"What a Neighborhood!" House Concert/Schubertiade Feb 15th

A Good Old Fashioned Schubertiade!

111th Street Style

It's always a treat when you get a bunch of people together, who appreciate chamber music, sit in a lovely, spacious, comfortable room, and listen to some magnificent music...especially if some of it is Schubert!  Once again, our wonderful friends, Vita and Ishmael Wallace, provided us with a fantastic concert, including offerings of Schubert piano "jewels" for 4-hands.  These were some of the most lovely piano 4-hands pieces I've ever heard.  They also performed part of Faure's "Dolly" Suite (for 4-hands), another great treat.  Ishmael graced us with a cosmological narrative of antiquity and Vita added some works for accordion.  I had the opportunity to sing with a small group, as well as the whole audience/community.  We had discussions about art, tales of travel and loss, and reflections on the idea of "home."  And we ended the evening with a startlingly organic master performance on the sopranino sax, which bent the tonal and atonal aural-sphere of the living room into bands of sound I don't think any of us had ever heard or experienced before!  Yet, it was simply amazing.  Of course, a big thanks to the hostess(es) and friends of "What a Neighborhood!" for their continued support, especially in this 10th anniversary year.  We enjoyed a late evening of music, arts, poetry, meditation, and conversation over juice drinks, cheese, and a multitude of dipping and sweet delights!

    

"What a Neighborhood!" Birthday Concert at Bloomingdale School

Greetings again, everyone!

I wanted to share with you an extraordinary "little" concert that our friends Vita and Ishmael Wallace (of the Orpheo Duo and "What A Neighborhood!") organized and performed on Feb. 9th, 2013, here on the Upper West Side, at the Bloomingdale School.  The wonderful concert, which is described in its promotional below, was a delightful mix of "emblematic" pieces by numerous local composers, including a vast and expansive new multi-part piano/performance work entitled "Arcana" by Ishmael Wallace, which combined both musical intrigue with poetic performance of ancient mysteries.  All of these works had marvelous and distinctly original flavor, from David Loeb's Japanese inspired piece, to Alla Pavlova's work based on folk tales, and Waddy Thompson's superb evocation of Manhattan seasons.  Each was powerfully written and beautifully executed by Vita and Ishmael.

This and other concerts by "What a Neighborhood!" this year are in honor of the group's 10th anniversary, which is celebrating with a series of (at least!) 10 concerts.  And each has and will promise an exciting performance.  One of the lovely additions to these multi-faceted performances is that other arts are included, and we all had a fine taste of works by local artists, including Susan Dessel, who did a wonderful suite of tin works for the occasion.

EMBLEMS

An Extraordinary Birthday Party

The Orfeo Duo is full of surprises in this celebration of What a Neighborhood!’s 10th anniversary.

Miniatures by neighborhood composers Robert Cuckson, David Loeb, Alla Pavlova, Waddy Thompson, Ishmael Wallace, and neighborhood children will accompany small artworks on paper by Ana Traversa & in tin by Susan Dessel, as well as bite-sized edibles.

Orfeo Duo (Vita Wallace, violin; Ishmael Wallace, piano & baritone) & a Mystery Guest