George Frideric Handel was a German-British Baroque composer of exponential talent, composing many operas, oratorios and concertos. Handel’s works are most famously attributed to his use of word painting, a technique used in music to have the melody mimic the literal meaning of the lyrics. Handel’s Messiah interprets the Christian view of the Messiah, or…
WeiJia and I will be able to have the great chance to see the Calgary Philharmonic Chorus and several soloists perform Handel’s Messiah in the Jack Singer Concert Hall. To ignite some Christmas spirit with song, here’s a uplifting video featuring the Chorus Niagara performing Handel’s Messiah, random flash mob style, in a food court with an…
The Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra (CPO) is the home to approximately 65 world class musicians, and Robert Penner is one of them. Penner fortunately happened to be the father of a very good friend, and having been overwhelmed by the grand majesty of the CPO like in the Wonder of Chopin concert and the Mozart and…
It’s after dark, 5 p.m., and when I walked into the Calgary Zoo, I was greeted by an enlightening path of brightly lit red and gold candy canes. The bridge had been hung with ivy-like vines of blue lights and cute shapes of kangaroos and butterflies lit up the zoo. Quite amazingly, patterns of monkeys…
WeiJia, fellow blogger and I had the extraordinary chance to meet and interview Jan Lisiecki at the Wonder of Chopin concert playing in the Jack Singer Concert Hall. When do you have the chance to meet a 15 year old piano prodigy? Not everyday, at least for me, but perhaps for his friends at Western Canada…
The media is currently swirling around the issue of CEO Stephen Duckett’s controversial dismissal from the Alberta Health Services board. Angrily pushing off reporters and interviews while asserting he was eating his cookie, Ed Stelmach definitely did not sympathize with Duckett’s behaviour and termed it “offensive.” Now three members from the AHS board have resigned…
The world needs leaders, in whatever area of expertise individuals choose to pursue. Attending two Canadian Red Cross workshops, intending to train internal Red Cross volunteers to become facilitators, plunged me into becoming more engaged in world affairs. I had previously spoken about this in another post. It was quite intimidating, as I tried to…
A turtle, a Jack-O-Lantern, a piano, a balloon, and a dragon? When did these things ever come together in the same category?! At Empty Bowls, of course. Last Thursday, the Youth Volunteer Corps (YVC) Steering Committee courageously headed down in the bitter cold to create ceramic bowls at the Wildflower Arts Center. Empty Bowls is a project that calls…
This well-known portrait of Mozart isn’t what Mozart actually looked like, due to the fact that his portrait was painted only after his death and using details given by his wife. Prior to a Mozart celebration concert by the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra (CPO), Kenneth Delong, music critic, and the Calgary Philharmonic Chorus gave a brief introduction…
It’s a blissful life for a writer… or is it really? Yann Martel with his novel “Life of Pi”, image credit: Jonathan Evan WordFest WordFest, in its 15thyear, is an international writer’s festival that brought many great and interactive events between writers and readers! Over 65 events occurred, such as reading, poetry and spoken word…
Various astounding art pieces were displayed for Epcor Centre’s Celebration For the Arts – 25 years in the community – in the Jack Singer Hall on Sept. 18 and 25. Many speeches were made by prominent patrons of the arts, including Peter Lougheed and Jeanne Lougheed, a message from the former Governor General Michaelle Jean and several…
What is it like to be the daughter of a war veteran? Playwright Linda Griffith’s narrates her personal tale of the trip she takes with her father to his last RAF bomber squad reunion. A unique one woman show narrates the war of the then and now: of one between the Allies and Nazis and…
“For me, it’s being the complete musician.” – Georgy Tchaizde, on what makes a good pianist. On Saturday, Sept. 25, we celebrated the Epcor Centre 25th anniversary. The Epcor Centre is often called the “cultural beacon” and “heartbeat” of Calgary. What aspect of Calgary appealed most to the Tchaidze? According to the pianist, “It’s very quiet here.…
It seems that natural disasters are just taking over the headlines – what with the devastating earthquakes in Haiti and Chile, the flood in the Philippines and now the recent floods in Pakistan, the world needs a little help to get back up onto its feet. Some of that help was raised on Sept. 12,…
“Never, never, never give up“ -Winston Churchill. YAA: Despite only having attended Lester B Pearson High School for five months, Daynia Nelson has caused a noticeable ripple in Pearson’s fine arts program, being actively involved in the choir and drama program. This happy-go-lucky youth with unyielding and compassionate enthusiasm makes even the most dour youths…