Hunta, 100km north of Timmins, they plan to develop a Refuge for the Climatically Displaced (RCD) & the Otenaw Arcology, ecovillage prototypes. This territory will be the base for bringing together & hybridizing art, design, architecture, environmental studies, education, cultural development & sustainability, and furthering the visions of BeneCorpo." I love their vision and creativity, even if it is portentous. Check out their work. Between this, designing and making her store's clothes, and painting, I'm not sure when Maihyet sleeps....

Eyeballing Candy

Two interesting cds to recom this week--one a tv program from a few years ago, one a film.

Finally got around to watching 4 episodes of ART 21, a (largely) great series about contemporary art. The episodes I saw covered structure, memory, power and other themes, and I only nodded off during two artist segments. I got very excited about the cartoonish (apologies to the artist--adjective doesn't do it justice) figures of Laylah Ali, the macro video installations of Krysztof Wodiczko, Roni Horn's photos, Ellen Gallagher's films, Oliver Herring's photos and was blown away by the collages of Arturo Herrera. So cool!

Then I watched an Argentinian film called El Hijo de la Novia, or Son of the Bride (Juan Jose Campanella, 2001) starring Ricardo Darrin. In the interest of creating a spoiler, I won't say too much about it except that it has as its theme--yes, my favourite--redemption! Even the subtitles were well produced, so that the humour translated well culturally. I seem to be continually haunted by films about loving marriages, but that aside, it was very timely in its treatment of Alzheimer's disease, which had its poignant and funny moments. Highly recommend it, although I guess the R rating for language is valid.

One Hot, One Not

copyright V.Wells 2008

I don't normally trash exhibits or events, but I am going to give a definitive thumbs down to a show I saw at the newly renovated Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art across from the ROM. Object Factory runs until Sept 7th: I was looking forward to this showcase of industrial ceramic design and found it largely (a) boring and/or (b) dumb. I thought two pieces were funky and original. The rest failed the test. Dejected, I went back downstairs to the regular exhibit of contemporary ceramics, only to find more of the same: again, two decent pieces. And the award-winning (as per newspapers/magazines) new shop fell short, too. Yawn. I went to this show during a free-admission timeslot and felt gypped!

However, the good ol' COC did not let me down. More specifically the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. (I do dislike naming arts centres after sponsoring companies, but we'll let that go for the moment). Ian Ritchie gave a solid hour-long tour of the building, including the rehearsal hall and different areas and aspects of the opera house interior itself. Okay, so I'm slightly partial to the opera and the building already, but honestly the tour was comprehensive and extremely interesting. Go to their site or call 416-363-8231 for info about inexpensive tickets ($5-7) for this semi-weekly tour, at noon on Saturdays and most Wednesdays. Excellent for both tourists and regular opera or ballet subscribers. [A caveat: photos are allowed everywhere except for the the concert hall itself......?].

Two CD Recoms

Good stuff coming out of the cd press! Friday September 12th at 8pm sees a cd release concert for Roaring Girl Cabaret (see next week's blog) and i Furiosi return with a new season on Saturday October 4th. Their new cd, Crazy, is predictably gorgeous; next Sunday I will provide more detailed impressions of this new record by my favourite baroque kids in leather.

Film Forum

More info next week, but just a reminder that Windrider @ Wycliffe happens Sept 9-11 from 7-9:30pm. Registration info is available here.

God Techno

My friends at Sound Ministry announce a new event--next Saturday, August 31st at 8pm they are holding a social/mission training fundraiser with live music. The lineup so far includes David James Martinez, acoustic/soul/pop; Steven Mulcare, soul/gospel; and dj Spiritually Minded (cool music and visuals on the sites!). It takes place at 225 Winona Dr (St Clair and Oakwood).

Tons of good films to recommend these days, of which the surprisingly most touching was My Architect, the story of Nathaniel Kahn's search for the truth about his father's life. Poignant and luscious architecturally, this film delivered. Another pleasant surprise was What the Bleep Do We Know?, surprising because it actually made the rudiments of quantum physics understandable to the layman. Normally I would run the other direction from discussions of either physics or philosophy, but with creative visuals and narrative most of the concepts are accessible. Of particular importance to the Christian was the topic of thoughts affecting 'inanimate' objects change their properties, such as the molecular shifts in the photographed water. Now, you can decide this is 'outlandish' and full of 'bizarre claims', or you can approach it with a sense of openminded wonder and mystery. It's not gospel, but it's food for thought. It stars Marlee Maitlin, too, and who doesn't love her? It seems to be the summer of the cineplex film, so to speak: I keep inadvertently coming across movies about people's concurrent experiences. This week I saw 13 Conversations about One Thing. While I have enjoyed the other similar movies (posted previously), this one focused on faith, the human condition and--my favourite theme--redemption. Amy Irving's character absolutely seethes with unexpressed rage, and Alan Arkin, one of those actors one tends to forget about but who is very good, plays Everyman, if we are honest. As my dad would say, 'Terrific!'

Not the Finale

While Joshua Allen's win on So You Think You Can Dance was well deserved, what really got me excited was the final quartet dance choreographed by Mia Michaels. Check it out on YouTube.

Power Plant Exhibit

The Power Plant has some good art going at the moment entitled Not Quite How I Remember It runs til Sept 1 and until then admission is free. My faves were Nancy Davenport's Weekend Campus and her other constructed photographs. Several other visual and sound installations are there, including the intriguing hypothetical 1984 and Beyond by Gerard Byrne. Worth battling the crowds at Harbourfront.

Free Exhibit

The Circus Comes to Town
This exhibition features vintage photographs, posters, artist prints, illustrated books, heralds and programs from the Special Collections at Toronto Public Library.
July 19 - October 5, 2008 Toronto Reference Library

Sometimes the Simplest Things are the Sweetest

Where Seven Died, a ‘Shining Star’
"I tried to set up a memorial that meant something,” said Roy Holder, in front of his creation.
from the New York Times
By JASON GRANT
Published: August 3, 2008
[On] 50th Street near Second Avenue is a memorial that has been expanding for months, growing in complexity, size and emotional impact. In the wake of a crane collapse on 51st Street east of Second Avenue that killed seven people in March, a homeless man who lives on East 50th Street has built and maintained an intricate memorial.
This makeshift marker comes complete with a table and chairs, candles and blown-glass vases, and includes a sapling and tree branches painted white. Lovingly assembled, the display features a flowery yellow centerpiece, ceramic pots and a vivid piece of art painted on an eight-foot-high sheet of plywood.
Today, more than three months after he began assembling it, Roy Holder, the homeless man, still cleans and cares for his creation seven days a week.
“I tried to set up a memorial that meant something,” said Mr. Holder, who is 54 and has lived on this stretch between First and Second Avenues for seven years. “This is a shining star amongst the muck and the mud.”
Mr. Holder is careful, however, to credit the appearance of both the sapling and the sprawling painting of a cross inside a pink-rimmed heart to an unknown man in his 50s who used to come by on weekends and sit in front of the memorial.

Comfort Update

Comfort Queen Jennifer Louden has updated her website with a crisp new look. You can subscribe to her regular e-zine on the homepage. Jennifer is one of two 'self-help' types I am prepared to recommend. I have seen her work for several years and believe she offers comfort and help with integrity and common sense. Check out her stuff. I can personally recommend her book The Woman's Retreat Book.

Historic Walks

A note about the last in a series of historical walks sponsored by Heritage Toronto: three walks remain for this year, on August 16, 17 and 23 in Cabbagetown, the Theatre District and other downtown gems. For more info on how to join in, please go here.

Hero of the Week

http://coc.ca/

2 Movie Recoms

This week I saw two films of similar structure, although it was quite coincidental. One was Finnish, The River (Joki; Jarmo Lampela, 2001) about 6 people's lives one Saturday morning. The other was Nine Lives (Rodrigo Garcia, 2005), a collection of vignettes about 9 women and a particular moment in their lives. The former was interesting in that, like Crash and Magnolia, it revolved around one interconnecting event; the latter, while less intentionally connected, was outstanding on two levels: the performances were completely riveting, and the narratives were totally accessible and hardhitting. The last one, entitled "Maggie" with Glenn Close, just about killed me (I won't go into detail for fear of creating a spoiler). It's going to be one of those films I don't forget. Having gone through some of the experiences portrayed myself, the stories were that much more poignant. While it might be labeled a chick flick or feminist by some, see it for the actors' craft. As my dad used to say on the Piece of Crap Movie Rating Scale: terrific!

Weird, but You Gotta Watch it

Ok, this may not be your cup of tea either, but check out this very strange but mindboggling Swan Lake (especially after the first 2 minutes).

Doing the Flintstones' running on the spot sound--

*Phew!* This has been a busy week, catching many arts events around town. I caught the penultimate day of an exhibit at AWOL gallery, called The Cookbook, by Vanessa Vaughan, an artist and graphic designer of many talents. I have contacted her asking permission to show one of her pieces called "Faith". Look at her stuff on her site. Fun stuff.

Then I heard the Choir of Trinity College Cambridge led by Stephen Layton give a short recital at Trinity Chapel with standard repertoire as well as eastern composers that were new to me. I Was Glad...

Things I saw that you can still catch are:

The Malcove Collection at UTAC is an astounding treasury of medieval art and artifacts bequeathed to the university. I can't believe I hadn't known about it before.

On until August 15, also at UTAC, is Kim Ondaatje's Paintings 1950-1975. She will be of interest to those who like Jack Chambers or Christopher Pratt.

At MOCCA is a pretty trippy exhibit entitled Damn Your Eyes: the infinite dimensions of sound. I wanted to get more into it, but someone decided it was a good place to let their kids run around......also on for the next couple of weeks.

When we went down to the Distillery to see the Octopus Project, we bumped into a friend, Ed Kotanen, who not only was exhibiting next to his studio, but who also told us about an upcoming production he has designed, Samuel Beckett's "The Old Tune". Directed by Malcolm Black, and starring Wayne Robson and Patrick Rose, this runs at the Factory Theatre Mainspace, 125 Bathurst St. @ Adelaide. Tickets are $12 via www.summerworks.ca /$10 at the door. Showtimes are Fri Aug 8 and Tues Aug 12 @6:30, Sun Aug 10 @12:30, Thurs Aug 14 @8:30 and Sun Aug 17 @4:30.

I also checked out a new (to me) used music and bookstore called Babel at 123 Ossington Ave just north of Queen (416 533 9138). My friend got excited about the records (even 45s!) and I can tell you this guy's collection is excellent--not the usual junk people have dumped. For example, the religion section had many standard classics of a theological library. It's also bright and well-organized, making it a pleasure to browse there. And those are just a few of the places I went since last posting!

I also want to bring to your attention an upcoming free Lunch Hour Opera by Opera Atelier's School of Atelier Ballet, presented in collaboration with the St. Lawrence Market. The Fairy Queen will be presented Friday August 1st from 12-1pm at St. Lawrence hall, Jarvis and King Sts. This is a masque of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream; more info is available at http://www.operaatelier.com/ or 416 703-3767 ex28.

Chartres Cathedral

Amen!

from Michael J. Wilson's blog, Worth the Fight - The Good Fight Blog, these pearls of wisdom:

“There is no better indicator of the spiritual health of our city, its
neighborhoods, and the larger region than the state of the arts. The arts
deepen our understanding of the human spirit, extend our capacity to
comprehend the lives of others, allow us to imagine a more just and humane
world. Through their diversity of feeling, their variety of form, their
multiplicity of inspiration, the arts make our culture richer and more
reflective.” Jonathan Fanton, President of the MacArthur Foundation

Check out this video from my friend Michael in Chicago's Fight the Good Fight. Desolate Places was created for May 28, national day of prayer for the artist, but you can still watch and pray now!

click to enlarge. all graphics and video copyright Michael J. Wilson, The Good Fight.

My New Hildegard of Bingen

This woman is so cool. I can't wait to grow up and be just like Meinrad Craighead.

Well, if the bribe of extra money brings them in, so be it...

the following article is from the New York Times (.com) by Colin Moynihan
Swapping Guns for Cash, at Church
There was a time, in the 1970s and ’80s that handguns were so coveted on the streets of Kings County, that the borough gave rise to a law enforcement legend known as the Brooklyn Bounce. If you were to throw a gun from a window in Bay Ridge or Bushwick, so the legend went, it would be eagerly grabbed before it had a chance to bounce more than once.
Over the last decade or so, violent crime has dropped in Brooklyn, as it has in the rest of New York City, but plenty of guns are still in circulation. So for several hours starting on Saturday morning, six churches in central Brooklyn tried to help remedy that by inviting people to anonymously drop off firearms in exchange for cash cards worth hundreds of dollars.
The gun buyback program, which was financed by the New York Police Department and the Brooklyn district attorney’s office, was intended to complement an existing Police Department program that gives $100 to any person who turns in a gun to any police facility in the city.
People who showed up at the churches on Saturday with a working pistol, rifle or shotgun were given $200 cash cards for each weapon, with a limit of three payments. The cards can be used at stores or to withdraw money at A.T.M.’s. And while the police officers inside the churches were also accepting air guns and BB guns, people who surrendered those received $20 apiece.
On Saturday morning, the Brooklyn district attorney, Charles J. Hynes, visited the Southern Baptist Church in East New York and said that he was optimistic about the program. “We are hopeful that this will have a measurable effect in a further reduction of gun violence and murder,” he said. “I think we’re going to run out of money tonight.”
Two hundred thousand dollars had been allocated for the buybacks. Mr. Hynes said half came from his office’s asset forfeiture fund, which holds money confiscated in drug cases, and half was contributed by the Police Department.
Similar programs were carried out in 1998, when about 700 weapons were turned in to police precincts, and in 2000, when about the same number were handed over inside the lobby of Mr. Hynes’s office on Jay Street. Mr. Hynes said that he and Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly had decided to revive the program after being approached by Congressman Edolphus Towns.
Churches were picked as drop-off spots, Mr. Hynes said, in the hope that people who might feel anxious about bringing unlicensed weapons to a law enforcement building would feel more at ease at a place of worship.
At one of the churches, the Helping Hands Ministries in Brownsville, a line of people waited to enter the building. They were holding cardboard boxes, plastic bags and paper sacks containing firearms and bullets.
“We know there is an excess of guns in our neighborhood,” said Randolph Ferdinand, the pastor. “And they are in the hands of the wrong people.”
In the church basement, people sat in plastic chairs, waiting for their turn to present the weapons they had brought. Police officers examined the firearms to make sure they were in working order, and then participants departed with their cash cards.
Some complained about waiting two hours or more to complete the process, but most praised the program for taking instruments of deadly force out of circulation.
There was Fran Fiore, who traveled from Staten Island with a friend, Pat Argenziano, who turned in his three 12-gauge shotguns that had once been used for hunting in the Catskills. “They should do this more often,” Ms. Fiore said. “It saves lives.”
Kevin Joseph, a pastor at a church in Jamaica, Queens, turned in a .22-caliber pistol that his mother brought with her when she moved to New York from Florida. Mr. Joseph said that he had been bewildered about how to safely get rid of the weapon, and he considered it a bonus that he had accomplished that goal and received $200 in the bargain.
“I’ll let my wife decide what to do with the money,” he said as he was leaving the church. “She’s the one in charge of spending.”

Snort!

www.despair.com

Thought of the Week...

via my church website [source unknown]:

Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do.

Wikiklesia

"The Wikiklesia Project is an experiment in on-line collaborative publishing. The format is virtual, self-organizing, participatory - from purpose to publication in just a few weeks. Wikiklesia may be the world’s first self-perpetuating nomadic business model: raising money for charities - giving voice to emerging writers and artists - generating a continuous stream of new anthologies covering all manner of relevant topics. Nobody remains in control. There is no board of directors. The franchise changes hands as quickly as new projects are created.
Can a publishing organization thrive without centralized leadership? Is perpetual, self-organizing book publishing possible? Can literary quality be maintained in a distributed publishing paradigm? We’ve created Wikiklesia to answer these kinds of questions." (source: http://wikiklesia.wikidot.com/start). I've been reading volume 1 of this ebook, Voices of the Virtual World, and am finding it fascinating reading. Lots of fodder for the contemplative, the sociologist, the theologian...ok, so it's right up my alley! You can check out a list of the chapter headings and abstracts here . The book is available for purchase both online and in paperback at lulu.com.

Mosaics for The Truly Determined

I love those pictures that are done with thousands of tiny pictures of different shades. Check out Robert Silver who does these. Thank God for computers!

The Girl Effect is like tofu; you either love it or hate it. Check out this video.

Austerity, Silence, Faith...What's Not to Love?!?

This week I was blessed to see a wondrous (in the true sense of the word) film called Stellet Licht (Silent Light) by director Carlos Reygadas (Mexico, 2007). There is so much of interest in it. It is the first film to be made with the dialogue in Plautdietsch, a German dialect used by the Mennonites. It also featured non-professional actors--this made for extremely interesting energy. Not only is the film cinematically gorgeous, it is aurally stimulating, something I won't try to qualify because I cannot do it justice. I don't know if it was intentional or not, but its climax in particular echoes Carl Dreyer's Ordet (Denmark, 1955) very closely; I am now going to have to re-watch that classic! I read that it was not a religious film but only about a religious community, but I disagree--it is a profoundly religious film about spiritual crisis, redemption and miracles. However, I think it works because it is not preachy or sacchrine, probably because it uses acting neophytes. You are engaged by the actors quite literally through the lens, but you are also drawn into sympatico with them, even with the supposed antagonists. If you doubt my evaluation, pin its appeal on the Cannes 2007 Jury and the Golden Ariels which ascribed it success through multiple prizes. It runs at The Royal cinema, 608 College St for the rest of this week: today 3:30 and 6:30, Mon-Wed at 9pm and Thurs at 7pm. Treat yourself. Thanks to the Images Festival for treating me!

Hero of the Week

Oliver Schroer died of cancer this week. I have totally dug this guy ever since I got his cd Camino, which was an audio journal of his pilgrimage experience en route to Santiago de Compostela . The cd records more than just his violin encounters in churches along the way; I'll leave the details for you to discover. Even the cover and booklet are a work of art. I got mine through www.oliverschroer.com. Read more about this remarkable musician here. The news of his death sucks, putting it bluntly.

Worthy Endeavours

I wanted to highlight an upcoming festival in 2009 which needs financial commitment now. Nidus Festival (nidus being Latin for nest) brings together excellent artists at an ecumenical expression of the arts and social justice works. If you can pledge some help now, you can help ensure the success of this topnotch event. Previous ones had performers like Jason Hildebrand, pictured, and whose Prodigal Trilogy I have discussed and promote incessantly. Go here to see the Nidus newsletters.

The person involved in Nidus that I know is Douglas Romanow, composer and producer of The Fire Escape recording studio. Check out his websites and production cv!

The other cool thing I wanted to promote is the regular get-togethers of Speakeasy, 'a night out for creative types'. You can check out details about themes and how to get to the Gladstone on the website. I am definitely hanging out there on Thursdays next year.

The founder of Speakeasy is David Brown, whose encaustics we love, and recent works of which you can see here. Hope you liked your buttons, David!

Better than Matt's "Dancing"

If you are a Youtube addict, you have likely seen Dancing ad nauseum (I'm not even posting a hyper link for it). However, something worth engaging with is this completely tear-jerker story and short video. There's no real connection to this blog; the closest segue I can come up with is that the lion's name is Christian. Get your kleenex ready.

Petition

Please go to an online petition through The Sunday Telegraph to save many at-risk churches in Britain. This is not an over-the-pond issue: if some of the most important church buildings in the world are considered as excess baggage and not worth saving, you can be sure that our heritage buildings are as at risk (it's the "but everybody's doing it" problem). Please show the government there that these buildings matter, if not to Christianity then at least historically. Then perhaps a precedent will be set and Canada might look to other countries' experiences if a similar time arises. Go to the webpage to get familiar with the issues, then sign up via email at petitions@telegraph.co.uk . I am not the only non-resident to sign, as you will see in the comments section.

#560 God Whose Almighty Hand

"...bring on your redeeming wing...sight to the inly blind..."

John Marriott, 1780-1825

Things for Recom

Many other things to recommend for perusal this week:

I have mentioned Image Journal: Art, Faith & Mystery before, but thought it was worth picking up again.

However, a writer friend steered me towards The Other Journal too, which features discussions about theology and art from many perspectives. This online journal is open to non-scholarly submissions as well, so check out their guidelines and thematic sections. I'm a new convert!

A blog whose title appealed to me--Life is a Journal: Self Help for Lazy People--comes out of Ireland and is both worth a snort and some consideration.

From the nakedpastor comes this little gem, 10 Little Pieces of Advice to Take or Leave. No comment needed.

In terms of cyber places you can contribute to, I wanted to revisit something I mentioned last year but had so many technical issues with, I basically abandoned the recom. On an optimistic whim I decided to retry joining Collection X, an online experiment as part of Virtual Museum Canada. Finally they seem to have their techy issues ironed out, so if you want your own 15 minutes of fame, you can create your own exhibition.

Opera on the Rocks

Have you been promising yourself--or your partner--that yeah, one day you'll go to the opera but up til now, like Norm in Cheers, you really haven't been able to get your rear off a bar stool and actually go? Well, now you have no more excuses! Opera AND a pint! The Ambient Opera Society, as part of the Fringe, is presenting 'guerilla opera'--stories unfolding on barstools amongst the audience at the Pauper's Pub. It stars some of my faves from modern opera companies such as Neil Aronoff, Neema Bickersteth, Jessica Lloyd and Keith Klassen, and David Ogborn's music is set to libretto by Leanna Brodie, Dave Carley, Lisa Codrington and Krista Dalby. I liked their use of space and the atmosphere is intimate yet professional. The content is very Canadian and very funny (and not intended for children). Don't miss it--you'll love it no matter what your musical or theatrical preferences are. Tickets are $10, there's food and of course drink available, and the show runs July 5 & 12 at 4pm, and July 2-4, 6, 8-11 & 13 at 9pm. Go here for more info. Please note there IS a 9pm show on Tuesday the 8th which was omitted from the Fringe guide.

I would like to mention again an exhibit that I discussed earlier called Sacred Space at Harbourfront (235 Queen's Quay West). The gallery has contributions by architectural firms that allow us to interactively explore the meaning of sacred space. It is AWESOME. And free, which is always a bonus. Atheists, run not. There is nothing religious per se about this experience, unless one wants it to be. Highly recommend it. Sacred Space, unlike the Power Plant which always seems to be closed, is open til 8pm many nights and runs through September 7th.

K.I.S.S.

As per my priest's sermon today about keeping things simple, I share a charming piece about the two little sons of a New Yorker who LOVE the subway. With delightful images and clever text, Christoph Niemann tells of his underground adventures with his family. It was very nostalgic for me, former author of all affordable children's entertainment. People used to laugh that my kids could enjoy something so simple. But that's where their little heads should be, shouldn't it? See The Boys and the Subway here. There's a link to his other websites too.

Add 25 to 1927

A 'new' director's cut of Fritz Lang's original Metropolis has surfaced in Buenos Aires after years of rumours of its existence. The film needs extensive restoration, but I know some cinephiles who will be waiting impatiently for its release!

Another Thing A Long Time Coming

John Cage's 1985 organ piece As Long As Possible is being played exactly like that in a church in Germany--they're up to the sixth chord after 8 years!!! My kind of organ concert! As the composer wasn't explicit about how long was long, town officials decided to guestimate 639 years. So we won't hear the final chord in 2640. Maybe they should rename it The Tortoise's Fugue.

Who's the Expert?

The Brooklyn Museum is asking questions about who exactly are the art experts--the viewing public or the critics? In Click! A Crowd-Curated Exhibition, variables are manipulated so that the public makes relatively unbiased selections about what they consider the best of the show. Personally, I wasn't that impressed with the images I saw online, but I find the exercise fascinating. The exhibit is on view through Aug. 10 at the Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Parkway, at Prospect Park, (718) 638-5000.

Hero of the Week

When asked what he thought of western civilization, Mahatma Gandhi replied, 'I think it would be a good idea'.

Triptych of the Realms

©2006 VWells

Hero of the Week and of Christmas

Ok, for all you early Christmas shoppers like me, it's never too early to think about this, but it is really directed at the more typical Christmas shopper. This documentary--half comedy, half tragedy--is about the madness of consumerism. I first read about this guy in Geez (magazine highlighted here previously) and learned that Rev. Billy is a satirist, a political lobbyist with a creative way of trying to get us to Stop Shopping. This film is not for the religiously conservative (although Christianity Today had some good things to say about it) but it does give one a kick in the pants about reducing xmas (and year long) insanity. I have brought up this topic in previous posts (See The Story of Stuff and Buy Less/Nothing Christmas), and I am going to use this film's and the Adbsuters' media awareness curricula in my classes this year. This is an excellent film. Try and see it whereever you can. (The site says Blockbuster carries it but it doesn't in Canada; I had to order it online from Amazon.ca). Produced by Morgan Spurlock of Supersize Me fame, the main theme is the Shopocalypse. That should give you an idea of where the film is going. 100% recommended! Check out the trailer here.

St. Frigo by Jimmie Durham!

[Think about it....]

Art and Altruism

I was reading letters to the editor in a very mediocre and amateur (and thus unnamed) artists' magazine recently, which debated (again) whether art's duty is to document and raise the profile of the world's social, political, moral etc sins, or whether art was to be made gratia artis. Anyway, I came across an art project with social conscience, The Cradle Project, whose purpose is (to quote from their site) the following: "In Spring of 2008 one thousand cradles and cribs made by artisans from around the world will fill an abandoned warehouse in Albuquerque, New Mexico. We call this vision The Cradle Project.
The Cradle Project is a fundraising art installation designed to represent the plight of the estimated 48 million children who have been orphaned by disease and poverty in sub-Saharan Africa.
Our Mission is to promote awareness and raise financial support to help feed, shelter, and educate these children."

En tout cas, you can see hundreds of the produced cradles so far here, but my favourite was one which, although entitled based on the womb, resembled a baptismal font. Perhaps the two are as one.

NOT Good News

from October 2001

Ed Arno, a major cartoon contributor to the New Yorker, died this week. The original article in the NYTimes said he died at 83 AND at 92, so that was a fitting comic exit. (Unfortunately, they have fixed the erratum).

Wacky!

Am I the last person on the planet to hear about this magazine? Ck out the online version of Mental Floss, which has all sorts of weird and not very important things inside. It might be your next guilty pleasure.

Penguin Design Awards

As usual, some of the best are the runners-up, but ck out the winners of the design awards at Penguin Books (UK) here.

snort!...or maybe not

copyright David Hayward 2009

Not the 24 Kiefer

Cool Architecture via the NY Times

'Wozocos' for seniors in Amsterdam...

Mirador in Madrid....

and the Silodam in Rotterdam

[click to enlarge a photo]

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Illumination of the Washington National Cathedral by Gerry Hofstetter, as shown at The Episcopal Cafe.

Blog Recom

Ck out David Hayward's blog, nakedpastor. A self-described pastor trapped inside an artist's body and self-proclaimed subversive, he offers laughs alongside considered reflections. You can join his facebook via his blog.

snort!

Into TO?
Canadian Architect magazine reported that Heritage Toronto has a newly renovated website. It's easy to navigate and has useful info and links. Co-sponsored by Spacing magazine.

Divas on Canvas

If you're in NY, NY and heading to the Met, check out this new exhibit of painter Francesco Clemente's paintings of eight opera divas, namely Diana Damrau, Natalie Dessay, Renée Fleming, Angela Gheorghiu, Susan Graham, Karita Mattila, Anna Netrebko, and Deborah Voigt.

Green Flag
Joni Mitchell http://jonimitchell.com/

Sanctuary Song

[scroll to review, below]

And you think it's hard to keep 10.....

A very cool art project: artist Archie Rand has painted a huge mural illustrating all 613 of the Jewish mitzvot or commandments, a portion of which you can see on this blog and there is also an article about it in the New York Times. Kinda reminds me of William Kurelek's Matthew paintings, (now available in a film version through Broughton's on the Danforth).

Child's Play???

From one of David Barker's 87 websites (don't you ever sleep, man?) comes a fascinating video. Let us open our eyes to childsplay. It's easy to lose sight of the realities of our 'fun'.

Geeeeeezzz!

I am recommending Geez Magazine again, not only because it is F-U-N, but also because the current issue is about art. Ck out the leaders online and then subscribe!

More For Less Than 30s

If you are not into the traditional idea of worship at church, you might want to check out The Meeting House, a radical model for church associated with the Brethren in Christ. Pastor Bruxy Cavey leads groups via simulcasts in movie theatres, such as Silvercity, and challenges people to get involved in this new way of being a follower of Christ. Gotta love the image, anyway (above).

Mark 5:41

Talitha cum!